I am not from the gulf coast region and I did not lose my home and everything that I had. I live in Pennsylvania and was far away from all the destruction that happened. You are probably wondering how my life was affected or how my life changed from something that happened so far away from me. Well at the time I was not in college anymore I dropped out because I did not know where my life was going and had a hard time trying to find out who I was as a person. I was just basically wasting away my life doing nothing and feeling that I had nothing going right in my life and that I could not catch a break with anything. I was pretty useless and as a lot of people told me I was throwing away my life and the opportunity that I had that most people did not have. I was the one in high school that was suppose to grow up and do great thing and be successful. I was voted most likely to succeed and most intelligent in my class. So to most people I was not taking advantage of the gifts I was given in life. I remember Hurricane Katrina hit and I watched the news on it, but did not feel anything towards it. I felt bad, but that was a natural feeling. Then one day I was in my garage and was listening to the radio and then a song came on. It was one of those songs they take and add interviews of people that were affected by the hurricane. The ones that make you cry because the stories are so sad. It was at that moment that something came over me and I knew I had to stop feeling sorry for myself. All that I thought was bad in my life did not seem so bad anymore. I thought I was going through a bad time, but all those people affected by Katrina would trade their lives for mine in a second. After that day I knew I had to change my life and since then I decided to go back to school, to make the most of my life. I try and help out with charities for people that need help that was affected by Katrina. Anytime I think that life is bad I always remind myself that life could be worse and that it is not as bad as I think. I know this is not a great story, but if it was not for what happened in the Gulf Coast I do not know where I would be today.