I try to not allow my surroundings and life circumstances to affect my ability to be successful and strive to achieve the goals I set for myself and my future. Unfortunately, this becomes difficult when dealing with a parent who struggles with addiction as it sometimes affects how I can navigate through certain situations. My father has an alcohol addiction and although he is a functioning alcoholic, there are times when the substances get the best of him. Seeing him drunk and under the influence and seeing how negatively his condition affects his ability to function when it comes to anything other than his job truly just makes me feel bad for him and disappointed that he allowed himself to get to that point. He’s had this problem my whole life and sometimes the magnitude of it makes me question if I’m genetically doomed to have the same issues he does and if I’d be able to fight the urge to turn to substances to resolve my emotional challenges. The fear of becoming like him in that way and the fact that I can’t confidently rely on him is the most depressing thing about it and probably the worst effect it has had on me in my eyes. On the other hand, the experience of having a parent in such a state of mind motivates me to not allow myself to reach that point. He tells me to be better than he is and reminds me that I can do much better with my life than he did with his. I am very thankful that he can, and has been teaching me about life while dealing with this problem. One way he does so is by explaining how the people around me are critical to the person I want to become in the future at this stage in life. Consequently, I long for an environment that will help me mold myself into the person I want to be, and avoid falling into the same hole my father did. I strive to be the best version of myself at all times and take pride in maintaining my academic progress. My goal is to attend an HBCU where I'd be able to connect with people who have or currently face some of the same obstacles I have and relate to me personally. As I transition from high school to college, I aim to continue my progress and the assurance that the hard work, time, and dedication I put into my academic career pays off making the road ahead smoother. While I plan to use college to pursue a career in IT, I want my college experience to expose me to people I relate to and push me to my potential. I want to be a part of a constructive and positive community of people who will constantly help each other be better. I want to build strong, positive, and constructive accords with people who could potentially help me achieve my dreams and allow me to help them achieve theirs. In pursuing a career in the field of IT, I want to hone my knowledge of cybersecurity and computer engineering. My overall goal is to secure a position managing a server farm, specifically working with the hardware and electrical engineering of the computers or assuring the data within the servers is well protected and organized properly. In the future, I envision myself as the most successful person I can be, I know I am capable of reaching all of my goals academically and careerally so I will not let anything stop me.