In my opinion, education is one of the most important things an individual can invest into because not only does it help them find a job but it makes them a well-rounded individual who is open-minded to different cultures around the world. I think my parents have played and are playing an important role in my education. Both of my parents were born into poverty in their native Pakistan. My father was struck with polio as an infant. He was robbed of a life with movement in his right leg. My mother’s father passed away when she was a little girl.  My mother had to drop out of school to help support the family, rather unconventional in patriarchal Pakistan. She worked in crop fields and herded sheep, giving all of her earnings to her mother. Realizing the difficulties of providing for a child in Pakistan, my parents decided to leave for a better life in America, something that many Pakistanis desire, yet are not able to do. Despite my father’s health condition and our family’s socio-economic status, my parents somehow managed to get to the United States. My father has worked practically every day since he arrived in the United States, providing not only for us at home, but his family in Pakistan as well. In spite of his polio, my father is a cab driver. He uses his left leg to shift between the pedals. It is a tough life for him, I have no doubt. I see it in his eyes when he comes home from work and I happen to be up studying late at night. I want to live a respectable life earning a decent salary so that my parents can enjoy the rest of their lives without being concerned about having enough food on the table, good quality health care, or living in a better community. The way I see it, my parents have taken me this far, now it is my turn to catapult us into a lifestyle that provides us with comfort and a quality standard of living.