I was born in Ecuador but came to the US with my mother and brother when I was only 1 year. For the first half of my childhood I resided in NY, but moved to NJ once I started elementary school. My biological parents divorced when I was only three but since my mother brought my brother and I before that, I never met or at least knew my biological father for most of my life. Instead I grew fond of my step father whom I seemed to know all my life. He was my best friend and the only person I truly relied on, since he was the only father figure I knew. However, my life was not as perfect as it seemed from the outside. Although my "father" was perfect in my eyes, he had many flaws that caused consistent arguments between my parents for many years. Through the separations and constant moving, my brother and I were affected tremendously but it is what strengthened me. I learned how to adjust in any environment and situation I was put in. Through every tough obstacle I went through the stronger my empathy grew for others and the desire to help those in need. One of my greatest obstacles was when my "father" left our household because we were basically dependent on him, financially and emotionally. This is when I learned the importance of independence and the meaning of hard work. As a teenager it was a hard situation to go through but my family was more important than the struggle, and so I became the rock of the family and helped with as much as I could. This did affect school but I did not allow it to affect my future, and so once I graduated I started my career path by attending Rutgers.