Aaron Bemis

Fee: $980

was born in London, the youngest of 10 kids. My family is india. My father had an arranged marriage with my mother. When Burma became communist, they fled, which led to our family moving to the San Fernando Valley. In this new country, we were what l'd call 'American poor, until my high school years when my parents' business matured. But as things got better for our family on the outside, extreme darkness played out on the inside. As a result, I became increasingly depressed and made my first suicide attempt at 10, then again at 16. I was being bullied and teased a lot through elementary and middle school because I looked different in a sea of white kids. I was also ridiculed for being the only Muslim. Teachers allowed it to happen and sometimes joined in. But the real hardship was at home, where the frightening bully presided, and that's why I went into Law