3. What obstacle(s) have you faced in life and how have you been able to overcome it(them)? How did you learn from this experience?

The past three years of my life, the hardest obstacle has come into my life and has not completely left yet. Throughout my life my father has always been a difficult individual having problems with alcohol. He came home drunk every night and just passed out on the couch until he woke up for work the next day and started all over again. He never supported anything my mom, my siblings, or I did, unless it was what he wanted. My sophomore year of high school I found out a secret that my father had kept for a few years. I found out that he was living two separate lives. He had a serious girlfriend while married to my mother of twenty-two years. When he found out we knew about her, my father left us. I woke up one morning to find my house completely empty. While all of this was happening, the whole community knew what was going on and it could not be more embarrassing. My father’s actions have made me such a strong woman today. The strength he has given me is what got me to overcome his stupidity. I learned that my mother and I can make it through this world without anyone dragging us down. I learned how to keep my composure through school, and through rough times. From this experience I have become a stronger and better person. I do everything I can to make sure no one has to go through such pain.