<p>Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have the necessary foundation as my dad would say. I had a home, food, and, most importantly, a family. My needs and wants were met; my doubts and low self-esteem were rectified and my goals were limitless. I had all the time in the world to live my life and, most importantly, do well in school and pursue my dreams. Nothing was in my way, mentally or physically, and I had the will power to do what was necessary to attain my goals. However, even with that mindset growing up, pressure and stress soon rose as I progressed up high school. Maintaining my GPA, taking rigorous classes, and allocating time for my extracurricular activities and free time were all stressful. But what had the most impact on me was when I saw my SAT scores for the first time.
I remembered that day like it was yesterday. It was a couple weeks after I had taken my first SAT during the May of my junior year. The time had come to see what I had gotten. Walking to my high school library to check my score, I felt nervous yet it was that kind of nervous that you know would have a positive outcome. I reassured myself that I prepared myself the best I could and tried my very best on the day of the test.</p>