As a budding young adult with an interest in the field of medicine, I still run into complications. I may not have my oldest brother physically with me to help in times of difficulty, nor do I know when he will ever be released, but I do know that I will always have the support and encouragement from him whenever I need it. As I've grown and met new people I have become more comfortable with telling them the story...

Although I was only about eight years old, the moment my brother was sentenced to twenty-five years to life, I realized that I couldn’t live in the same cycle that consumed the rest of my family. While it did affect my ability to achieve academically, it wasn’t a negative effect. The misfortune that has occurred in my family has only fueled my desire for education.... My incarcerated brother realized the gravity of his mistakes and has been my...

The great thing about UCLA and other UC school's is that not only do they use the holistic approach to the application process, but they also compare you only to other students in your neighboring area. My high school was an average public school in California that was constantly under budget in classes. UC's will take into consideration your school, the amount of AP's and honors classes within your school and whether you took them or not....