I was born and raised in Waco, Texas. I'm an only child, so people tend to have the stereotypical impression that I'm spoiled, but I disagree. I was raised to put others before myself and be considerate of their feelings. I was taught to always be happy, to not let anything or anyone bring me down, and to always have a positive outlook on everything. Your perspective on life says a lot about the person you are. I have always been very optimistic; I tend to see the good in everything and everyone. I believe that no matter what we go through in life, there is always something good around the corner. This mindset has a positive impact on my behavior, it has helped me to be very aware of who I am and I think it has allowed me to establish a solid foundation for who I want to become. Many people have asked me how I manage to stay so positive all the time. My answer is that it is very important to understand that life goes on, no matter what happens to you, you have to stay strong through it all. It's not about how many times you get knocked down; it's about how many times you get back up and continue to be strong. There were many events and relationships that affected me for a while, but I have healed and continue to strive to better myself every day. When I was five years old, I started kindergarten at La Vega Elementary School. Around the middle of the year, my parents decided we needed to move, which meant I also had to move schools, so I transferred to Cedar Ridge Elementary School. At first it was difficult to adapt to the new environment, but after a while I got used to it and enjoyed my new school. I was there all the way through fifth grade and then I transitioned... middle of paper ... I was the death of two people very close to me. One of them was the man who lived next door to me when I lived in my first house. I never really had a grandfather around, but he was there from the day I was born, I loved him like he was my real grandfather. My cousin's wife also died this summer. She wasn't closely related to me but she lived in the house right across the street from my current house for ten years and I saw her daily, she was honestly like a second mom to me. These events really opened my eyes and made me realize how precious life is and how much I should appreciate it because it can disappear in an instant. These two deaths as well as my mother's fight against cancer have affected me a lot in recent months, but I am little by little feeling better about the way things are evolving, I refuse to lose my positivity..