When I was a small kid, I didn’t think about how expensive and challenging college and life could be. I was young and ignorant of all the problems, safely shielded from the harsh realities by my parents. Now, as I start to become an adult, I realize it’s one of the scariest things we go through. We are thrust into adult life, starting college, and trying to get jobs to pay for the expenses—it’s so stressful and scary. The protective bubble my parents created has been broken, and now I need to learn how to navigate life by myself, little by little. At the end of the day, as years go by, I’m going to keep growing and assuming more responsibilities. I hope to keep studying to accomplish my biggest dream: earning a doctorate and being called Dr. Ortiz after years of hard work and determination. I want to achieve all my dreams and make a difference as a future psychologist and as a person. My protective bubble started to dismantle and float away when I lost my father. I was young, inexperienced, and naive about what loss felt like, and I had just started high school. Losing one of my biggest protectors, one of the people who loved me more than anything, was devastating. Since that moment, a part of me has never been the same. I have tried to cope and move on, but it’s hard when you constantly miss and wish for your dad to be alive, to hold you and never let you go, to recreate that protective bubble, and never let anything hurt you. Now, it’s just my mom, my brother, and me trying to make do with what we have. Difficult times have taught me to be humble and grateful for what I have. However, the fear of my dreams and studies slipping through my fingers because of financial constraints is terrifying. As I write this, pouring out my feelings while listening to sad songs, I am hoping to be given a chance to continue pursuing my dreams without this sad and terrible feeling in my heart. I need the sense of stability that economic help can provide. One day, I’m going to graduate from college. I am determined to accomplish one of my biggest dreams. I will be grateful and proud of what I have achieved, hoping that my father is watching and is proud of me too.