I'd go to the University of Washington in Seattle, a bike ride from my parents' houses, and give myself a chance to season up.

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Had I accepted the financial aid offer from the second-choice school, I could have most likely saved myself and my parents who ended up taking out loans some money.

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Besides, I still regarded myself as accountable to my parents, and they were pleased to hear that I was considering the Civil Service.

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So I really think that there is a lot of pressure on me to really set myself up for my own retirement and my parents.

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Each of my parents owned a small local retail business, and I was in retailing myself for over a decade.

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This was a place where I spiritually connected with myself, my wife, son, parents, brothers and every other loved one.

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For my entire life, my parents have pushed me to work hard and be independent, to be capable of supporting myself emotionally and financially.

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"We were all excessively worried at first -- my mom, myself, my aunt -- but as they announced that they identified bodies and informed parents, we began to worry less, " Burton said Monday.

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Therefore in order to pursue the dreams and goals that I had set for myself to obtaining a degree in Engineering and playing baseball at the collegiate level, my parents and I had to take out variably accruing private student loans.

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There have been doors as you can see from my background all along my way because I was so fortunate to have a wonderful family, wonderful parents, and wonderful people who often times saw more in me than I saw in myself all along my way.

CNN: Thompson's September 7, 2007, speech in Des Moines, Iowa