Share the Dream: My Life, My Focus, My Goal Share the Dream: My Life, My Focus, My Goal: Plaisir, Liaylaa

Share the Dream essay by Liaylaa Plaisir

My life has been very hard this semester, but I am still trying my best. I am a student who cares about school, my family, and my future. Even when things feel overwhelming, I keep going.

This semester was especially difficult because my grandma passed away. Losing her hurt me deeply. She meant a lot to me, and her death affected my emotions and my focus. Around the same time, I also lost a friend. Dealing with both losses at once was very painful, and some days it felt like too much to handle.

On top of that, I sprained my ankle this semester. Track is very important to me, and not being able to go to track practice was hard. Running helps me clear my mind, so being injured made me feel stressed and frustrated. It was hard watching others practice while I had to sit out.

I was also very stressed this semester about my housing bill. I cannot afford to pay for it anymore, and that has been a big worry for me. Thinking about money and school at the same time made everything heavier. It affected my sleep and my ability to fully focus on my work.

Another thing that stressed me out was my family. Back home my mother telling me about how our landlord had upped our rent and that she could not afford to pay for it anymore stressed me out a lot. My mother is a single mother with 5 kids in the house, and she works a minimum wage job. She has been talking about going to a shelter with my siblings, which has made me very sad. It made me feel like I am at a point where I might have no choice but to leave school and go back home, work to help my family.

Even with all this, my focus is still on my education and my future. I try to turn in my work on time and stay respectful. I remind myself why I started and who I am doing this for, especially my family.

My goal is to push through these moments and build a better future. I want to go to college to study criminology or criminal justice. I want a stable career where I can help others and support my family. This semester tested me, but it also showed me how strong I am. My life, my focus, my goals keep me moving forward.