Independent--Nicholas

The moment I realized that being independent gets you far in life has to be when I got the opportunity to travel with my friend and his dad to Cancun. It was during the summer of 2016, his dad is pretty successful, has a great job, and it pays him very well. Throughout the trip, I realized that I loved traveling; his dad can go anywhere in the world. On a car ride back to our hotel my friend fell asleep and his dad and I had a long conversation about how he was as a kid. He told me that his mother would make everyone food but he would have to make his own food, he bought his first car on his own; he basically did not rely on anyone. He did his own thing, and made his own choices throughout his life. He graduated from a very good college and as a result has become the CEO of a company. That conversation really put things in perspective for me and it taught me to never take things for granted. I also learned that if you want something done sometimes you have to do it yourself.

 People who always rely on someone to help them get through the tough times or make hard life decisions will always need to have someone by their side. I try my hardest to solve my own problems; of course it is always good to have someone to vent too, but not to the point where you are constantly complaining. Another individual who taught me to work towards the things that I want, would have to be my mother. She is the oldest of five kids, and growing up at the age nine she was already making food for her brother and younger sisters. She would give them advice, and acted like a second mother for them. Growing up with a hairlip chalif palate made life hard for her. All through middle school and high school she was constantly in the hospital going through surgery after surgery. As a result of this, in her senior year she failed her whole first semester and by the second she realized she had to work extra hard to be able to graduate. So she took ROP classes, adult school at night, and her general classes in the morning, she passed every single class and graduated. She didn’t let anything stand in her way of getting her diploma; she went straight to college, graduated with honors, and now works as a nurse.

As the result of these experiences, I now make my own choices, and feel confident in my abilities in doing so. Most of the time I am home alone. My parents are always at work and my older sisters are either working or at school. I have my own key to the house as most people do, I get myself food, buy my own clothes, and hangout with friends; I take care of myself. I chose the college which I will be attending after high school on my own, and picked out my own classes, so I am all set for the fall. Whether my life choices are good or bad they are my own. I am not perfect and am still learning, and I know I have a lot more to learn. I’m just glad to have the peace of mind that my decisions are influenced by no one other than me.