Growing up as a proud member of the Puerto Rican community, I witnessed firsthand the resilience, determination and strength that define our heritage. My mother worked tirelessly to lift our family out of poverty, made harder by the fact that my father was not part of my upbringing. Her perseverance instilled in me the values of hard work, sacrifice, and commitment to service. These values not only shaped my aspirations but also my identity, fueling my desire to pursue a career in law--a field where I can advocate for justice, equity, and the empowerment of marginalized communities, including my own. As a Puerto Rican, I understand the systemic barriers that have historically limited access to opportunities for our community. Growing up in a low-income household, I faced significant challenges in pursuing higher education. The cost of tuition was daunting, but I did not let financial obstacles deter me from my dreams. To pay for college, I balanced full-time work with demanding coursework, often studying late at night. I also made the decision to join the military, a choice that not only allowed me to serve my country but also provided the financial support necessary to continue my education. These experiences taught me the importance of resilience and strategic planning, lessons that will undauntedly guide me in my future legal career. My journey has been further enriched by my work in legal services, where I have had the privilege of assisting low-income clients. One of my most meaningful contributions was serving on the Language Justice Committee, where I helped revise the Language Access Policy to ensure that our services were equitable and accessible to all clients and applicants, regardless of their linguistic background. Doing this work deepened my understanding of systemic inequities that many marginalized communities face and reinforced my commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the legal field. As a future legal professional, I envision myself as an advocate for those who have been historically excluded from the justice system. I am particularly passionate about addressing the unique challenges faced by the Puerto Rican community, which has long endured and still endures economic hardship, political disenfranchisement, and social marginalization. By leveraging my legal expertise in the future, I am to create pathways for greater access to legal education, employment opportunities by continuing equity work in legal services, and civil rights. I also aspire to mentor and uplift the next generation of Puerto Rican legal professionals, fostering a pipeline of leaders who are committed to justice and equity. My dedication to honoring the legacy of individuals like Jesus Perez rooted in my deep respect for the trailblazers who have paved the way for greater inclusion and representation/ Through my legal career, I hope to continue this legacy by championing the rights of underrepresented communities and driving systemic change. Whether through policy advocacy, community outreach, or pro bono legal work, I am committed to making a tangible impact that uplifts the Puerto Rican community and ensures that our voices are heard. In every aspect of my journey, I Have drawn strength from the resilience and determination of my Puerto Rican heritage. Our community's legacy of hard work and perseverance inspires me to push boundaries and strive for excellence. By pursuing a career in law, I truly hope to honor this legacy and contribute to a more justice and equitable society for future generations.

The biggest problem that is facing the world right now is international government corruption. One way we can work on this is to peacefully protest in our respective countries and run for office ourselves to be the change we want to see in the system. People are dying everywhere due to negligence of supposed leaders, and change has to happen. Once this is fixed by replacing who we have with responsible leaders, other problems can easily be worked on and fall into place.

I stay true to myself in my daily life is to ensure I keep my daily goals in mind and not sidetracking. I make sure that despite any goals I have, I stay true to my values and don’t do anything that wouldn’t feel right to me personally. If something doesn’t feel right, I’m not going to do it. My values are my guide for the decisions that I make on a daily basis. For example, I have a plan to go to law school after college. This is because one of my values that helps me feel as though I am going to help people and make a change in the world. Through my future career, I am going to be the change I want to see in the world, which is something that I believe is a part of who I am. As long as I make decisions based off of my principles, I will be true to myself every day.

One personal finance lesson that I find important is learning how to build your credit. Coming out of high school, I knew that credit was important thanks to my mother, who always talked to me about her credit journey when I asked about credit cards and credit in general. However, when I turned 18, I didn’t know how I could start establishing credit because that is not something I was taught in school, but I knew well that credit is very important for loans later in life such as one needed to buy a home. Without knowing these essential credit skills at a young age, there is a major real world disadvantage of not knowing how to establish and build credit, which is very important for down the line investments, as aforementioned. Knowing how to build credit is not only an important skill to know, but it is also an essential skill if one wants to make big money steps in their life. Students with no credit are at a disadvantage, and in order to ensure that young people prepare for their future of getting approved in order to own an apartment or home, learning how to build credit is an important financial lesson that everyone has to learn at some point, but learning it later in life has consequences, unfortunately.