Reflective Essay: My Journey Back To The Dominican Republic

I was ten years old and I was walking down my street,I entered my house, dropped my school bag, ran upstairs, and saw my mom lying down. As soon as I walked in, my mom said, “I got some bad news.” At that moment my mind was fluttering with possibilities of what could have happened. She said “Your dad was incarcerated.” I didn't really know what to say at that moment; I didn't see the severity of the situation until I realized he was going to be locked up in a cage for 5 years and then deported back to the Dominican Republic. Not only did my dad's decision affect my ability to see him and brother. My mom didn't want me to see my father in prison. We communicated through phone calls. Five years later, he was released when I was 15 years old. By the time I reunited with him, I was 17; I had transformed from being a young, innocent girl to an uprising young female.

This experience with my dad taught me that life isn’t always going to be

I want to be able to give my mom a stress free time in her life. And be successful so that I could enjoy life as much as I can and my loved ones. There's a saying that not everything revolves around money, but much of it does at least in my life. Money gives you stability, which brings you happiness. Stability is something I want in my life because I never really had that growing up. This drives me to work hard to achieve my goal. Additionally, my past experiences have led me to believe that I would like to become a psychologist or a social worker. I want to help families and children. I want to make a positive impact on people's lives. I learned to overlook people's flaws and see them for who they really are. I want to help others overcome their obstacles and push through what life throws at them. Regardless of any obstacles that get thrown at me, it's not going to stop me from becoming a successful