In the middle of my sophomore year, I was diagnosed with a prolactinoma. In simpler terms, it is a fatty tumor in my brain causing pressure on my optic nerves which in turn affects my vision. I was devastated. I was told that my peripheral vision would leave me in weeks making me incapable to drive a car safely. and that I would need to be on medication for the rest of my life to avoid brain surgery. All of this news came upon me when I was freshly sixteen year old. Doctors gave me restrictions and guidelines and bombarded me with questions I had no idea how to answer. I am now on medication I will need for the rest of my life before hitting adulthood. A year after, at the age of 17, my parents divorced. That would mean that all I was promised to be provided by my parents will now have to come from me. My father discouraged me from working while studying so that my grades would be as high as they could be. I was promised a car completely paid for with premium insurance, college completely paid for with no loans, and at one point even help with an apartment to move out. With that out of the picture, I am left with no assistance. I started working fairly late and now have to find ways to pay for all of my needs before the end of the year. I will need a car by the end of this year since I live in a city where public transportation is not readily available. I will need to insure my car. I will need to attend university to enhance my education but somehow find a way to pay for it. I will need to be a full-time student but somehow find hours in the week to be a part-time employee. Money and numbers I cannot comprehend have taken over my psyche. Due to my parents divorce, now neither of them have the funds to help me through college. However, according to the federal government, I should be receiving over $5,000 from my mother alone per term. That would mean the government expects my mother to give me $10,000 per year to further my education when that is not the case. I feel robbed of the future I was promised and forced to grow up much sooner than I had planned and definitely much sooner than my peers. I work out of necessity. The only assistance my parents can offer me is a roof over my head and food on the table and for that I am grateful. No one had planned for this separation but this is the new reality. A psychology degree is not the most cost efficient nor the most demanding career option but it is what I am passionate about. As of right now, my master's is not even a thought in my mind when I don't have enough to take me through my freshman year of college. I have yet to spend a dollar form my paycheck. I am saving 100% of it for my needs. Any amount of scholarship money would ease my worries in how I will be able to fund a semester, a year, or even a degree. My dream is to go as far as a doctorate degree but I hope to get there without hundreds of thousands in student loan debt. Psychology is my passion. It's what I needed growing up and still need. I want to be what other people need.

To call my career as an aspiring psychologist a goal or dream is an understatement. Since my early teen years I have been set on the idea that I would succeed and thrive in a psychological space. Due to life events that have impacted me beyond belief, I want to serve the community I came from and repair their hearts. I hope to help others who were struggling as I was with their mental health. We can be our biggest fans and critics, supporters and haters, not to mention of greatest friend and enemy. I hope that through my education and experience I am able to assist others in their journeys in life. I hope to be a guiding hand and a friend in the midst of chaos for those who need it. The mere mention of using my servitude as a lifestyle puts me at the edge of my seat. To bring others above their own thoughts and see them reach their potential is what excites me most. Seeing someone turn their life around with a smile is what I hope to be a part of. I wish to serve those who need it most. I was told to be what you needed growing up and I have found so much joy in my research of how to do so. I pride myself in being the friend who is everywhere for everyone at once and I hope to be that same individual to my community.

MY favorite artist would have to be a digital/traditional artist named Elliana Esquivel. Her work is so interpersonal and seem to touch the soul. I find myself relating to a lot of her pieces or at least what I interpret then to convey. I find that an artist that can use their talent to connect to others exposes that they are able to understand the connection between their followers and themselves in a different light.

If I am being honest, I originally wanted to attend a different high school simply because my friends were going there. I struggled to find my school spirit until the end of my sophomore year. Choir has sparked that within me. Being a part of such a great organization has made me realize that people from different walks can come together and be in unison despite our differences. Now, I proudly represent my school with my letterman jacket as it reminds me of supporting my choir and other fine arts programs like theater and orchestra.

