Assignment 22 - Isabella Matthews

I grew up in a single-mother household. My mom didn't meet my stepdad until I was 12 years old and married him just over a year later. Having grown up the way I did, I developed a tendency from a young age to minimize how much of a burden I placed on my mother and older sister. My mom wasn't home very much because she had to work and my sister was busy being a normal high schooler and hanging out with her friends. I quickly became very independent, I had to in order to make it easier on them. Our financial situation was often tight and I was always aware of the stress and pressure they were both under, even when I did't understand the causes. 

This mindset is still very big part of who I am today. Any and all strains on my loved ones cause me to close up in a way. I refuse to add to their stress by burdening them with any problems or needs I may have. If something happens or I need something and I have the ability to take care of it on my own then that is what I do. It makes me take on a new level of self-sufficiency. 

However, I was also taught to dream big. To keep my dreams somewhat realistic, but also to make them big. I have incredibly high aspirations for college and life after and I intend to achieve them as independently as I can, even if that means paying for college by myself and paying off student loans for the rest of my life.