<p>Essay: Discuss some issue of local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.</p>
<pre><code> Lets face it. We all want that perfect life, filled with a dream job and an amazing family. But this is reality, of course, and you cant always have what you want because thats simply life. Today, our country has been experiencing a recession, which is ruining the aspirations of millions of hopeful men and women from all ages and ethnicity. Unfortunately, these people are facing the reality of not being able to feed their loved ones either because they are losing their jobs or because they simply cannot find work. My family is one of these individuals struggling to win that fight against this serious issue, which is ruining the American Dream that my dad sought for when he came here. As for me, it concerns me to think that my family will not be financially equipped to survive in the future.
Coming from a lower class family, it burdens me to know that every time I spend money on food or clothes, it takes a portion of the money my dad worked extremely hard for. When I first attended Brooklyn Tech High School, I noticed a lot of students carrying the latest iPods or wearing Hollister shirts, which I thought made them popular. However, I always felt guilty to ask my dad to buy these things just so I can conform to everyone else. Even when I did, he would always give the same response of no and how I should just focus on school. I always thought he was unreasonable even to the point that I questioned whether or not he truly loved me. But now I realized why he never spent all this money on me. After all, he has been working at the same clothing factory with a laughable wage since he emigrated here over a decade ago. In the past, my dad said that he was fortunate to have a job while millions of Americans remain without one. Despite this, I can still sense, through his voice, panic and anxiety that he might be the next person getting ousted due to budget cuts.
As a senior in high school, I know there is very little I can do to help support the family. Therefore, because of the lack of income in my family, some of my long-term goals are to get into a good college and obtain a well-paid job, even if the recession might make it difficult.. In order to achieve this, I strive to do well in school because I am motivated to give back to the people who have helped me a lot throughout my life: my family and friends. I study hard and do not waste any precious time on things that will hinder me from achieving these goals, like playing video games or going on Facebook all the time. If I get distracted on these things, then I feel like I have let everyone down but this will eventually make me work even harder. As my brother used to say repeatedly, I am the future of the household and it hurts me on the slightest thought of disappointing those who cared for me.
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<p>– Tan, W.</p>