Resilience in the Face of Adversity Growing up in Union City, New Jersey is tough; growing up in Union City without much parental tutelage is even tougher. My father was away for many of my early years while my mother, with whom I lived, did not offer much support. My eldest brother was the prodigal child, and everyone else paled in comparison to him in the eyes of my mother. Because of this, I was the victim of constant taunts,...

The Greek tragedian Aeschylus believed in the maxim “man learns through suffering,” and Friedrich Nietzsche felt that “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” As is evident in my college essay, I suffered when I was younger, but I believe I have only benefitted from my upbringing. Although I was forced to mature faster than I should have, I learned to become self-sufficient, to make a living for myself, and to find happiness when it was not present elsewhere. ...