In my twelve years of being a student, no teacher has been able to shape my mind, heart, and life as much as my choir director/music theory teacher has been able to. Music is arguably the sound of life. A connecting phrase that forms harmony amongst all no matter their backgrounds nor their current circumstances. A song can be tied to a memory and a memory can be a glorious melody in our hearts. In my heart, music is what binds my relationships with others. During my freshman year of highschool, I found myself lost and void of any strong familial ties. Isolated and disconnected from the world, I unwillingly enrolled into my school's choir. I had always loved to sing but never felt a strong connection to the tones escaping my grasp. I would remain in this state for the rest of the school year and even the following year while attending conversational therapy on and off. At the end of every session I would return home and feel myself surrounded by those feelings of loneliness once again, diminishing any progress the week had shown to me. My passion for music grew when my directors showed me more attention and cultivated my voice into a strong platform for me to stand on. I disliked hearing myself sing. My own voice was a cry for help to my own heart and the hatred I felt against hearing my own lament grew into rage and exploded to tears my trauma never allowed me to expose. Then came my junior year of highschool. Still unsure of how I stood in the world and with myself I grew comfortable with life. Though I always maintained good grades my mental health was deteriorating as therapy expenses became too much for my family to handle. Again my boundaries were built up. I entered my last class of the day: AP Music Theory. My world opened up doors I never knew were just in reach. The dissection of music and the rules I had no idea were in place in every tune I heard and how to break them accordingly fascinated me. My therapist used to say that "Your psyche is the room you visit most often. Keep it tidy. Keep it well lit. Keep it comfortable. Most importantly, keep the door open for others." and so I do as she instructed. I removed the clutter of my mind, kept those that lit up my life closer, made a place for myself to cope, and opened up to others. Now as a highschool graduate, I intent to carry on what my mentors have taught me. My directors, my music theory professor, and my therapist. Though my path is not set in stone, my sole goal and internal purpose is to be of service to others and I live through that by wishing to change the definition of music. The sound of our lives is often taken for granted. With all my skills, knowledge, and determination, I wish to study psychology and intend on having a minor in music to leave the door open for my passion and dive deeper into Art and Music Therapy.

As a hispanic woman, adversity is seen at almost every corner of my life. I thought adversity was always around me due to the people I surrounded myself with, but the truth would show that it came from within. In the middle of my sophomore year, I was diagnosed with a prolactinoma. In simpler terms, it is a fatty tumor in my brain causing pressure on my optic nerves which in turn affects my vision and other aspects of my life. I was devastated. I was told that my peripheral vision would leave me in weeks making me incapable to drive a car safely and that I would need to be on medication for the rest of my life to avoid brain surgery. All of this news really dawned on me when I was freshly sixteen year old. Doctors gave me restrictions and guidelines and bombarded me with questions I had no idea how to answer. However, I overcame that with the help of my closest friends who helped me prepare for each an every visit with the answers to their questions at hand. I was no longer surprised by their intrusive and outrageous questions. The days I had missed for doctors visits made me push myself harder to catch up to my peers and I graduated magna cum laude. Top 25% of my graduating class. I had missed numerous tests, quizzes, and plenty of review of the material I tended to struggle on. Even if it meant going to tutoring almost every day after school, I was determined to finish at my very best to prove not only to my family, but to myself that it could be done and that I had everything I needed to succeed within me. Though I was told I could not do so, I learned to drive safely and now have my drivers' license. I was able to prove once again to myself that thought the advice form doctors' is important and relevant that it should not stop me from living my own life. I has once thought I was handed a bad hand at life simply because I am a minority, both as a woman and as a Latina. The truth is, I was given the tools I needed in life, I just had to find my own way to use them. I prove to my peers, doctors, family, and most importantly to myself that though my health was declining, nothing would stop me from success. It it because of all that I have experienced, both as a latin woman growing up poor and being a living problem a medical student would find on a test that I have been molded and called to help others like me. I wish to help others in similar circumstances that are "too much to process for a sixteen year old" because life does not wait for you to be ready for whatever it throws at you. I know now that a laugh can push worries aside, a helping hand can lift immense weights, and a hug can defrost a frozen heart. It is because of all I have experienced that I wish to study psychology and help others battle their own circumstances and heal from within.

