Within my personal journey as a first-time hispanic college student, I struggled with knowing very limited knowledge about college application, enrollment processes, and the overall experience. A lot of the information I found out on my own, along with my parents, during my experiences within college. While I studied hard and received good grades in highschool, it was also a challenge to adapt both academically and socially. Another challenge I have is financially being able to afford higher education. I currently work part time year round while also going to school full time. I am the oldest of five children, therefore my parents are also unable to contribute to my education. Although my parents cannot contribute financially, they always contribute in other significant ways, such as always giving amazing guidance. They have done their best to provide me with a better life than they had, and for that I am forever grateful. My most significant role models in life are my parents and my great grandparents. My great grandparents, who migrated to the United States from Puerto Rico in the 1950s, are two of the most inspiring individuals within my life. Unlike some individuals, I’ve been fortunate enough to know and grow up around my great grandparents. While my great grandpa passed away a few years ago, my great grandma is still alive. They always had great life advice, often discussing the significance of education. To me, they embodied hard work and perseverance. I find them to be extraordinary people for their hardships. My parents are also individuals I look up to for their hard work. They showed me the significance of education because of their lack and demonstrated how it had affected them. By providing me with guidance, they have influenced my choices to pursue a degree and choose a career that fits me. A personal obstacle I’ve had throughout my education is social anxiety. I struggle a lot with presenting and speaking in front of others, which was deeply worsened during COVID. However, with practice and determination, I overcame this. Because I’m in interior design, it’s mandatory in many of my classes to present projects, which exposure to this allowed me to work through a lot of my anxiety. From this, I learned that I am more than capable of achieving my goals. The legacy of Jose Prado, serves as a profound inspiration shaping my educational journey and ambitions. His unwavering support for his daughter's educational pursuits is a testament to the transformative power of education. This legacy emphasizes the importance of perseverance, dedication, and the belief that education can break barriers and pave the way for a brighter future. This motivates me to pursue my own educational goals with determination, knowing that through education, I can make a meaningful impact on my life and those around me, just as Jose Prado did for his family. If I were to establish a scholarship, its purpose would be to help individuals overcome the financial burdens that come with higher education, especially related to first generation students. Since my major is Interior Design, I would also look for artistic candidates or individuals going into the arts. Because it would be art focused, I would review portfolios and creative projects instead of essays. To me, education empowers individuals to overcome challenges and achieve their full potential. It opens new opportunities for both personal and professional growth, which ultimately provides a better foundation for the future. So far, it has impacted me by providing me with the necessary skills and knowledge to pursue my goals within my career and personal life.

One significant obstacle in my life has been managing my mental health. Throughout my teenage years, I developed anxiety, which made socializing difficult. While I have never received a formal diagnosis, and I believe my tendencies are mild compared to others, they still persist. As the eldest of five children, I believe these characteristics developed from my role. I not only felt immense responsibility in taking care of my siblings, but since my parents were always busy with my younger siblings, it was easy for me to be overlooked and unnoticed. While I’ve always been quiet and shy throughout my childhood, this was certainly amplified after COVID. The isolation during that period led me to hide in my shell. Before, I was able to present projects and I was more social overall, although still I struggled with shyness. After, however, it was much worse. I was unable to present at all. During a mandatory presentation within a class I took in my first year of college I immediately had a breakdown. I generally thought that I was unable to present anymore, that it was too much for me. And I also started to overthink about how this would affect my career and my future, as being able to talk in front of people is incredibly important and necessary. As I continued my higher education, this Fall I had another class where it was mandatory to do a lengthy 15 minute presentation to the entire class. This left me feeling extremely distressed. For weeks, I prepared and worried over this presentation. When the time came to actually present, I surprisingly was able to complete it, without a meltdown. I certainly must have seemed very nervous but it was a huge improvement for me, even life changing. It made me feel empowered and I began to feel possibilities open for me. As I continued my classes in the Spring, I had many more presentations that were necessary, and with the practice, I noticed that I no longer felt such immense anxiety regarding them. I definitely still feel nervous but it is nowhere near how I used to feel. Although I am not completely over my anxiety, I certainly feel that I am on the way to overcoming it fully. Growing up, I always thought my shyness was a flaw. There were times where it was presented as such. As an example, during parent-teacher conferences throughout my entire childhood, my parents were always told I needed to speak and participate more in class. I feel that my introvertedness became a weakness in my mind because of situations like that, but in reality, it is not a bad thing. Being shy allows me to be a more empathetic listener, which demonstrates that I am caring and trustworthy to others. I feel that it allows me to seem more approachable, hold deeper connections, and pay attention to details. While there are cons to being introverted, there are also pros. Now, I am more satisfied with my shyness and I understand myself better. While I continue to face challenges related to my anxiety and introvertedness, I have made significant progress in managing them. By embracing both the strengths and weaknesses they bring, I have learned to utilize their positive aspects while mitigating their negative impact. This journey of self-awareness and acceptance has not only improved my quality of life but has also equipped me with the resilience and determination to overcome obstacles and achieve my goals.

My favorite creation was a traditional mixed media piece within my sustained investigation from my AP Art class, which I completed during my senior year of high school. My sustained investigation was meant to educate others of the gruesome details within the meat, dairy, and other animal industries in relation to their moral detriments. I strived for individuals to question their perspectives on the industries and how they impact the world around us. While these industries are heartbreaking, I truly loved learning about them and hoped that my art may persuade others to also pay attention to their mistreatment, perhaps also persuading them to make changes within their own lifestyles to avoid supporting some of these corporations. The ten pieces each depicted different animals and their maltreatments, including pigs, chicken, eggs, cows, rabbits (animal testing), rhinos (horn trading), pangolins (scale trade), orcas (entertainment), elephants (entertainment), and fish. My favorite piece within these is the one regarding chicken. This piece, although not the first one I created, is where my vision came together for not only what I wanted my message to be, but also the presentation and elements within the design. Circles are utilized to show their step by step processing, and demonstrate the full circle of their abuse, in acrylic paint. Meanwhile, the backgrounds are what we see as consumers. Each piece has a varying color scheme, but I particularly enjoy the bright blue and red within this one, it's striking to look at, just like the subject matter.