Playlist Name: Best Life 1. Harness Your Hopes - B-side by Pavement 2. The Suburbs by Mr Little Jeans 3. 1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins 4. Show Me How by Men I Trust 5. PRIDE. by Kendrick Lamar

Generosity is giving to others who need help. I believe everyone should be generous if they are in the right mindset to give from their own possessions or knowledge, whether it be something physical, emotional, or a welcoming place for others. Many people around us do not have the luxury of having all of the things we have like money or education, these people need our help. Helping with money, education, emotional support, a place for others, or some extra clothes. Not only are the people in need benefitting but the giver is also benefitting because they are doing something selfless and kind when they have the ability to do so. The humane thing to do when you see someone in need is help if you can, you might think you are also struggling in certain areas like with money but being there for someone to talk to or answer questions for them, can also help more than you can imagine. An example of being generous with advice is if you see is classmate struggling to study or get organized, you can share your study habits and ways you stay organized. Give to others in need because you never know what kind of life they have been through.

One personal finance lesson that I find important is managing where your money goes. Not everyone has the opportunities to make as much money as they wish they could, but with good management skills, you can make your money last longer. A couple of things that are more set in stone for your finances are rent and bills but one trick to help lower the cost of bills is to pay attention to the use of your utilities. Turn off lights when they are not necessary to be on, take shorter showers, and do not use your air conditioning system excessively. On the other hand, one way you can drastically change your spending on something is on food, buy groceries for the weel and cook at home instead of spending money for meals daily out at fast-food restaurants. After using your income on things we need to live, save as much as possible, that is leftover. Saving money is important for any emergencies that come up or for future goals of buying things like a car or house. This has benefitted me because when looking at each paycheck and where my money goes, it can be motivating to try to reduce my spending so I can have extra money for myself and to save for the future.

Some of my personal goals are to get active, do well in school so I can become a great Registered Nurse, learn more about God, and manage my spending well. I want to get active because during this pandemic I have gained weight and it has taken a toll on my mental health. I want to do well in school because I know by putting in more effort I will learn more, get more out of my education, and stay on track to getting into my dream career field. I want to become a Registered Nurse and work in Hospice settings because from volunteering, I have seen that there is a big underserved community that needs change. Attending Cal Baptist University has encouraged me to learn more about God and wanting to ensure my faith in the Lord. I know this is important because having God by my side has and will continue to lead me on the right path. Lastly, I want to manage my spending better because I have to pay for my tuition so I cannot be spending on things that are not necessities especially since I will be entering the real world soon. Currently, I am trying to take small steps that will guide me on the right path to be able to achieve these goals. I am starting to get active by taking my dogs on a small walk daily instead of weekly. I do not have much energy to work out but I know that these small walks each day will build my stamina. I am just starting out the first year of my school’s Nursing Program so I plan to complete my assignments in small increments throughout each day to make it easier for me to finish the big assignments. To learn more about God I am starting to speak up and ask more questions I have about God to people around me know have studied the Bible more than me as well as taking five minutes of each day to read something new in the Bible. I have also been prioritizing the things I spend my money on based on relevance and importance. Growing in each of these areas will help me create a habit and lifestyle of the way I want to be. I am not drastically changing my routine because I have tried that with dieting and restriction, and since it was so different than what I was used to, I quit after two weeks. I know making a change to better my life in various ways will be good for me and the lives I touch. Taking these small steps will help curve me into the person and Nurse I want to be.

I have always had a desire to be of both emotional and medical support to others. That is why pursuing a career in nursing resonated with me so much because it would enable me to serve and care for those in need to the best of my ability. Back in high school during my junior year I joined my school’s Hospice club and became a volunteer. During the training, while learning how to be around patients, how to comfort patients, and the importance of listening I knew that being around patients was my calling. When we got to go to the facilities and were able to spend time with the patients, I realized that they do not have many people around them that love them, some of their families would not visit them, and some of the staff there were not empathetic towards them. So, I brought it upon myself to bridge this gap and help bring a smile to their face. And honestly, doing so always made my day. These terminally ill patients were mostly alone during the time where they needed to be around people who care about them the most. Every Saturday when I would volunteer at different facilities I would look at the patients as if they were my family members, and think to myself how I would feel and how I would treat my family members if they were in the state that these patients are in. After my experience of volunteering at three different facilities for almost two years, witnessing firsthand an underserved community, I knew I needed to go into the field to make a change. I want to be there for hospice patients, during what may be their last few months of life, and help them be at peace with where they are at. Being a hospice nurse, I could help patients medically and emotionally by being educated, empathetic, and understanding.

