In December 2022, I met with my father for the first time since March 2013 to catch up with him. I finally decided to heal my relationship with him. I wanted to tell him about college, and about how I was planning on going to law school and making the family proud. After many years of drugs and abuse, my father stated that he changed, again. He drove up to Boston to see me while he was living in New Jersey. It was a beautiful moment. On January 23, 2023, they found him slumped over in his car next to a gas station. My dad had passed away from an overdose. As it turns out, he never stopped using fentanyl. I was 20 when he passed away, and could not believe that the relationship I wanted to desperately rebuild could never heal; not because I didn't want it, but because the opportunity had been ripped from my hands due to his drug addiction, which he never actually stopped. After this, I felt lost. I blamed myself for taking so long to take the next step forward. I wanted to give up the hate I had for him, which was a heavy burden. It was, indeed, taking a toll on me. But I could never fully do this. I didn't know what to do. By some accounts, I was an orphan; one parent gone in the blink of an eye. By others, I was another statistic. I couldn't even attend his funeral since I was living far away and could not take time off of work, since I had to support myself. Therefore, I carried on. From time to time, I think about how our relationship would look now. Perhaps I never would have figured out that he was still addicted to drugs, but I'll never know now. The most important thing I learned through his death, however, was that I do have the capacity to forgive. I have the ability to forgive those who have harmed me because I learned that forgiveness is not for the person to whom forgiveness is being given; that forgiveness is to heal my soul and my spirit. It seemed impossible at the time. I documented this emotional journey in my personal journal, and it helped me reflect and grow my emotional maturity to that point. By writing my feelings and about my growth, it helped me document the changes that I faced emotionally. Now when I read what I wrote, I can see how hard it was. Disoriented letters. Sloppy penmanship all around. But that's just how I expressed my grief and my emotions. Even before all of this, I wanted to continue my education to become a lawyer. I want to help those who are low-income and disenfranchised with their civil legal issues. I want to help those who are in a similar situation that I was in growing up, and I want to bridge the gap between legal representation and cost. I know many cannot afford the legal costs associated with hiring a lawyer, and I believe people should have a chance to present themselves in the best light, legally, through a lawyer. I am inspired to practice this kind of law and am influenced by those lawyers with whom I worked with in Legal Aid in Colorado. They showed me how empathy can exist in the legal field. They also showed me how to advocate for clients in the field. These are the lessons I would like to pay forward when I begin a legal career of my own.

“I can’t afford it.” This four-word statement has the power to change lives wherever it’s used. I grew up hearing this phrase often, including times where my mother told attorneys that she can’t afford their prices for a divorce from my abusive, drug-addicted father. Unfortunately, stories like hers are far too common. Many cannot afford the legal costs associated with hiring attorneys, and underfunded legal aid organizations, who were made to attempt to bridge this gap, struggle with overworked staff. Despite these obstacles, these organizations continue to do impactful work that helps low-income communities have a chance in court with their civil legal matters. This is the population that I aspire to help after I graduate and earn my Juris Doctorate and pass the Bar Exam. I grew up in a low-income household, which not only impacted how I saw the world growing up, but also helped me build resilience. We were the kind of family that made a bit too much for public benefits, but could not sufficiently afford to make ends meet, making us reliant on food pantries to survive. Though this improved slightly when I turned 11 years old, we still were unable to afford luxuries that most children around me had, such as summer trips or a vehicle to go into adulthood. In high school, I juggled three jobs – two law firm internships and a teaching job at a music school – to cover necessities and wants, while saving for college, knowing that my mother could not afford to send neither my sister nor myself to school by herself. Drawn to debate and with my internship experiences in mind, I majored in Political Science at Boston University, envisioning a career in the legal field. Adulthood brought many more unorthodox challenges that further tested my resilience and determination. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I lost all of my jobs, which forced me into retail supermarket work to continue saving for school. My freshman year of college was fully virtual, followed by a leave of absence to build savings. In 2022, I moved to Massachusetts to do my in-person classes while working full-time and paying rent, which were struggles far greater than whatever I had in New Jersey. To sustain myself and pursue personal growth in other ways, I enlisted into the Army Reserves. After Basic Combat Training, marriage led me to move to Colorado and then Virginia, where I currently reside. As I reflect on these experiences, I see how my lack of financial support from my mother, through no fault of her own, led me to take military service as a second job. But, this also allowed me to build my foundation in public service. My time at Colorado Legal Services hit me very hard with the reality of the most underserved area of the legal field. With every phone call I handled and client I spoke to, it was almost like I saw my mother’s struggles in every client. I handled estate paralegal work, which included filling out intake forms to translating calls for Spanish speakers to ensure they received the assistance they needed. I connected all to critical resources, such as housing assistance or ID vouchers, and fought for universal access to legal aid services in the Language Justice Committee. For me, the advocacy I fought for to help equal the playing field was more than just a job to me. The compassion I showed others served to me as evidence that this was what I was meant to do. Although there was a real risk for becoming traumatized myself from the stories of others, this was superseded by seeing success stories from clients, such as one who returned after he received an ID, housing, and a job as a direct result of the ID voucher, and another where an elderly woman, aged 88, felt relief knowing that she had her Will and other estate documents in place. Moments like these affirmed my purpose and highlighted the dire need for accessible civil legal aid and confirmed my desire to dedicate my career to assisting marginalized populations. Law school is the essential next step I need to go through to transform my passion into professional impact. It will equip me with the skills required to prepare to represent others, have a deep understanding of the legal process, as well as exposure to intersecting fields of law, enabling me to be flexible with what I practice moving forward. Through legal clinic opportunities, court observations, and networking with attorneys, I will gain more hands-on experience to advocate for vulnerable communities. Combined with the hardships that I faced as a child, my self-reliant journey, legal aid insights, and current paralegal role, I recognize that without going to law school, I cannot fully bridge that gap for those like my family, who could not afford representation when it was most needed. Now, with a foundation in public service and more experience in the field, I am ready to step up, addressing the dire need for attorneys in underserved areas. I will measure success by the lives I improve, one client at a time.

Airborne Leads the Way - that's what they teach us in Basic Training. Besides myself, I have a few family members who have served in the military, including my mother and my grandfather (my mom's father). My grandfather served in the Vietnam War in the New Jersey National Guard, and has told me countless stories about his time serving overseas. My favorite memory with him came from him when I visited him after joining the US Army Reserves. Now that I am in the military, he tells me more! A few years ago, when I first arrived with my PFC rank, he told me that PFC is the highest rank that he ever wore, and that he was sent over to Vietnam as a fuzzy (to civilians, this means he had no rank going in). He told me about how he landed in Vietnam from a helicopter, and he told me about airborne school. He even showed me his airborne yearbook and I saw his picture! Like many older military folks, he also went into detail about how he (in the infantry) shot a lot of enemy forces when he landed. He went into detail about having to sleep outside and not knowing if he would make it back the next day. This made me appreciate being in the military during some level of peacetime, and that I more likely than not will avoid having to land somewhere to do any damage overseas. In this moment, I feel like he really felt connected with me, and I with him, in a way that had not happened in any other part of my childhood. While I love him dearly and have always had a good relationship with him, I also happen to be the only grandchild that went into military service. I think that he opened up to these experiences because, though I have not been through much myself, I understand at least some parts of the military, having gone through the literal basic parts of it, and, at the time, sharing the same rank as him. I further connected with him during this time because he connected everything to my mother's military service. He told me about how proud he was that she served, and how proud he was of me that I continued the line of service in our family. There is nothing like the connection that servicemembers have, especially those who are quite literally in the same family. I will never forget my first shared memory of this kind with my grandfather.

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.