I grew up poor and now make 5 times what my parents did. I help pay their bills without sacrificing my own money goals.

Today it’s a bittersweet memory. I’m 28 and live in a luxury one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn with my fiancé, Xavi, whom I met in college. Our place reminds me of the kind of apartment my mom used to clean.

This year, I’m on track to earn over $150,000 as a senior content marketing manager at a FinTech startup, over five times the amount my family of five lived on when I was growing up.

Seeing my parents struggle took a toll on me

I remember my dad borrowing money from loved ones or banks to cover the rent. The day we got an eviction letter, my heart dropped twice — once when I read it myself and again when I translated it into Spanish for my parents.

My dad has worked a minimum-wage job at a parking garage for as long as I can remember. My mom babysat, tutored kids in Spanish, and cleaned apartments. She would come home with bags of secondhand clothes and toys her clients had donated to her. My sister and I would proudly wear those “new” clothes to school.

My favorite childhood memories were made at the local park because it was free, accessible, and almost always empty.

I’m proud that I prioritized myself. Although I thought I was selfish at the time, I was making a short-term sacrifice so that I could do more and give more to my family in the future.

If my younger self saw everything I’ve built for us, she’d be so happy. While it feels like I overcame the cycle of generational poverty, there’s still so much more I want to do, like become the first millionaire in my family and retire my parents.

For now, I’m focused on sharing my wealth with the people who deserve to enjoy it most: my loving parents. Their sacrifices are why I’ve gotten this far, and it’s only beginning.