I was in shock. “I did set my alarms! I don’t know how they were turned off!” Just as I was about to leave on foot, my 8-year-old brother Jason shouted, “I KNOW WHO DID IT!” Then, police sirens blared outside. Two officers entered the house and headed straight for my stepmom.

That evening, as I was getting ready to go to bed and have some good night sleep, I set my alarms just to be sure I won’t oversleep for my college entrance exam. It was my dream to become a doctor ever since my mom died of cancer. Becoming an oncologist would mean I could save people who battled the same disease, and I felt like it would be the biggest tribute I could pay to my late mom.

In the morning, I woke up without the sound of the alarms disturbing my sleep. But when I grabbed my phone, I realized my alarms were turned off. The entrance exam was starting in a matter of minutes and I was about to miss the only chance of ever enrolling medical school.
I put on my clothes and rushed downstairs. My stepmom, Linda, was having her morning coffee. I told her what had happened and begged her to take me to the exam center. Looking at me with a smile on her face, she said, “You should have set your alarm. But maybe this is a sign that you’re not cut out for med school.”

I couldn’t believe her words. It was as though she was glad I wouldn’t make it.