Breezell Miller West Jordan High School Personal Statement In a short burst of time I had lived in as many as fifteen

different residences. Some of the places I lived are muddled in my memory. hin!ing bac!" my mind blurs through so many places I#ve lived and some places that I#ve chosen to forget. $t age four" my parents %ere divorced. $lready" at a young age" I %as traveling more than most people travel in their %hole lives. I remember" %hen I %as five" my mom too! us to the airport and told us to stay together and follo% Bronzell %ho is my eldest blood related brother. She left him instructions on %hat %e %ere to do and then" she %as gone. I !ne% that %e %ere only going to visit my father but" regardless" I cried silently throughout the entire plane ride. I didn#t see her again for si& months. When I got bac! to my mother many months later" %e %ere on the move again. I#d gone from living %ith both my parents" to living %ith one. We never lived in a house that %e could call our o%n. $fter so many transitions" %hen I %as seven years old" and my family and I %ere living in my grandmother#s unfinished basement" in one room. $t this point in my life I began to %onder %hy other !ids %ere able to live in one place %ith both their parents their %hole lives. I %anted to !no% %hy I %asn#t able to live that %ay. $t age eleven" %e made our final move. We rented out my aunt#s second home. 'or eight plus years I had never e&perienced %hat it %as li!e to live in a stable home. I %as bizarrely e&cited to start middle school. Just beyond the double doors of this building a ne% adventure a%aited" a ne% body of students resided" and a ne% hope" for myself" bloomed. Here" in Joel P. Jensen Middle School" is %here I found my resolve. I#d spent hours thin!ing of my mother" learning about her and my father. My mother and I %ere driving home from a school event one evening and my mother %as engaged in a heated conversation %ith my father over the phone. When she hung up the phone she placed her head in her hands and proceeded to lay them on the steering %heel. $t the same time that I turned to stare at her" she began to %eep violently. $s this happened" she continued to utter" (I hate him. I hate your dad.) 'irst she %as *uiet" and then she %as vigorous in her speech. I sat in stunned silence because" for the first time in my life" I %atched my mother lament over something. +ven %orse" at that moment" I %as po%erless. $fter all she had done for me" I had no %ay to comfort her. hat night" I felt a surge of devotion for her and I found me resolve. I made a promise to myself. I s%ore a silent oath that I %ould do %hatever it too! to ease my mother#s burden. I !ne% that %ould mean finding my o%n %ay into college. So I promised myself that I %ould %or! the hardest" and I %ould get the best grades. I !ne% I %ould need a ,ob if I planned to ease my mother#s hardship. his is also %hen I developed a passion for studying nutrition. I !no% that it is very po%erful and life preserving. Plus" during my research I#ve found that nutrition and the science behind it is never ending. here is so much more to study" and so much time. $t fifteen I finally started to gain a sense of %hat stability felt li!e. I#d lived in my current home for four years" it %as the longest I had lived any%here- longer still %as the lac! of communication bet%een my father and me" five years. hat summer my mother as!ed me to go visit my father for a fe% months. I refused" I did not %ant to visit him %hen he decided not to

tal! to me for five years. Ho%ever" that same %ee! I %as on a plane headed to%ards my father#s home in Wisconsin. When I got there I %as ambushed by five little sets of arms and legs. hese limbs belonged to my half.brothers and sisters" all under the age of nine. I %as to sleep in this house %ith nine other people. his is %hen I found out about my dad#s ailment. So" grudgingly" I spent the summer tending to his every need. Plus" %ith my step.mom %or!ing" and my dad bedridden" I %as left in charge of %atching all the children. he entire time" I felt e&tremely conflicted. I %as angry that my dad only have me around after so long because he %as dying. In contrast" my heart feared" I loved him %ith all of my being. I %as a %rec! but" I refused to leave his side even though I %as mad at him. When I started the school year" my dad %as on my mind every day. I !ne% that" if he died" and if I !ept %or!ing on receiving good grades" then people %ould thin! that I %as heartless or that I didn#t care for him. Ho%ever" I !ne% that he %ould never forgive me if I let all my hard %or! go to %aste. It %as a struggle to !eep my grades up. /espite my problem" I pulled through. $ll these years I %as driven by the solemn promise to myself. I !ne% if I %anted peace of mind" I %ould have to live up to my full promise. So" the day of my si&teenth birthday I %al!ed into Macey#s grocery store and I too! an application. I applied the very ne&t day. I did not get a reply- so" I vo%ed to go in each %ee! %ith a ne% application. In $pril I %as hired. 0nce I had the ,ob" I %ent straight to my mother and loo!ed her right in the eye. I said" (Mom" from no%" I %ill pay for everything that I need. 1ou don#t need to %orry.) $t this point" I started to %a!e up early and stay up late so I %ould be able to balance %or!ing %ith schooling. 'or so many years I had this goal in my heart. I %anted my future to stay out of danger of repeating my past. I %as fighting %ith every fiber of my being to !eep from ma!ing the mista!es my parents made. I love them %ith all my heart" but I never %ant to live my life the %ay they have had to live theirs. 'or this reason" I noticed that a part of me had changed. More and more I %anted to persevere because I love to succeed. It became less about fighting for my mom and more about e&ceeding myself. I still had my resolve" but it %as gro%ing. 2ontinuing my education became a desire" and studying nutrition became my lifestyle. I added to my original purpose and it became easier for me to !eep my grades up. It is *uite a ,ourney I#ve been through" to have landed me here. I#m li!e a nomad the %ay I#ve gone from place to place so fre*uently. +ven so" I do not regret the life I#ve been living. It#s strange" but I am happy %ith ho% my life has gone so far. I love and appreciate my parents deeply. My parents gave me %ealth by teaching me ho% to live. $fter all my e&periences" I#ve learned to love other people based on truly caring for them because of %ho they are. In addition" I#ve developed a sincere appreciation for all of the little things life has to offer" li!e a sunny afternoon or frozen lemonade. $lso" I began to understand %hy I %as reprimanded and disciplined as a child and" I even %elcome it no%" because I al%ays learn to fi& my mista!es and gro% from them. I !no% that %hen I finally get to college I %ill ma!e the most of every opportunity. I feel strong and I !no% I can rise to this challenge" because I#ve gro%n up %ith a vigorous fight and determination. Plus" I !no% that I %ill add diversity to the 3niversity of 3tah no matter %hat I choose to pursue.