I come from a Chicano background. What I love about my Mexican culture is the phrases that got me to keep going in college when I was at my lowest. In Mexican culture, everyone knows two common phrases: "echale ganas," which means give it your all, and "ponte las pilas," which means get your batteries on, which is an expression to encourage someone to work harder. From a young age till now, whenever I encountered a challenge, my loved ones would tell me "echale ganas" and "ponte las pilas." These phrases have motivated me to go above and beyond. They have kept me moving forward and motivated me to handle impossible challenges. I want to give back to my Hispanic community and show them how powerful the cultural phrases we grew up listening to can take you far in life. My academic goal is to graduate with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and help raise the percentage of Hispanics graduating in STEM. My career goal is to work behind NASA's Ames Research Center communication signals and the hardware of satellites. As a woman in STEM, there is, unfortunately, a lot of sexism. Throughout my experience in college, my work and effort have been put in question because of my gender. As my classes kept getting advanced, the more I faced sexist comments from my male classmates. My classes getting difficult wasn't what scared me about engineering, but working in a sexist environment is what scared me. I've been accused of cheating and earning scholarships because I'm a woman, and yet they're the ones who frequently ask to copy my labs and homework. I've been told that I'm only getting good grades because the professors find me "pretty" and that I've achieved far enough just for programs to seem diverse. I'm not worried about my professors questioning my intelligence because they know I work hard and often ask in-depth questions about the material during office hours. Many have told me my hard work is not real and I'm only here to fit in the spot to look diverse. When people see diversity, many people are quick to believe that it's forced. However, the way I see it is seeing people from different backgrounds bringing something new to the table. Society would have more innovation if people didn't judge someone based on their sexuality, race, and gender. I joined my community college's WEST (Western Engineering Science and Technology) club to gain engineering experience. A student told me there are few women in engineering because we aren't as passionate as men about succeeding. Despite the amount of sexism I've been through, I won't let it become an obstacle for me to become an engineer. Instead, I want to give it my all and work hard. I want to inspire and encourage women passionate about STEM to pursue their dream careers. I believe women have a place in STEM and are as capable as men. I want to help increase the percentage of women and Hispanics graduating in STEM and teach future generations that women can achieve anything they set their minds to. Big or small, it is a difference I want to make and help future women in STEM. I want to reach beyond the stars and create programs to help women in STEM so they can follow their dreams.

Personal Journey: Sometimes, I like to think my life could make a great coming-of-age teen movie: an ordinary girl from a small town. This girl works her way to the top thanks to her intelligence and the backup of the universe itself. She would struggle, cry, and think of giving up when everything seemed to go wrong, but she would become a successful woman by the time the movie's resolution came. But my reality is much more complicated. I was born into a farm worker family: a single mom who worked in the fields and an absent dad. And, of course, the challenging role of being a First-Generation student with ambitions. Throughout high school, I was jealous of my classmates who had their futures planned. Everyone seemed to have their future planned; meanwhile, I had no idea what I wanted to do, and I was under a lot of pressure to make fast choices without giving it a thought if it was something I wanted to do. When you're a First-Generation student, you're not representing yourself; you're representing your whole family, which adds a lot of weight on your shoulders, especially if you're from a low-income Hispanic family trying to break down the stereotypes. Throughout life, I faced a lot of racism, and I was called slurs for being Chicana. I tried to live the typical teenage American dream, but it was impossible. After high school, I attended community college and majored in physics. In my math and physics classes, it felt like I was solving a puzzle. There is a hidden beauty in creating an image from a ton of pieces that, upfront, are a bunch of nonsense to the eye, but once you find the correct pattern, everything falls into the right spots. Later on, I had to take a required programming class and developed a passion for engineering. What I love about engineering is making the impossible possible and my dreams a reality. I joined the WEST (Western Engineering Science Technology) club during my second year of community college. The club allowed students to bring engineering ideas to life. In Spring 2023, the club had the opportunity to be part of the ASCEND (Aerospace STEM Challenges to Educate New Discoverers) program, where we had the opportunity to design and send a payload up in the high-altitude. This new opportunity made me discover my passion for electrical engineering as I worked on recording data, communication, and signals for the project. I'm grateful I was part of it because I felt a spark for Electrical engineering. As I kept advancing in my classes, my passion for engineering grew stronger. Unfortunately, I am surrounded by a sexist environment, considering engineering is male-dominated. I've found myself in situations in which there are a lot more expectations over my head in comparison to my male classmates. I have received comments that put my work and efforts into question, some even suggesting I copy one of my good friends who happens to be a great student. As a Hispanic woman in STEM, I have to work twice as hard to be taken as seriously as any male student would, on top of also struggling with my finances. I'm aware that my journey isn't easy, but I am dedicated and ambitious; I will reach my goal of becoming an electrical engineer and working in the aerospace industry, potentially working on communication and signals. I know I will reach beyond the stars because my desire and passion for engineering are strong enough to keep me going.

