I'm lucky to have grown up quite fortunate. My family was upper-middle class, living in a nice neighborhood in Canada. My parents' money came almost entirely fr

I'm lucky to have grown up quite fortunate. My family was upper-middle class, living in a nice neighborhood in Canada. My parents' money came almost entirely from fortuitous (dare I say reckless) property investment. It worked out for them, but I don't believe it was the result of great ambition or wise decisions. They always encouraged me to do my best, but didn't push me much at all academically or in any extra-curricular sense. So far, things have gone great for me too, but I don't attribute much of my personal work ethic to them. I independently decided to pursue challenging work opportunities in the United States and enroll in graduate-level higher education to better myself.