My name is Steven Erquiza. I'm 19 yrs old, and I'm an only child. I was born on August 4, 2001, and raised in the Philippines till I was 14. I migrated here to America with my mom in January 2016. My childhood was the best; I was an outdoor person. My mom would always get mad because I'm out all day from sunrise to sunset. I was just hanging out with my friends all day. We were playing games, basketball, or just going to the computer shop playing video games. There was never a time where I felt alone because I was surrounded by family and friends. My extended family lived with us because my mom was the breadwinner of our family, so she took responsibility. There was never a time where I was by myself at home. Which can be a good and bad thing.
The transition from the Philippines to here in the USA was tough. Before moving here, I imagined America to be a great place to live in. I imagined having my first car when I turn 17. Meeting new friends and making something for myself to help my family back in the Philippines. It never occurred to me how much change will happen when we move here because I was just so freaking excited. When we moved here, we were living with my stepfather in Austin, Texas. When we got here, that's when it hit me. How life here is going to be so much different from my life in the Philippines. I got homesick; I miss everything, like my friends and family. Living with my stepfather didn't work out so well, so my mom and I moved here to San Francisco. That's when I met my Aunt and my cousin, living here, and she helped us adjust here. My Aunt has a career in the medical field as a Medical Assistant. During my high school years, I've changed schools 4 times because of family issues. So having friends was challenging to do. I was depressed the whole 4 years of high school, not because of bullying or anything, but I just missed home so much, and I felt lonely.
My hobbies are playing video games, playing sports, and watching movies/TV shows. These hobbies helped me get away from the reality and loneliness I felt when we moved here. But now, I just focus on work and finding my purpose in life. What I want to be and who I want to be. This is the period where I try to find myself. I didn't want to rush anything. I'm learning things here and there, especially in this time, where knowledge is easy to acquire.
I'm interested in business, real estate and the stock market. My goal is to learn and be great at it. I'm planning to go to college to study it, hopefully, be successful in this career. I want to start my own business in the future. I don't know what kind of business, but I'm working on it. I also want to travel to places I've never been to before and continuously improve myself. If I described myself, I would say I'm a homebody, family-oriented, I like to play sports, adventurous, and kind.
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