_____Throughout my life, I have encountered many hardships and personal disadvantages. Since I can remember, my parents have been divorced. This made life for me, a little different than your average American teenager. While growing up, I had the chance to live in many diverse communities, this allowed me to attend numerous schools and further more helped to develop my unique perspective on life. I believe that a person does not have the ability to learn, unless that person truly wants to be taught. I found this to be true through my own actions. From the age of four to the age of eleven I had lived with my mother. Marge worked many hours and was a single mother supporting two kids on a high school diploma. When living with my mother I often found myself making many decisions on my own, decisions that when thought about, should not be decided by a young teenager. Now, at this time I was still growing and maturing into the person I would forever be. Little did I know, I had a huge responsibility on the way and I knew I had to accept this task, even if I was a little kid. My baby brother (John) was born January 30, 1997 on a beautiful day. With my mother working many hours and my little brother needing a role model to show him the ways of the world, I found myself obligated with tasks, which made me grow up to fast. Going to Caribou Elementary in Maine and taking care of my brother was a hard challenge at times, but it helped to mold who I would become. It was these opportunities that gave me the power to be responsible and to try and make the right decisions in life. At the age of twelve I moved to Nebraska to live with my William. Getting off the plane with picture in hand, I found my new mentor and source of relief when stressed. It was this move that would change my life forever.

_____When it was time to go to my dads, my mother simply told me that I was moving because she loved me and that she wanted me to have a better life with more possibilities and promise for a better future. I didn't understand, but I listened to her anyway and got on the plane headed for Nebraska. As I got to know my Dad, it was clear to see that he was a much different person from my mother and myself. William was always gone and gave me the freedom to do whatever I pleased. Once again I was left to make many hard decisions about life on my own. While attending school in Nebraska I never found myself making school a main priority .All I cared about was hanging out with friends and staying away from William. For some reason I always found myself doing the bare minimum and skipping classes at school. My mother noticed that my grades were terrible and that I was hanging with the wrong crowd, she contacted me and told me that she had gotten married to an average class man who she loved. This made me happy because someone could take care of my mom and now she could take a break, after all she has been working her whole life. So I packed my bags and only after one year at Millard Central In Nebraska, I moved to Colorado where my Mother and little Brother had settled in.

_____When I arrived in Colorado I was happy to see my Mom and my Brother. I met my new step dad (Larry) and it turns out that he is great guy. Or so I thought. As I attended school my mother noticed many trends that she knew would get me nowhere in life. As time passed on my newfound behavior continued and it turned out that my mother's husband Larry was psychotic and did some very degrading things to my Mother and little Brother. After my Mother divorced this man named Larry we were left with huge financial debt and my mother filed for bankruptcy. So I stayed with my mom for another year, attending Panorama Middle School and working a paper route in the mornings and watching my brother by night to help in the struggle to survive. This began to take its toll on me, so I moved out of the apartment my mother had and set my sights on Washington.

_____William being a military man, now lived in Washington and I was about to join him. As I said goodbye to my mother and my little brother I found myself excited to start all over again. When I got to Washington I started my high school career at Illahee High and I'm currently finishing it at Todd Beamer High. At the age of thirteen or fourteen I once again was making my own choices and decisions without much supervision. As time passed I kept in touch with my mother and brother. Around the age of 17 I met a young lady named Amanda. Amanda currently attends Gonzaga University and I hear nothing but good things about that school. At the time I was not the most dedicated or hard working person around, I mostly liked to hang out with my buds and barely get by in my classes. Amanda, senior class president and prom queen took me in, me, a junior that has a reputation of a partier and a slacker . Well it turns out that those who classified were wrong. Amanda a 4.0 student with all AP classes showed me the importance of applying yourself and doing well in school. These events were life changing for me. I was halfway through my junior year and I was able to realize the importance of doing well in school, but it was too late. I had already completed my previous two years just barely getting by and my grade point average was low. As my junior year came to an end I was a totally new person. I found myself wearing preppy clothes and doing well in school, even earning twelve credits in an eight- credit period. This was when I became aware of how smart I was and who I was.

_____With my junior year over, I looked forward to my summer with Amanda. My summer was great and as always all good things come to an end. Amanda left for Gonzaga and I was left behind. Having hung out with all seniors when I was a junior it felt like I had already graduated. Since Amanda and I were so close, I feel that this helped me to feel this way more. Now with Amanda gone I'm sad, but I still remember what she taught me, and that was to achieve all you can and I hope that these qualities can be seen through this letter of intent. I sincerely wish to pursue and education at this "school and also a career. If not chosen to attend your prestigious university , I can not help but to feel as though a mistake is being made, a mistake in that I am a hard dedicated working person with a lot of passion for what I involve myself in. The circumstances that have been set before me in my lifetime have all been overcome by my actions and I feel that another responsibility such as attending your university is something I must achieve and overcome. I hope this letter has given you insight to my place in this world and what place I would like to have in this world.

Sincerely,

Todd Beamer High School