I have fed the community, I have planted in multiple gardens, I have donated handmade bowls, I have done color guard for multiple events, such as a college basketball game, and I have guided people through the school to promote our programs. I often wonder how I started and got involved in my community. It feels as if I started and never stopped because it fulfilled a part of myself I didn't even know about beforehand. I know I am not the best person, but helping the community makes me believe I can become better. It gives me faith for other people as well; to make an effort is an attempt to be better. I have seen myself become a better person through my work with others. I once got angry at every moment, but through learning and witnessing the perspectives of other people, I was able to become kind. Kindness is more difficult to share than anger is; to help others out, I had to control myself. I had a low amount of kindness because I didn't interact with other people, but my service has allowed me meet people and gain understanding. I got involved because I was bored with my life. I had nothing else to do, and it gave me a chance to leave my house. I kept volunteering for events because it made me feel good. I gained higher empathy for others because I was exposed to all different types of people at different parts of their lives. I was able to get out more and find interests about myself I didn't know beforehand, like the extent of my creativity. Through the National Art Honor Society, I learned that I could do more than just drawing; I painted murals and worked with pottery because of our community service events. I socialized with other people, which I hated doing when I was younger. I once wasn't able to communicate, but through my involvement, I have met so many people and learned how to interact with them properly. I found a purpose to help others through my community service work, and I know I want to continue helping them. I believe I can do this by educating others as a teacher. I want to encourage others to become involved in their community because it is necessary work that changes one's character. It not only the people, but it also encourages personal growth. To influence others to do this, I will educate them on topics that impact the community. I will offer opportunities to work. Young people are the future; to influence them to serve the community is to have multiple generations serve the community. Educational spaces are one of the biggest spaces of influence to do that.

Communication is the most important thing to know because it connects the world. Whether someone speaks Spanish or English, as long as they have the means to communicate, they have the chance to understand the world on another level. It is more than just language; it becomes a means of communication. To first learn to communicate, they must learn their own language, understand the rhetoric and nuance, and then apply it to other languages and people. This process begins with who teaches you; their influence changes the perception of the world. Growing up, I was between English and Spanish. I was never good at either because I only spoke Spanish at home; my lack of interaction with other Spanish speakers weakened my understanding. My head was filled with two languages, but without the desire to learn either. I went to Mexico when I was 8, and I fell in love with the place. Everything was so bright. I wanted to share that excitement with my sister, in English, when my other sister told me that I could only speak Spanish. This was the first time I struggled with a language barrier; usually, I had my parents understand what I was trying to say without correcting me. I made an effort to fully involve myself in the language because I hated not being able to communicate with my own family. I came back to the United States with an improvement in my language and in my mindset. Since then, I gained an interest in language. I delved into literature to understand the English language. I spent more time speaking Spanish despite going to American schools because I refused to interact with anyone. In this moment, neither language could help me. It was a lonely life, and I wanted to change that. Entering high school, I made the effort to talk to others. From my friendships, I knew what we both needed: someone who could understand them on a deeper level. We wanted someone to understand our struggles, and communicating is how we achieved that. I was a translator in school in a program that pushed me to lead other kids my age. I would teach them the basics of JROTC for the entirety of the school year. I witnessed the class struggle to communicate due to the language barrier. I was the only bridge between them, but I wanted them to connect and create a team together. My interest in teaching grew from this experience. Not only was I teaching them, but I was also getting them involved in things that they weren’t before. I spent half of the year translating directions into Spanish, but I shunned them from others. I integrated them into activities, forcing each of my cadets to interact with one another. Our bond as a class grew, even if we couldn’t speak the same language, but because we had a method of communication that didn’t involve only translating. My platoon started as one of the worst and gradually became the best through our teamwork. I want to keep involving people in the world that doesn’t include them. My best is always going to be around others and helping them improve. Becoming a teacher is influencing others and becoming a stone for them to rely on. They don’t need to speak the same language for me to understand them. I can understand their struggles and apply the best course of action for them. English education opens their eyes to the fact that it is bigger than just language; it becomes understanding other people through their rhetoric and tone.

