<p>Many people would agree that the kind of person you are and the kind of person you become is primarily based on how you were brought up. In my specific circumstance, the non-traditional family that I was raised in served as both a unique edge I held over my peers, as well as a detriment to my success. Being the oldest of four children with a single mother, and whatever man was involved in her life at the time, I was prepared for the more realistic aspects of life while impaired academically. Although I was provided with neither the traditional family upbringing nor a traditionally successful role model to look after, I acquired many skills and qualities that have allowed me to succeed in the real world and that I will be able to take with me for the rest of my life.</p>
<p>My mother, the primary and most important member of my family, immigrated over to America from Vietnam in 1978, at the age of four, where she was raised with her mother and two older siblings. My mother had always been disinterested in school and inevitably, ended up dropping out of high school before the completion of tenth grade. After several years of wandering from home to home, from job to job, and from man to man, my mother gave birth to her first child out of wedlock at age twenty-one, me. From that moment on, she would be engaged and married countless times, and give birth to three other children from different fathers, my half siblings: Jessica, age eleven, Ryan, age ten, and Emme, age five. As all her children got older, my mother began handing off much of the motherly responsibilities to me and began going out at night after she got home from work. I would be given the responsibilities of babysitting my siblings, cooking meals, cleaning the house, helping my siblings with their homework, disciplining my siblings, as well as teaching them additional skills such as how to swim and ride their bike. From then on, I was no longer living and working hard for my own wellbeing, but for the survival and success of my family.</p>
<p>As I grew older and older, I began to experience more self-sacrifice for my family. My mother continued to go out at night and bring different men to our home; during some parts of my life, I was constantly physically or sexually abused by the men she chose to date or marry, and in one instance, their relatives. Although I continued to excel in school, it was solely because I was never challenged to work harder than my public school required of me. I did what my teachers told me to do at school. I spent a short time doing the homework they assigned for me. I aced exams that I never studied for. During this part of my life, I did not excel because I worked hard. I excelled because I was intelligent enough to barely scrape by.</p>
<p>I must admit that I occasionally wish I were born into a traditional family where my mother spent her spare time reading to me and equipping me with knowledge. However, I have learned irreplaceable lessons that I could not have otherwise acquired. I learned to speak my voice and be assertive. I learned how to take initiative and do what needs to get done. I learned how to stand up for myself. I learned how to interact with people of all ages. I learned to work hard. Most of all, I learned that no matter what happens in my life, there is nothing that I cannot overcome. In todays admissions process, an individuals knowledge is represented by their GPA and SAT score. However, no standardized test or number value can replace the importance of these life lessons Ive acquired through overcoming hardship and adversity. Even if the experiences I gained by being raised in a non-traditional family will not benefit me in academics, these lessons will allow me to succeed further in life. And for that, my mother would be proud.</p>