A quote that has never left my mind: "Be who you needed growing up". I think back to my childhood, or lack thereof. Generational trauma is extremely prevalent in my family. As children we were taught to keep quiet, and teens whipped to be strong, and as young adults forced to grasp onto the unrealistic ideal of individuality. As humans, we were not meant to exist isolated from one another. This ideal of maturing young and living alone to gain independence is false. I too am still learning that asking others for help is a natural thing. Humans are meant to depend on each other for company, assistance, and warmth. A laugh can push worries aside, a helping hand can lift immense weights, and a hug can defrost a frozen heart. Due to my own trauma, related and unrelated to my family, I too wish to help others in similar circumstances. In my medical career, I want to lead. What I feel I needed growing up was an outlet to release my frustrations and trauma rather than a prescription. I needed a safe space in my shattered environment. It is because of all I have experienced that I wish to study psychology and help children and adults battle their own circumstances and heal from within.

To me, generosity is an action that needs no thoughts to come to life. Generosity is an unconscious way of life that instantaneously shapes the hearts of others. To better put the definition into perspective, it's best to differentiate it from kindness. Whereas kindness is an act that most likely takes thought and feels a bit like a self-sacrifice (like giving money to the needy can sometime feel like a dent in a small wallet), generosity is the extra step. In the analogy alluded to previously, the extra step would be offering something long-term that is seen as a necessity. Rather than fishing out change from the bottom of your purse, tend to their needs better by empathizing with their circumstance. A blanket or jacket can go farther in winter than a few quarters will. In my own life, I like to think that I practice generosity often while still preserving my own heart and morals. An instance where I found myself practicing generosity could be at my own job. Working at Chick-fil-A has opened my eyes even more to just how gentle people can truly be. After a shift once, a coworker of mine found herself without money for food. She asked me for five dollars, enough for a side of fries for herself. Instead, I offered her a meal with my employee discount. Instead of a fry, I offered her a sandwich and a side of mac and cheese which is something I know she gets when she is able to. I think it was my attention to detail to her that knew exactly what she would prefer that topped my action off as generosity rather than kindness because I was hardly thinking. I saw her need, and I tended to it rather than giving her pocket change.

Generational trauma is extremely prevalent in my family. As children we were taught to keep quiet, and teens whipped to be strong, and as young adults forced to grasp onto the unrealistic ideal of individuality. As humans, we were not meant to exist isolated from one another. This ideal of maturing young and living alone to gain independence is false. I too am still learning that asking others for help is a natural thing. Humans are meant to depend on each other for company, assistance, and warmth. However, I had to experience a sort of loss of identity to fully understand this concept. Though my Latin family is tightly knit, we are currently anything but tightly tied. My Dominican family has become distant to me as being bilingual has proven to be harder when one is solely speaking one language rather than a balance of the two. Because I live in a city where Spanish is not largely used, the chances to practice it thus creates an even deeper rift between me and my family. This translates into my relationships with my family members as they have no plans to support me financially through the education I hope to peruse. If only they knew how much their silence has impacted me that now I wish to teach others to scream. This abandonment has left me once again quiet, isolated, and forced to become independent. I had gone from feeling out of place in a new environment to feeling like the black sheep of my family. The "gringa" who stuttered when speaking her supposed native language. I had not yet assimilated to life in the states but I was already losing what had felt like part of my culture. It was as if I had improved only to revert back to what once was my reality. I was never able to express these frustrations as I was shown to keep quiet, be strong, and be independent. Due to my own trauma, related and unrelated to my family, I too wish to help others in similar circumstances as I had found myself in my developmental years. A quote that has never left my mind: "Be who you needed growing up". I now comprehend that a laugh can push worries aside, a helping hand can lift immense weights, and a hug can defrost a frozen heart. It is because of all I have experienced that I wish to study psychology and help others battle their own circumstances and heal from within. In my medical career, I want to lead. What I feel I needed growing up was an outlet to release my frustrations and trauma rather than a prescription. I needed a safe space in my shattered environment. The reality for most in neglected towns include broken homes, no homes, or homes taken away from them as gentrification has proven to do so. I aim to provide a space for those dealing with such issues in my own private practice as a psychologist.

