I remember exactly where I was on the day that my life was completely altered. I was sat in my living room on a soft cushiony and comfortable gray couch with the rest of my family right there with me. Sunlight pierced through the oak wood slatted shades and shun directly onto me, heating me up and offering a sense of warmth and comfort. However, the news that came next completely took away any sense of comfort I had previously felt. 

As in that moment that followed I was told that my mother had been diagnosed with cancer, and after hearing that my world came to a halt. It felt like I had just been hit by a bus, as worry and doubt began running a marathon in my mind with fears of financial struggles, and my mother's health engulfing my entire being. The what if worst case scenarios lived rent-free in my head playing over, and over, and over like a Christmas movie you’ve seen 100 times over but watch every year when the season rolls around again. Then stress showed its ugly face as I began thinking about all the drastic changes that were to come with this new cancer obstacle. Such as how this will affect the physical appearance of the woman who I’ve idolized for years. Or what new responsibilities will I have to take on in order to keep the family functional, and will I even be able to handle these responsibilities? It felt as though I was drowning in stress and anxiety and the change that would inevitably come with my mother's cancer seemed as insurmountable as Mount Everest itself. 

 Eventually, I was able to somewhat escape this storm of stress and anxiety that had encompassed my life, and I had a realization. I wasn’t going to be able to impact my mother's health when it came to cancer, but I could help to be as financially responsible and independent as possible in order to ensure that I was as little a financial burden as possible. It was at that point in my life that the concept of being as financially responsible and successful really began to resonate within me. 

As time has gone bye I have learned some tips and tricks on strategies set myself up to be financially responsible such as monitoring spending along with cutting out inessential expenses. However, I still strive to learn more about all things pertaining to financial responsibility and college classes offer a great opportunity to learn about just that. So in order to insure that I can achieve my goal of being financially responsible and independent, I feel that my next step is college.