I come from two Hispanic parents, one being an immigrant and not being able to finish high school and the other who only completed high school and could not go to college. With my two parents who worked hard to raise my family, I saw their struggle to make ends meet. Growing up both of my parents constantly encouraged me and my younger sisters to go to college and get a good career so we could live a comfortable life without so much financial stress. My family is my reason, my motivation, and my encouragement to do well in school. I have always had a desire to be of both emotional and medical support to others. That is why pursuing a career in nursing resonated with me so much because it would enable me to serve and care for those in need to the best of my ability. If awarded this scholarship, it would afford me more time to focus on my studies rather than having to work multiple part-time jobs in order to fulfill the financial obligations that obtaining a higher education entails. Especially with Nursing School coming up, I want to get the most of my education with as few distractions as possible. During my last two years of high school, I became a Hospice Volunteer. At the facilities, while being able to spend time with terminally ill patients, I realized that many patients did not have their loved ones around. Either some of their families would not visit them, or perhaps the staff was not providing them with the level of empathy and attention they needed and desired. So, I brought it upon myself to bridge this gap and help bring a smile to their face. And honestly, doing so always made my day. If I was in their shoes and nearing my last few months of life, that would be the time when I would need to be around people who truly care about me. Volunteering at these facilities was life-changing, and it is why upon graduating with my Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, I want to become a Hospice Nurse. I know that this field needs nurses who can provide the best care to patients in need. Being a hospice nurse, I could help patients medically and emotionally by being educated, empathetic, and understanding. Then later on in life, I have an interest in back to school to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.

This pandemic has been hard on many students throughout the world while facing great family losses, completing school completely online, and being stuck at home. It is all such a great change from our old routine. The hardest part of online school for me was finding the motivation to pay attention in class and get myself to study every day. Being a Hispanic student coming from two parents who were not able to go to college and had to work very hard to provide for my younger sisters and me is my reason, motivation, and encouragement to do well in school. I want to be able to go through higher education for myself, for my family, and for my younger sisters. Me going through college will be a good example to them, showing them they can do it too. Going into college as a pre-nursing student I had the choice to do my prerequisites in either one year, a year and a half, or two years, and I chose one year. I chose this fast-paced plan because although stress would be increased from the extra classes, tuition was a big factor. My family is low income and I do not want to put any more financial stress on my single mother so if I can have a decision on how many semesters I would have to pay the school for, even after all of the grants and scholarships I receive, I want to pay as little as possible. After studying and working extremely hard during my freshman year of college I completed all the Nursing Program prerequisites, applied to my school’s Nursing Program, and fortunately, I got accepted. I enter and start the program this fall and though it may be challenging and difficult, I know I can do it. My goal is to be able to pay for the next school year before it starts so I can give my full attention to my nursing classes and get the most from my education. I need this scholarship because just being in college is stressful and with the addition of having to pay thousands of dollars, many students struggle being in post-secondary education. Being able to win money that can go directly to my tuition will benefit me mentally, emotionally, and academically. Winning this scholarship will help me achieve my goal. My greatest achievement to date is getting into my university’s Nursing Program while applying as a Freshman and completing the prerequisites in one year. This experience taught me that anything is possible if I just put my mind to it. I can set big goals for myself in the future and achieve them with determination. I know I am a hard-working, strong-minded, motivated individual, and with these abilities, I can get anywhere in life. In the future, I hope to get my Registered Nursing license and work as a Hospice RN. After a couple of years working, I may want to go back to school to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. Graduate school is known to be extremely difficult, but I know I will be able to do it if I chose to go through that route.

My greatest inspiration in life is being able to control my future. Having financial freedom is what drives me, motivates me, and keeps me pushing through all of life’s obstacles. Growing up my family did not have the best income and as a result, my sisters and I did not get the privilege of living in our own house or having the nicest things. My mother was a stay-at-home mom for the first eight years of my life and my father worked hard in construction to provide for us. Once I was eight years old my parents got separated and my mother had to start working to provide for us without the help of another parent. My mother is the hardest working woman I know, she started her own tax preparation business ten years ago and now also has a full-time job at the University of California Riverside. Our parents constantly emphasized the importance of school and how with higher education we could have the opportunities to land a high-paying career. Ever since elementary school I got good grades because I enjoyed school, I knew that this was the path that I needed to be on to protect my future. Being the oldest daughter of three, a goal of mine is to be a good role model to my younger sisters, I would end up being the first to go to college and today I still hope to show them that going through higher education is worth it. After studying and working extremely hard during my freshman year of college I completed all the Nursing Program prerequisites, applied to my school’s Nursing Program, and fortunately, I got accepted. I enter and start the program this fall and though it may be challenging and difficult, I know I can do it. I am on track to graduate from college in a total of four years with my Bachelor’s degree in Nursing. I hope to be able to pay for this upcoming school year before it starts so I can give my full attention to my nursing classes and get the most from my education. I need this scholarship because just being in college is stressful but with the addition of having to pay thousands of dollars, many students struggle to stay in post-secondary education. Being able to win money that can go directly to my tuition will benefit me mentally, emotionally, and academically. I want to show my family that I did it, it is possible, and my younger sisters can do it too. I will be the first in my family to graduate college with a degree that will help me secure a good career.