I feel as if I'm too ambitious for everyone around me. That it both holds me back and pushes me forward to become better than I ever could've imagined. Regardless of how tired I become, I always push through it and never give up. I never give up because I know that each addition to my resume gives me a better chance to achieve my goals. Despite the many challenges, including the many people who do not understand my need to be better, pursuing a college education and becoming an educator has always been my goal and nothing can take my ambition away. Going to college was a big dream of mine. While the others around me wanted to be a pop-star or an astronaut, I dreamed about college. The media I consumed influenced much of what I thought about and since most of what I watched were college students, I thought attending was the best thing I could ever do. I wanted to experience dorm life and professors. My parents always pushed me to go because I would be a first generation college student, but I kept pushing myself to make my younger self happier. I joined many programs, like JROTC and STEP, and I was a high achieving student to make that dream possible. Many people don't understand that the dream is a personal dream and not what is expected from me. When I was younger, I was scared of growing old too quickly, I was scared of the future and I was scared that I wouldn't know what to become. I had a life planned out for myself so that I would never have to struggle through not knowing what to do. Now, I feel as if there is too much to do and I don't have enough time. I have dreams of becoming a poet, a fashion designer, a college student, and becoming a teacher. Poetry and fashion design are both mediums where I could express myself the most but teaching others, despite how simple many people believe it is for someone who has done so much, has always been my biggest dream, bigger than the rest. I've wanted to teach others since I was a little girl, I knew it was something I wanted to do and helping others learn is a passion of mine. I like when other people can confide in me and rely on the information that I can provide. Being in charge of an entire class period during high school has made me realize that it is what I want to continue doing. I thought about quitting multiple times but always come back to wanting to teach others, not only to make my younger self happier, but also because I genuinely enjoy spreading knowledge to others. Education is a field that is undermined because it is everywhere, we forget how important it is to be educated. There are many women who fight for the chance to learn and go to school. We take advantage of it but it doesn’t take away from the importance of education. The people who have underestimated me, or become disappointed when I tell them I want to teach for a living is the reason that it becomes a “Pie in the Sky” dream. Teaching is my dream but I have made myself too ambitious and scared that they might be right. Regardless, I will continue to pursue it because it is something that I want to do, no matter what other dreams I may have that others consider as “more valuable.”

I always knew I wanted to become a teacher. I had my heart set on it since I was in elementary school. It didn't matter to me how much others tried to discourage me from it, because I knew that it was what I wanted to do. I looked up to my teachers and wholeheartedly wanted to be just like them. Every time they pushed me forward, I knew it was because they believed I could achieve more. They would support me through my struggles. I would not have gotten far in my life if it weren't for the educators who pushed me to do it. They have influenced every part of my life, and I want to pass that on to my own students in the future. Teachers have a significant influence, especially on young children. During my junior year, I became in charge of a class of 20 people in JROTC. I taught them what they needed to know for that class and grew attached to them. It was difficult at times because there were many cadets that refused to communicate, there were some who refused to participate. There was also a language barrier that I would translate for the others. Regardless, I pushed each of them because I knew they could do better. My cadets are now regarded as some of the best in the battalion. They helped me realize that I wanted to continue to teach others so I could continue to feel the same sense of pride that I did when they succeeded. Success looks different to other people; seeing them reach their different levels of success made me feel proud of them. I witnessed my own influence on other people, and I knew I wanted to continue doing that for others. I believe that education is the most important thing a child can receive. It gives them hopes and an ability to pursue their passions, or learn what that passion might be. I am grateful for every educator that helped me realize that I wanted to continue teaching. I am also grateful to every educator that shared their own passions with me, whether it be artistic, or a part of the stem field because it gave me the choice to branch out to other career paths, although I knew I wouldn’t pursue it. Earning this scholarship can help me pay for my own education and pursue the ability to educate others, therefore influencing their lives. I do not know Sergeant Lennon personally, but I have researched him. He has influenced every person he has met, he has touched the hearts of many. I know this because of the many people who still talk about him and share the memories they had with them. I do not want to join the marines, but I want to influence the people in my life, the same way that Sergeant Lennon has, but through education instead.