I am a high school senior who has completed 3 honor classes, 4 years of orchestra, has 2 dual enrollment classes, attends East Valley Institute of Technology, was inducted into the National Technical Honor Society, and the National Society of High School Scholars. I have held a part-time job while attending high school in order to help provide for my younger siblings. I have battled homelessness, and a parent becoming incarcerated. I now live with my aunt, who is my legal guardian. My goal is to become the first college graduate in my family, and to finish with a degree that will help ensure that I have a stable life. I guess you could say that, to me, college equals safety for myself and my younger siblings. I plan to pursue a career in the male dominated Architecture field. My hopes are that college will provide me with the opportunity to further my knowledge about how architecture is built and designed in other cultures around the world. This type of cultural respect plays an impactful role in the architecture field, as it is incredibly important to acknowledge the environment and community in which you build. The past few years have been hard, and I have found myself searching for safe spaces to rest and heal. I feel an overwhelming urge to build structures of peace for people in need of refuge. In my free time I enjoy indoor rock climbing, listening to music, spending time with my siblings, and having philosophical conversations/debates with my uncle.