My life, hasn’t been what you would say, the typical American lifestyle. Since the moment I entered this country, till now, my parents have been striving to help me be the most successful in my life. I could still remember the days I used to live in Queens, in which I would have fifteen minute sessions with my mom on a teeny chalkboard, teaching me my multiplication tables at the ripe age of six. My personal life experiences have molded me, and allowed me to become a diverse individual. I guess you can say that it’s my parents drive, and my perseverance, to truly live the American dream, that has been my mindset till this day.

Trinidad and Tobago is the country of my birth, and my original roots. I was uplifted from Trinidad when I was four and a half years old, and have been living in the United States ever since. I remember that day like it was yesterday, the plane ride, the popping of the ears, and the excitement. I don’t remember the stress of literally packing up my life, and moving somewhere else, but all I know, is that wherever I was going, I would be happy.

Up until around seventh grade, in which I became a one-man show, my mother would be my homework enforcer, my work corrector, and my drill sergeant at home. When I entered middle school, my mom’s measly Trinidadian high school education couldn’t come close. Bringing advanced algebra home became a foreign language to not just me, but my mother too. It’s still like that today, and my mom had to surrender her job as my teacher, and “give” it to someone with actual credentials. Rather than going home after school, I would be in extra help classes. I don’t feel upset about her education that she can’t help me, for those factors helped to sculpt my individuality. Everything I do, I would be the first, and the only. Whether it’s a math problem, or a Shakespearean book (which I don’t think my mother knows about), I would be the new Discovery Channel, bringing my information home, as if I knew about the world. This lack of knowledge not only stretched with academics, but as well as social events such as Prom, and being able to walk out for my lunch period. It get’s extremely frustrating at times, to have to deal with her sense of being old fashioned, but with a little explaining, and push, I will get to do everything that a normal American student does. She still is cautious about me attending my prom, or even wearing appropriate shorts to school. My dad, he’s a little bit more close-minded. He is very protective, and says no to literally everything. Both my parents don’t even approve of me wearing nail polish to school, or wearing makeup!

My career choice was also a big first for us. Going into business, and wanting to be in corporate America finally became achievable. I can only imagine explaining a new job offering I receive in the future to my mom, and the excitement that it would bring. Being profoundly independent, to be a business woman to me is like a hand to a glove, a perfect fit. To be able to have my own business, or even run something, will give me complete satisfaction. That feeling of knowing something is successful due to a large part by you, is my version of an adrenaline rush.
I really was almost forced to create new standards for my little family of three, in which they slowly discovered how to deal with their “American” daughter. Because of our discrepancies, and underlying motivation, everything I do, I do for myself, and to better my future. Struggles in school, is simply just a struggle with me, myself and I. It’s either I divulge myself into my studies, or I have to stay in school till I comprehend it. Past school, there really is no help at home, besides the push from my parents to be on top of everything. Having such a background, my personal experiences have really made me more open-minded. When you have seen the hardest of times, to even the happiest of times, it changes the way you look at life, and diversity becomes a part of you. I am very relatable to so many people out there, and it just shows that you can make something out of little or nothing. Being someone that’s so self-taught and self driven, my passion to be successful, and to make my parents proud, is beyond immense. My dreams, aspirations, and goals, stretch far beyond than what my parents could’ve ever imagined, and by me graduating high school, and entering college, it will be a great step that I’m taking, and something my parents never did. No one could ever see life the way I portray it through my eyes, a climb that can only be success through pure determination, strong supporters, and a burning desire for only the best in life.