Generational trauma is extremely prevalent in my family. As children we were taught to keep quiet, and teens whipped to be strong, and as young adults forced to grasp onto the unrealistic ideal of individuality. As humans, we were not meant to exist isolated from one another. This ideal of maturing young and living alone to gain independence is false. I too am still learning that asking others for help is a natural thing. Humans are meant to depend on each other for company, assistance, and warmth. However, I had to experience a sort of loss of identity to fully understand this concept. Though my Latin family is tightly knit, we are currently anything but tightly tied. My Dominican family has become distant to me as being bilingual has proven to be harder when one is solely speaking one language rather than a balance of the two. Because I live in a city where Spanish is not largely used, the chances to practice it thus creates an even deeper rift between me and my family. This translates into my relationships with my family members as they have no plans to support me financially through the education I hope to peruse. If only they knew how much their silence has impacted me that now I wish to teach others to scream. This abandonment has left me once again quiet, isolated, and forced to become independent. I had gone from feeling out of place in a new environment to feeling like the black sheep of my family. The "gringa" who stuttered when speaking her supposed native language. I had not yet assimilated to life in the states but I was already losing what had felt like part of my culture. It was as if I had improved only to revert back to what once was my reality. I was never able to express these frustrations as I was shown to keep quiet, be strong, and be independent. Due to my own trauma, related and unrelated to my family, I too wish to help others in similar circumstances as I had found myself in my developmental years. I now comprehend that a laugh can push worries aside, a helping hand can lift immense weights, and a hug can defrost a frozen heart. It is because of all I have experienced that I wish to study psychology and help others battle their own circumstances and heal from within.

A quote that has never left my mind: "Be who you needed growing up". Historically, communities that I have seen as underserved are also insufficiently funded. Whether this be by the government, society, or historical red lining districts. This is done to keep people of color and those living in poverty in an environment that does not merit a guaranteed escape. Places like these are referred to as "projects" and the reality of these towns would be an urbanists worst nightmare to wake up in. My reality includes the perspective of both sides of the spectrum. The people that are needed most in minority communities are not what we would expect them to be. Society believes the smartest and most capable individuals are essential to bring families and communities out of poverty. The harsh reality is that some stereotypes are true, but not in the sense we would think. Children without fathers, families without homes, towns without proper governmental attention and funding; there is no singular solution to solve each individual issue. However, a movement is the strongest approach to this issue and what is a movement without a determined leader. Insurrections in history prove that a strong leader is the only way to bring about change. Think of figures such as Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and even figures of recent times such as Malala Yousafzai were all leaders seeking change. They come from different educational backgrounds, most lived in poverty or war times, but they served their communities differently. What an underserved community needs most is a leader and my career plan seeks to serve those who needed a leader when growing up in their communities. In my medical career, I want to lead. What I feel I needed growing up was an outlet to release my frustrations and trauma rather than a prescription. I needed a safe space in my shattered environment. The reality for most in neglected towns include broken homes, no homes, or homes taken away from them as gentrification has proven to do so. I aim to provide a space for those dealing with such issues in my own private practice as a psychologist. Offering rates based on income to better suit those who have been pushed down by society and lack of generational wealth. Of course, simply opening up about the issues and burden on the mind is not enough to uplift an entire community, but I believe just like Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Malala Yousafzai were able to rise into leadership and deliver their communities, I wish to mold someone into a leader with my work and mentor them to reach their full potential. A community has all they need for greatness, sometimes all they need is a leader within them. I want to work in an underserved community in my medical career by building a leader.

