Story About How I’ve Turned Into The Independent Individual

The circumstances of my childhood are illustrated by my eighth-grade promotion ceremony. I stood there alongside my fellow students, under the scorching evening sun. The line whittled down student by student: a name was called, a roar of applause came from the audience, the student was provided with a certificate, and they proceeded to walk across the field. Each time, the sea of parents and family members erupted out of sheer joy and excitement. When my name was called, something was different; there was only the typical applause, nothing When the promotion ceremony finished, proud parents rushed to capture the moment with their children. I stood alone. No one came to me.

I was no stranger to such circumstances; I had grown accustomed to attending ceremonies and programs without my parents. Some might have mistaken this for an indication that my parents didn’t care for me. The truth is that they both worked over ten hours a day at the time; their lives revolved around their jobs, so they had little time to spare. Although they might have been unable to maintain an active presence in my life, they never failed to display their commitment to my success; both my mother and father took jobs to help provide for my brother and me, working tirelessly out of their eagerness to see us excel in the future. Neither of them came close to obtaining a secondary school education in India, choosing instead to drop out and help provide for their own families. The entire purpose behind their decision to emigrate to the United States was the hope that my brother and I would be able to grow up in a more developed society and ultimately be more successful than them, something which they constantly urged us to prioritize.

The emphasis they placed on academic proficiency undoubtedly inspired me to challenge myself and excel in school, but I feel that my parents also indirectly helped me develop a more valuable skill: independence. For instance, by assigning me the responsibility of managing my own grades to ensure I performed well in school, they essentially gave me free control of a massive portion of my own life. This has proven to be a powerful motivational tool in my life. I felt that because they would tirelessly work to give me a chance at success, I was obligated to also work resolutely in pursuit of success.

My duties were not only academic. Because neither my mother nor my father could read, write, or speak English, I was given jobs that normally the head of the household would be assigned when I was barely even a teenager; these tasks included making phone calls, filling out documents, and even paying bills. These tasks were no problem for me initially; however, once I advanced into high school, I found it increasingly difficult to balance my day to find time to fulfill every one of my responsibilities. By junior year, I hardly had enough time to complete my homework, let alone handle my duties at home. On top of several AP classes, clubs, community college courses, and other extracurricular activities that consistently demand my full attention, I was also crushed by a mountain of chores at home now that my brother had left for college.

Normally, we would share the tasks we were provided, but that was no longer a viable option for me. Luckily, I had been doing work on behalf of my parents for years by this time; all it took was one day of complete focus and concentration to cut through the mounds of paperwork before me. Years and years of familiarization had given me the edge when it came to paperwork. For example, as secretary of the California Scholarship Federation club at my high school, it was my job to keep track of meetings by filling a variety of forms and documents. I had no issue doing so, as it was the same as I had already been doing on a regular basis. Even when going through the application process for QuestBridge, I was alone. All I needed was to gather some reference documents, sit down, and work; while several my peers would work with their parents to complete the application, I simply finished on my own.

What to others may seem to be a disadvantage, I view as an inspiration, a valuable motivator. My parents don’t attend school functions as others’ parents might, but I realize they believe in me. They willingly sacrifice their own priceless time so that I might enjoy mine in the future. My maturity and experience is a testament to the fact that they are not only the driving force behind my academic excellence, but they are also entirely responsible for molding me into the independent individual I am today.