As a child growing up in a very violent family, my mother was a victim of domestic violence and for many years we lived in poverty, this made it extremely difficult for me to take care of secondary education until he decided to flee to the United States. At the age of seventeen my environment changed. The abuse stopped but we continued to struggle, as an illegal immigrant she was unqualified for a job and worked cleaning houses and ironing clothes while I attended High School in Brooklyn, New York. I had to learn to adapt to life without my brother because my mother didn't have enough money to stay with us and adapt to a new culture. During this time my mother and I were left homeless during the winter months, this was the most brutal and embarrassing time of our lives. In my teenage life I overcame many obstacles; Even though we lived in poverty, my mother had high expectations for her children and graduating from high school was just the beginning, unfortunately I stumbled again, I failed my Math Regent and didn't graduate, but I was determined not to get discouraged . I signed up for the military and blossomed into a new person deployed to Iraq twice and overcame the combat situation. This new venture is where I got my leadership roles, but was still internally desired for my education. I met someone special and he had a college degree and I left out my educational equivalency after I got married, I snuck into a GED class and passed it in three months. I was ready to start a new beginning and was allowing anything to stop me in my path, BSW in 2014 and certainly ready to attack my MSW. I have the determination and have endured life to be where I am today. I have no regrets about the outcome of life, it made me the person I am today; I have…half of the paper…taken my level of thinking to a different level. Even though I worked with an Iraqi family I couldn't really understand the custom, I am currently working with an Iraqi family and they are giving me the opportunity to learn their customs, values, religion and language. EXPLORE MORE Graduate school would be a struggle and sacrifice for my family mentally and emotionally with two kids in school, my husband working and also preparing for graduate school, but for a moment we are dedicated to making this trip. Honestly, I can't give up my obligation to work, but I would spend my nights and weekends studying. In order to stay crazy I have to take care of myself. An hour in the gym should solve this problem, I'm afraid for the challengers but I wouldn't want to be the first and last person to do the MSW program.