One of the most debilitating effects of a poor medically insured nation is most people would rather remain with their illness than have a doctor console them. The most efficient way to help the most amount of people begin the healing process with their mental health struggles is to have universal healthcare. This concept is not unachievable as over 154 of the 197 countries (including Vatican City and Palestine) have this healthcare system. Only 43 countries have been unable to follow in their footsteps. It is a known fact that the United States is the country with the world's highest medical expenses. It is absurd that the 4th largest country that populates over 331 million people has a healthcare system in which it's inhabitants cannot use without thinking. Think of this, you were recently in an accident that injured you so you call and ambulance. In a country like Canada, the cost could max to $240 where all but $40 is covered by health insurance making the payment $200 out of pocket. In the United States, the average ambulance ride averages about $2,000 which could be completely out of pocket or if insurance covers it on a very rare occasion, one will pay on average almost triple of Canada at $550. The same logic applies to psychiatric and therapeutic needs. Those who struggle with mental health may be deterred from seeking professional advice simply because the price tag is too large for those living from paycheck to paycheck (which, again, is all too common in the states). If the United States wants to assess the mental health concerns of their 331 million inhabitants the best course of action would he to tackle the healthcare system at the core.

A quote that has never left my mind: "Be who you needed growing up". I think back to my childhood, or lack thereof. Generational trauma is extremely prevalent in my family. As children we were taught to keep quiet, and teens whipped to be strong, and as young adults forced to grasp onto the unrealistic ideal of individuality. As humans, we were not meant to exist isolated from one another. This ideal of maturing young and living alone to gain independence is false. I too am still learning that asking others for help is a natural thing. Humans are meant to depend on each other for company, assistance, and warmth. A laugh can push worries aside, a helping hand can lift immense weights, and a hug can defrost a frozen heart. Due to my own trauma, related and unrelated to my family, I too wish to help others in similar circumstances. It is because of all I have experienced that I wish to study psychology and help children and adults battle their own circumstances and heal from within.

A quote that has never left my mind: "Be who you needed growing up". Historically, communities that I have seen as underserved are also insufficiently funded. Whether this be by the government, society, or historical red lining districts. This is done to keep people of color and those living in poverty in an environment that does not merit a guaranteed escape. Places like these are referred to as "projects" and the reality of these towns would be an urbanists worst nightmare to wake up in. My reality includes the perspective of both sides of the spectrum. The people that are needed most in minority communities are not what we would expect them to be. Society believes the smartest and most capable individuals are essential to bring families and communities out of poverty. The harsh reality is that some stereotypes are true, but not in the sense we would think. Children without fathers, families without homes, towns without proper governmental attention and funding; there is no singular solution to solve each individual issue. I have seen those try to push money into my home community only for it to lead to gentrification forcing me and my family to be forced to move. However, a movement is the strongest approach to this issue and what is a movement without a determined leader. Insurrections in history prove that a strong leader is the only way to bring about change. Think of figures such as Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and even figures of recent times such as Malala Yousafzai were all leaders seeking change. They come from different educational backgrounds, most lived in poverty or war times, but they served their communities differently. What an underserved community needs most is a leader and my career plan seeks to serve those who needed a leader when growing up in their communities. In my medical career, I want to lead. What I feel I needed growing up was an outlet to release my frustrations and trauma rather than a prescription. I needed a safe space in my shattered environment. The reality for most in neglected towns include broken homes, no homes, or homes taken away from them as gentrification has proven to do so. I aim to provide a space for those dealing with such issues in my own private practice as a psychologist. Offering rates based on income to better suit those who have been pushed down by society and lack of generational wealth. Of course, simply opening up about the issues and burden on the mind is not enough to uplift an entire community, but I believe just like Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Malala Yousafzai were able to rise into leadership and deliver their communities, I wish to mold someone into a leader with my work and mentor them to reach their full potential. A community has all they need for greatness, sometimes all they need is a leader within them. I want to work in an underserved community in my medical career by building a leader.