You may glance at her and only see a single mom with three kids. The stigma of a stay-at-home mom meant she would never amount to anything beyond that. Someone who has the ability to defy that statistic is what perfectly describes my biggest influence and encouragement, my mother. A woman who does anything and everything to work hard so she is able to provide for her children is able to manage working two jobs and to spend time with three kids at the same time. To start off, a strength of hers that I would like to explain is, how much of a hard worker she is to be able to provide for our family. In 2010 my parents split up and my mom had not worked before, so she needed to start to make money on her own. She decided to get a career that would not take too long to achieve, she took a twelve-week tax course, got her tax preparation license, and built her own mobile tax business. To this day she still has her tax business, driving to Escondido where most of her clients live or even taking client appointments from where we live in Moreno Valley. Even with this 10-year business, it was only seasonal, so she still needed to make more money if we wanted to live in our own house someday soon and not live in apartments or renting houses. Her next step in the work field was landing a full-time career at UCR in the Business Administration Department, with the help of all her experience with the long-lasting business she was qualified for a position there. During Tax Season she works at her UCR job from 8-5 then comes home to do more work, taxes all night long. An additional way she has worked hard is by making sure we work hard. She always pushes us to do our best in school and life, never letting us give up or take the easy route, and even supported our decision to work part-time jobs. Next, my mother is able to manage working two jobs and spend time with three kids. Hearing this you can probably tell she has little free time but obviously still wants to be involved in her children’s lives too. One way she was able to do this is when my mom decided to include us in her tax business as a way for all of us to spend time together. About two years ago my mom taught me how to prepare simple tax returns so I could go along with her to her appointments in Escondido and just this year she started teaching my younger fifteen-year-old sister how to as well. Now that this year was all at home and virtual, my mom would send me tax returns to help her with and she would walk me through any complicated ones for example multi-state returns or those with lots of deductions. Another thing that comes to mind when thinking of her always making time for family is, we used to set aside one day of the week, usually a weekend, to forget about work and school and spend time with each other. We like to go to the beach, shopping, and just having family get-togethers to spend time with the whole family. Finally, the last thing that has helped us all come together was this quarantine, yes, I understand that COVID-19 has negatively impacted so many people around the world, but some good things can come out of it too. Looking at the bright side of what life throws at us, we got to make the most out of it. Thankfully God has protected us during this time to keep us safe and healthy and has given us the opportunity to all be with each other at the same time. Overall, with a great, supportive, and motivational mother, I have had the goal to go to college and graduate with a Bachelor’s degree so I can get a good career for myself. As well as trying to prepare for my future I also want to be a good example for my younger sisters and help them along the way in school. Throughout high school, I got the opportunity to volunteer and visit patients at Hospice centers, so my interest in being a Registered Nurse arose. I hope to become a Hospice Registered Nurse so I can provide the care and support that terminally ill patients need. As of right now, I just completed my school’s nursing program prerequisites and got accepted into the nursing program. I am on track to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.

I became a Doordash driver during the pandemic and I loved it. I knew I was helping people because they were either sick and could not leave their house, working and did not have time to leave their jobs, or did not want to risk exposure from the global pandemic. While being a delivery driver I was able to pay off my first year of college from working and I am thankful to have had that opportunity. With more and more of the population getting the Covid-19 vaccine, there are fewer and fewer Doordash orders because people are able to leave their houses. Working over this summer has not been easy with the decrease in orders and fewer bonus opportunities from Doordash. Knowing this job will not be beneficial to me, I have applied to eight jobs around my city, over twenty outside scholarships, and many more from my university hoping to land a job soon and one or more scholarships. I want to be productive during the rest of my summer and work so I can pay for my next two semesters of school before classes start in September. If I can gain enough money during the summer from scholarships and jobs I will not have to work a part-time job during school. After studying and working extremely hard during my freshman year of college I completed all the Nursing Program prerequisites, applied to my school’s Nursing Program, and fortunately, I got accepted. I enter and start the program this fall and though it may be challenging and difficult, I know I can do it. My goal is to be able to pay for the next school year before it starts so I can give my full attention to my nursing classes and get the most from my education. I need this scholarship because just being in college is stressful and with the addition of having to pay thousands of dollars, many students struggle being in post-secondary education. Being able to win money that can go directly to my tuition will benefit me mentally, emotionally, and academically. Winning this scholarship will help me achieve my goal.

When the pandemic began, the first thing that changed in my life was my volunteer life. During high school, I volunteered with Charter Hospice and loved to visit patients, when the pandemic came we were not able to go to any facilities. I was devastated because I knew it would affect the patients negatively as they would not have any visitors to talk to or play games with. Fortunately, I was able to send drawings, paintings, and positive quotes to brighten their days. With the pandemic having a huge impact on the elderly, I know that I want to be a part of taking care of the sick. The pandemic made my interest in becoming a Hospice Registered Nurse clear and have no doubts. I did have to do all of my Nursing program prerequisites through an online format, excluding lab classes, and thankfully with good grades, motivation, and heart, I got accepted into the Nursing Program for next year. I am ecstatic to start the program this upcoming fall in person and am eager to learn.

After many group projects in school, there always seems to be one common problem, your group members do not put in the same effort as each other. I like this meme because it explains just that, your partner either did not put in any effort at all or they completely shocked you with their skills. It is sometimes hard to collaborate with others who you do not know very well because you do not know their work ethic, so whatever the outcome of each partner's work is, it gets looked at as a whole and one final score is received for everyone. These situations mostly happened throughout my high school time since my first year of college was online, but I definitely expect more to come.