Coming to a foreign country is a daunting experience. When I first moved to America, I had to leave everything behind: my family, my friends, and my life at home. While I welcomed the change, I was also afraid. This fear hovered over me for a long time before I found the courage to let it go. My experiences, both good and bad, have allowed me to come out of my shell, become a leader for my family, and fight against all odds to achieve my goals. When I first moved to America I didn't talk to anyone in my class for an entire year. I was simply too afraid. Even though I slowly started to come out of my shell, the process was long and painful. Whenever someone made fun of me for my accent or my ethnicity, I retreated into my circle and hid. To be who I am today I had to spend a lot of time motivating myself. Today I am the person I am proud to be. I am a strong and confident person who welcomes challenges. The journey, hardships, and racism I have gone through throughout my life have shaped me into a strong individual. I come from a low income family with no background. My parents don't speak English. When we first moved to America, I had to learn English on my own and then teach it to my parents. It is painful and heartbreaking to see how hard my parents work for me and my siblings. As immigrants, they work day and night to provide us with a better education and life. My mother leaves for work at 4am and returns at 7pm. My father leaves at 5am and returns at 8pm. Ever since my sister and I were little, we had to act like adults. We did all the housework, studied, cooked and more. My parents sacrificed a lot for me, just so I could taste the success they never have... middle of paper... the bonds that the Charter presented to them. At Charter I had to continually work hard to catch up with other students. I had to teach myself how to write essays, how to do algebra, basic geography, and more. In the end it was worth it. My ethnicity, my experiences and my parents' sacrifices have taught me to fight and never give up. Even though it's hard, I refuse to give up without a fight. Through the lessons I have learned and the challenges I have faced, I have realized that my goal in life is not only to succeed, but also to serve others. For me, success isn't having a higher grade or a better job, but what I do to help others along the way. With this motto, I want to live a life where I can be proud to say that I have done something to make an impact in other people's lives and that I have helped others overcome their difficulties just as I have overcome mine...