Generational trauma is extremely prevalent in my family. As children we were taught to keep quiet, and teens whipped to be strong, and as young adults forced to grasp onto the unrealistic ideal of individuality. As humans, we were not meant to exist isolated from one another. This ideal of maturing young and living alone to gain independence is false. I too am still learning that asking others for help is a natural thing. Humans are meant to depend on each other for company, assistance, and warmth. A laugh can push worries aside, a helping hand can lift immense weights, and a hug can defrost a frozen heart. Every woman in my family suffers from severe body dysmorphia and I am no exception to this. Generations of grandfather, fathers, uncles, cousins, and even husbands beating down on a woman's image leads to their daughters believing the same ideal. Pinching skin, going on unhealthy diets and reconstruction surgeries to look and feel acceptable to this "society" is all too real. Developing eating disorders became more of a common practice than treating one's self. Though I still suffer with my body image (as do most women in my family) we are slowly but surely on the path of recovery when it comes to self adoration and acceptance. One can only lose so many pounds and cry so many tears before crumbling apart. Due to my own trauma, related and unrelated to my family, I too wish to help others in similar circumstances. It is because of all I have experienced that I wish to study psychology and help others battle their own circumstances and heal from within.

Generational trauma is extremely prevalent in my family. As children we were taught to keep quiet, and teens whipped to be strong, and as young adults forced to grasp onto the unrealistic ideal of individuality. As humans, we were not meant to exist isolated from one another. This ideal of maturing young and living alone to gain independence is false. I too am still learning that asking others for help is a natural thing. Humans are meant to depend on each other for company, assistance, and warmth. Though my Latin family is tightly knit, we are anything but tightly tied. My Dominican family has become distant to me as being bilingual has proven to be harder when you're solely speaking one language. Because I live in a city where Spanish is not largely used, the chances to practice it and thus creates an even deeper rift between me and my family. I am once again quiet, isolated, and forced to become independent. Due to my own trauma, related and unrelated to my family, I too wish to help others in similar circumstances. A laugh can push worries aside, a helping hand can lift immense weights, and a hug can defrost a frozen heart. It is because of all I have experienced that I wish to study psychology and help others battle their own circumstances and heal from within.

A quote that has never left my mind: "Be who you needed growing up". Historically, communities that I have seen as underserved are also insufficiently funded. Whether this be by the government, society, or historical red lining districts. This is done to keep people of color and those living in poverty in an environment that does not merit a guaranteed escape. Places like these are referred to as "projects" and the reality of these towns would be an urbanists worst nightmare to wake up in. My reality includes the perspective of both sides of the spectrum. The people that are needed most in minority communities are not what we would expect them to be. Society believes the smartest and most capable individuals are essential to bring families and communities out of poverty. The harsh reality is that some stereotypes are true, but not in the sense we would think. Children without fathers, families without homes, towns without proper governmental attention and funding; there is no singular solution to solve each individual issue. However, a movement is the strongest approach to this issue and what is a movement without a determined leader. Insurrections in history prove that a strong leader is the only way to bring about change. Think of figures such as Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and even figures of recent times such as Malala Yousafzai were all leaders seeking change. They come from different educational backgrounds, most lived in poverty or war times, but they served their communities differently. What an underserved community needs most is a leader and my career plan seeks to serve those who needed a leader when growing up in their communities. In my medical career, I want to lead. What I feel I needed growing up was an outlet to release my frustrations and trauma rather than a prescription. I needed a safe space in my shattered environment. The reality for most in neglected towns include broken homes, no homes, or homes taken away from them as gentrification has proven to do so. I aim to provide a space for those dealing with such issues in my own private practice as a psychologist. Offering rates based on income to better suit those who have been pushed down by society and lack of generational wealth. Of course, simply opening up about the issues and burden on the mind is not enough to uplift an entire community, but I believe just like Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Malala Yousafzai were able to rise into leadership and deliver their communities, I wish to mold someone into a leader with my work and mentor them to reach their full potential. A community has all they need for greatness, sometimes all they need is a leader within them. I want to work in an underserved community in my medical career by building a leader.

