Time passes so quickly, growing up it seemed like the day I would graduate was far away and a distant dream. That day is no longer just a dream, but a memory. Walking across the stage on June 3, 2012 is a moment that will be etched in my heart forever. These changes took place during my developmental period in adolescence. During this phase everything revolved around me defiantly. I was self-centered but it depends on the time period. It is during this time that I graduated from middle school, high school, celebrated my 16th birthday, learned to drive, and so on, all huge events in the eyes of a teenager. According to Erik Erikson's theory of development, it is true that I went through a phase of identification versus confusion. I found myself wondering who I was and why my life wasn't as easy as the people around me made it out to be. I didn't understand why I didn't live in a house. I thought everyone should live in a house. I also wondered why my family was the only dysfunctional one. I lived in a two-apartment and my family and I lived on the top, and my grandmother and five of my cousins ​​lived on the bottom until my freshman year of high school. My cousins ​​were on my mother's side of the family and are her nephews. I knew that my mother's sister, who I struggle to call aunt because she was never there, was their mother but that didn't mean anything. She was very young when she started having children and since she couldn't cope, she took to the streets to look for something that could improve the situation. My aunt has been addicted to crack cocaine my entire life. It's one thing to know it exists, but living with someone with this addition puts a strain on... middle of paper... psychology for a short period of time. I'm learning all about the mind and how people think. I don't know what the future holds for me, but I feel in my heart that studying psychology will take me there. Every day I am reminded how short life is and to live every day to the fullest. I truly understood the meaning of the saying. Life is a gift and we only have one to live. To me the true meaning of living life to the fullest means spending time with those who mean so much to you, doing something outside of your comfort zone, helping others and simply not taking anything in your life for granted because in a in the blink of an eye, it can disappear. Looking back at all that God has given me has made me a believer. A believer that life is a beautiful thing and that we should do everything we can to improve not only ourselves but those around us.