How my family, community, and culture has had an impact on me

My family has had the most impact on me.  They have always pushed me to excel.  I was always praised and encouraged by my family not only as a child but well into my adulthood.  I come from a small family so we are all very close.  There are not many college graduates in my family because during the upbringing of my mother's generation this was not encouraged.  My mother and her siblings had to go work after high school to help their mom, being she was a single mother.  They always wanted the best for my generation because unlike them we had the opportunity to go to school.  This is probably why I have always had the desire to become successful in life.  My community has also played a role in my decision to choose early childhood as a profession.  I know that there are so many children our there that need a individual like myself to be a role model and a teacher of not only educational but life-long experiences.  I have always played a role in my community with helping our youth have positive experiences, keeping them motivated, and encouraging them to love learning.  In my culture we don't have many people that are interested in becoming successful by working hard and dedicating themselves to positive environments.  That is what pushes me so hard.  I don't want my kids and I to become products of our environments so I try to bring them up the way I was instead of letting them learn from what they see on the outside.