I have always been a homebody. The people in my life have always loved to go out, party, and spend time together that way whereas I would rather stay home and talk to friends virtually and play together in that way. The pandemic has taken away the safe opportunity to see my friends in public spaces but even then it was a bit for a blessing for me as it provided as an excuse to my very outgoing mother as to why I would stay indoors. Ever since I was a child I have loved helping others, painting, and crafting. As an aspiring psychologist, seeing my friends in times of depression felt like my duty to assess. I tried my very best to be there for those I hold dear and help them with their mental health. Being away does not mean being apart. When a great snow storm took away the power in my town, that gave me all the more opportunities to get creative. I wrote songs, practiced instruments, and did plenty of art. Being able to practice my passions in the time I spent indoors due to the pandemic was an experience I needed to relight the fire within me. I feel of use when I am able cheer up those close to me with a joke, word of wisdom, or just hearing them lament. I feel peace when creating for myself and for others. Though the tragic pandemic has taken away people, experiences, and time from me, it has rewarded me with the gift of peace.

To say that women empowerment is a need to be met raises the question of who is the one person or group of individuals who has taken away or jeopardized that power. Society is built by those in power, and for generations men have been calling the shots in governments, businesses, and households. Tackling each of these factions separately is the path to meet the demands of women empowerment. Assessing the disadvantages women face in government are the heaviest among the three and this shapes the meaning of all other rulings. The more the government accepts to be just to revoke from women (like body autonomy, for example) the more society feels justified to tear down women. The injustice needs to be assessed to a national and even global level before anything else can happen. As long as hate is legal or has minimum punishment, the more it will occur. For example, domestic violence is not considered a crime in 46 countries. An estimated quarter of the world does not feel the need to protect women under their justice system. Attacking the confounding system should be the first course of action. In businesses, it is considered acceptable to pay women less than men for similar or even more taxing jobs. Depending on the culture, stereotypes against women are more prevalent and thus so is the wage gap. Countries like Japan, South Korea, and Pakistan have the greatest gender wage gaps, ranging from 36% to 62%. In Pakistan, women account for almost 90% of wage earners in the bottom 1%. Under the law, businesses have the right to do so and under gender norms feel the need to do so when rates like these are unacceptable and clearly prejudicial against women. Lastly, households are deemed one of the most unsafe places for women. 8 out of 10 sexual assaults against women are perpetrated by someone the victim knew. Approximately one third (34%) of all sexual assaults against women were perpetrated by a family member. This could tie back to gender norms and how men are raised to treat and see women. If you train a boy at a young age to see a woman as prey, he will hunt. This could be handled by parents taking initiative to teach their sons about what respecting and uplifting women can entail and by implementing these facts into school curriculum at a young age. If children are old enough to learn history of their nations, they are more than capable enough to comprehend discrimination based on gender bias. Society see it as socially acceptable to degrade and push women aside because generations of men have been ruling over in governments, businesses, and households. Though some countries are more progressive than others in this issue, the work is not complete until every woman is empowered.

