Sonia was raised in a quiet village. Her family—father Ivan, mother María, and younger brother Alexey—constantly wrestled with poverty.

Ivan, with rough hands from years of labor, fixed neighbors’ roofs or lent a hand on nearby farms. María stitched clothes late into the night, hunched over a worn sewing machine beneath a flickering lamp. Still, there was barely enough for bread, the occasional potato, and meat only during holidays.

As the eldest, Sonia understood hunger early on. At sixteen, she first skipped dinner, pretending to be full so that frail, shivering Alexey could eat a bit more. At night, she’d sit by the window, watching tree shadows dance in the dark, wishing for a day her family wouldn’t have to pinch every coin.

Jobs were rare in the village. Youth left for the cities; those who stayed clung to whatever came their way. Sonia and Alexey also searched for work, but were met with silence and closed doors. Ivan often said, “We’ll keep going. As long as we’re together, we’ll be alright.”

But Sonia noticed his shoulders stooping further with time, and María’s tired, fading eyes.

She realized that unless something shifted, their hardship would repeat endlessly. Yet despite their struggles, Ivan and María placed their faith in education.

“Learn, kids,” they urged, “that’s your path to a different life.” Sonia took that to heart. She studied hard—and it made a difference.

Thanks to school support, she earned a university spot and a scholarship. Leaving for the city felt like her first real chance. College was a brand-new realm: lectures, books, crowded corridors.

She majored in economics, dreaming of launching a business and freeing her family from debt. But reality was harsh. After graduation, top jobs were already claimed—connections and wealth outweighed merit.

Sonia came back with a single suitcase and crushed dreams, settling for work as a cashier in a local shop…