Goals pg. 186

The goals that I’ve set for myself in this lifetime are an accumulation of my upbringing along with personal aspirations that will make life more fulfilling as a whole. Having a parent that was deeply involved in the education field, a strong emphasis was put on higher education and achievement in a future profession. When I became restless in high school with the humdrum boring curriculum I focused all of my energy into photographing and printing in the darkroom. Having parents that worked in careers that required little if any creativity, they saw photography as a hobby only.
I continued to pursue this career and lifetime goal of actually going to school and producing photographs for a living in part because of my uncle. His support and enthusiasm for my growing interest and determination in the photo field gave me much needed assurance in the long run. His generosity of purchasing camera equipment, helping me mat and display my work, and most importantly genuinely supporting me has helped immensely. Without his support in my chosen career field, and my parents strong emphasis on higher education, my determination in reaching my goals would certainly not be the same as it is today.
Last year one of my teachers asked everyone in the class to raise their hands if they would be in $20,000 or more debt after graduating from college. All but three of us in the class raised their hands, which surprised me at first and made me realize how fortunate I am. If my mother wasn’t such a strong advocate of education and had the means to fund my college education I would be up to my ears in debt and eating ramen noodles every day of the week. For this I am eternally grateful for being given such opportunities, I only hope in the future college would not be such a financial burden, allowing everyone who wants one the means to a college education.
Kaiti