REBECCA

My name is Rebecca Fabien, I am 20 years old. I was born in Haiti. I have an older brother who is a few years older than me. We were brought up in the Christian faith.
At a very young age I encountered many difficulties. My father for one, was attacked in the line of duty, out of the five bullets, one still remains in his lower abdomen because it was too expensive to have it removed. His employer dismissed him with no apology, no recognition, no compensation for his injuries, henceforth, he was no longer able to work. Our family could only watch him suffer day and night, therefore, my mother became our family sole caretaker. Education is a major priority for my family, at the age of ten my parents sent me off to live with my godmother to attend one of the best catholic school in the city since my hometown was not so safe and not close enough to the school. My fate took a turn for the worst, typically in some of the households in my homeland when you are not the biological child, you are mistreated; in some cases worse than others. From the moment I arrived there, I had to take on the role of a caretaker, doing chores from cooking, cleaning, laundry, ironing, tutoring and attending to everyone’s needs. I was also subjected to verbal abuse. I was always the first one to get up in the morning and the last one to go to bed at night. Also, I was not allowed to go to sleep if I was too tired or too ill to complete a chore. Even though, at times I was too exhausted to learn, I still managed to obtain the best grades and even took extra curriculums; Art and theater were my favorites, where I would get lost in the characters for a glimpse of joy. I kept all those ordeals from my parents because I knew I had to be strong for them and I also, did not want to bring more turmoil to their lives. Last year, I was offered a partial scholarship at the University of The Ozarks, to major in Business Administration and a minor in Spanish and Mandarin through the help of a family friend because he witnessed my hard work and dedication at school. Unfortunately, not too long after that he was dismissed from his job. Therefore, I am left in the state with no one to turn to. Despite all my misfortunes, I never cease to smile nor be ungrateful every day.
In all, I continue to strive to be better, strive to reach my goals and one day be able to give my parents and sibling the life we all deserve. Life in itself is a struggle, every life carries a story, some more bearable than others. Believing in your dreams is the key to your success, and to never give up no matter what.