scott-50301738 @scott-50301738
I'm Kaeli Thompson. I grew up in the city of Chicago with my parents and little sister. My dad was an engineer at a big company downtown, while my mom taught third grade at an elementary school just around the corner from our apartment building.<br><br>I loved growing up in the city - there's always something to do or see. I spent most of my afternoons exploring the different neighborhoods and parks with my sister. We'd play hide-and-seek in the alleys, ride our bikes down the sidewalks, and even sneak into some of the local convenience stores when we thought no one was looking.<br><br>But it wasn't all fun and games. My parents got divorced when I was 10 years old, so my dad had to move out and live in a different part of town. It was hard adjusting to living with just my mom - she worked long hours as a teacher and sometimes wouldn't get home until late at night. But we made do without my dad around.<br><br>As I got older, things only got more complicated. My sister started hanging out with the wrong crowd, getting into trouble with drugs and boys. And then there was school - I struggled in math and science classes, always feeling like I just wasn't smart enough to keep up. But despite all of these challenges, my mom encouraged me to pursue my passions. She saw how much I loved art and music, so she signed me up for lessons and
