Coming to a foreign country is an intimidating experience. When I first moved to America, I had to leave everything behind, my family, my friends, and my home life. Although I welcomed the change, I was also afraid. This fear lived with me for a long time before I had the courage to let it go. My experiences, 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 a whole year. I was just too scared. Although I slowly began to come out of my shell, the process was long and painful. Whenever someone harassed me about my accent or my ethnicity, I would retreat into my circle and hide. 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 accepts challenges. The journey, hardships and racism I have gone through throughout my life have made me a strong person. 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 myself and then teach it to my parents. It's scary and heartbreaking to see how hard my parents work for my siblings and me. As immigrants, they work day and night to give us a better education and a better life. My mother leaves for work at 4 a.m. and returns at 7 p.m. My father leaves at 5 a.m. and returns at 8 p.m. Since my sister and I were young, we had to behave like adults. We did all the household chores, studying, cooking and more. My parents sacrificed a lot for me, just so I could have a taste of the success they never had...... middle of paper......the bonds that the Charter presented to them. At Charter, I continually had to work hard to catch up with other students. I had to teach myself how to write essays, do algebra, basic geography and more. In the end, it was all worth it. My ethnicity, my experiences, and my parents' sacrifices taught me to persevere 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 realize that my purpose in life is not only to succeed, but also to serve others. I don't view success as getting a higher grade or a better job, but rather what I do to help others along the way. With this motto, I desire to live a life where I can be proud to say that I have done something to leave an impact in the lives of others and that I have helped others overcome their difficulties just as I have gone through mine..