Generational trauma is extremely prevalent in my family. As children we were taught to keep quiet, and teens whipped to be strong, and as young adults forced to grasp onto the unrealistic ideal of individuality. As humans, we were not meant to exist isolated from one another. This ideal of maturing young and living alone to gain independence is false. I too am still learning that asking others for help is a natural thing. Humans are meant to depend on each other for company, assistance, and warmth. A laugh can push worries aside, a helping hand can lift immense weights, and a hug can defrost a frozen heart. Every woman in my family suffers from severe body dysmorphia and I am no exception to this. Generations of grandfather, fathers, uncles, cousins, and even husbands beating down on a woman's image leads to their daughters believing the same ideal. Pinching skin, going on unhealthy diets and reconstruction surgeries to look and feel acceptable to this "society" is all too real. Developing eating disorders became more of a common practice than treating one's self. Though I still suffer with my body image (as do most women in my family) we are slowly but surely on the path of recovery when it comes to self adoration and acceptance. One can only lose so many pounds and cry so many tears before crumbling apart. Due to my own trauma, related and unrelated to my family, I too wish to help others in similar circumstances. It is because of all I have experienced that I wish to study psychology and help others battle their own circumstances and heal from within.

Music is arguably the sound of life. A connecting phrase that forms harmony amongst all no matter their backgrounds nor their current circumstances. A song can be tied to a memory and a memory can be a glorious melody in our hearts. In my heart, music is what binds my relationships with others. During my freshman year of highschool, I found myself lost and void of any strong familial ties. Isolated and disconnected from the world, I unwillingly enrolled into my school's choir. I had always loved to sing but never felt a strong connection to the tones escaping my grasp. I would remain in this state for the rest of the school year and even the following year while attending conversational therapy on and off. At the end of every session I would return home and feel myself surrounded by those feelings of loneliness once again, diminishing any progress the week had shown to me. My passion for music grew when my directors showed me more attention and cultivated my voice into a strong platform for me to stand on. I disliked hearing myself sing. My own voice was a cry for help to my own heart and the hatred I felt against hearing my own lament grew into rage and exploded to tears my trauma never allowed me to expose. Then came my junior year of highschool. Still unsure of how I stood in the world and with myself I grew comfortable with life. Though I always maintained good grades my mental health was deteriorating as therapy expenses became too much for my family to handle. Again my boundaries were built up. I entered my last class of the day: AP Music Theory. My world opened up doors I never knew were just in reach. The dissection of music and the rules I had no idea were in place in every tune I heard and how to break them accordingly fascinated me. My therapist used to say that "Your psyche is the room you visit most often. Keep it tidy. Keep it well lit. Keep it comfortable. Most importantly, keep the door open for others." and so I do as she instructed. I removed the clutter of my mind, kept those that lit up my life closer, made a place for myself to cope, and opened up to others. Now as a highschool graduate, I intent to carry on what my mentors have taught me. My directors, my music theory professor, and my therapist. Though my path is not set in stone, my sole goal and internal purpose is to be of service to others and I live through that by wishing to change the definition of music. The sound of our lives is often taken for granted. With all my skills, knowledge, and determination, I wish to study psychology and intend on having a minor in music to leave the door open for my passion and dive deeper into Art and Music Therapy.

As a hispanic woman, adversity is seen at almost every corner of my life. I thought adversity was always around me due to the people I surrounded myself with, but the truth would show that it came from within. In the middle of my sophomore year, I was diagnosed with a prolactinoma. In simpler terms, it is a fatty tumor in my brain causing pressure on my optic nerves which in turn affects my vision. I was devastated. I was told that my peripheral vision would leave me in weeks making me incapable to drive a car safely. and that I would need to be on medication for the rest of my life to avoid brain surgery. All of this news came upon me when I was freshly sixteen year old. Doctors gave me restrictions and guidelines and bombarded me with questions I had no idea how to answer. However, I overcame. The days I had missed for doctors visits made me push myself harder to catch up to my peers and I graduated magna cum laude. Though I was told I could not do so, I drove a car and now have my permit. I prove to my peers, doctors, family, and most importantly to myself that though my health was declining, nothing would stop me from success.