The Song of the Buffalo Boy is one of the most underrated books I have ever read. The characters, storyline, and overall plot are outstanding. It is a book I recommend everyone to read because it deals with topics such as cultural identity and love, making it an ideal choice for readers. The main character's name is Loi; she is mixed, half-American and half-Vietnamese. She gets treated differently in her village because she is not entirely Vietnamese. Being half-American due to her father, Loi reminds the people in the village of the tragic war the country had to encounter. However, Kahi, a young buffalo tender, is the only person in the village who treats her kindly. Unfortunately, Loi's mother put her daughter in an arranged marriage to an older, cruel man. Loi escapes by trying to apply for the Amerasian Homecoming Program in Ho Chi Minh City. One of the things I learned from this book is how powerful love is and how far you are willing to go for someone, whether it be a family, friend, or partner. Many people find love dangerous because your feelings for someone can affect your choices, leading Loi to make plans with Khai and run to Ho Chi Minh City to apply for the Amerasian Homecoming Program. It is a program made for people like her who are half-American, and they are allowed to move to the United States. She took a picture of an American soldier with her and knew that people could tell she was an American by her facial features. Throughout her trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Loi found it odd that many people claimed to be half-American to be accepted into the program. Throughout her whole life, she was never accepted for being half-American as she is a reminder of the pain and suffering people went through during the Vietnam War, which they consider the American war. Loi knew she stood a chance of being accepted, considering that some people were pretending to be American. However, in the end, her mother wrote her a letter expressing that the man in the photo was not her father but the first American man who showed her kindness and accepted her relationship with Khai. Loi and Khai returned to their village, and people started to become kind to Loi, realizing she was not at fault for the war.

I want my Barbie Dream House to be located in San Francisco, California because it’s close to Silicon Valley, where I plan to work in the future at NASA’s Ames Research Center as an electrical engineer. I want my house to be close to the beach because I like the sound of the waves and the feeling of my feet in the sand. I find the beach to be very calming, and I would like my Barbie Dream House to be close to the beach to the point that it takes me a 10-minute walk to get there. The weather in San Francisco is perfect during the summer. I want my Barbie Dream House architect to be designed as Victorian. I want the colors to be a combination of white, pink, and green. Upfront, there will be a garden of flowers, such as sunflowers, roses, and tulips. The backyard will have a pool, garland trees with lights, and a dining area to have a barbecue. Inside the entrance, the walls will be filled with pictures I have of my loved ones. The living room will have a TV, a fireplace, two comfortable sofas, a coffee table, three side tables, and a pink rug. The kitchen design will be modern in the kitchen and dining hall, and the dining table will be a table for six people. On top of the dining table, there will be silver overhead lighting. I want to have my own work office inside my Barbie Dream House. I want a bookshelf, my own work table, a radio, and a wall of achievements I have accomplished through my educational and career journey in pursuing electrical engineering. Inside my room, which will be the master room, there will be a balcony, a makeup table, and a pink walk-in closet. The day I make my own Barbie Dream House is the day I will feel proud and accomplished of myself. It is a day I look forward to because I will reflect on my hard work and see how far I have come on this journey. I know my younger self will be proud and look at the drawings we made, daydreaming about how our Barbie Dream House will look in the future.

One of my greatest achievements to date was when I was accepted to the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) at my community college. The CAMP program is a scholarship made for students who have worked in the agricultural field or have parents who are farm workers. My father still works as a farm worker; meanwhile, my mother used to be a farm worker but now cleans houses for a living. When I got accepted to the CAMP program it was an opportunity for me to start a new journey in my life. As a first-generation student, being the first in my family added a lot of pressure on my shoulders. Especially, when I didn’t know what I wanted my future career to be. It felt like I wasn’t allowed to fail and that I had to prove to myself that I do belong in college. In the CAMP program, they helped me with my classes and provided me with resources, such as tutoring, mentor sessions, and club activities. At first, I was scared that my questions would appear to be “dumb” because I was very new to taking a big step in my education. However, I learned to be confident and asked questions. Throughout my first year of college, I figured out that I had a passion for engineering and I made sure to have straight A’s through the year. However, I couldn’t have accomplished it without the support of the CAMP program. When I told my friends I wanted to become an Aerospace engineer they turned their backs on me. Meanwhile, a scholarship program encouraged me to continue my education. By the end of my first year of college, I was awarded the Academic Achievement Award by the CAMP program. I was very proud of myself and seeing my mother smile as I received the award made her happy as her sacrifices have helped me get this far in my education. In the summer of 2022, I decided to enroll as a full-time summer student. My advisor from the CAMP program was against it at first because he was worried it would burn me out. It was challenging at first but I managed to pass all of my classes with straight A’s. The CAMP program nominated me for Student of the Month and I won the award. When I won the Student of the Month award, it encouraged me to continue my passion for engineering. Seeing how the CAMP program has shown me so much support inspired me to be a role model. In the future, I want to create a program for low-income students. I want to see students who come from the same background as me succeed. Many low-income students lose faith in their passion for their future careers because they’re worried that they won’t be able to afford their education. I want to take that weight off their shoulders and reassure them that they can succeed. After I have finally accomplished my goal of becoming an Aerospace engineer at NASA, I want to create a program that helps low-income students accomplish their dreams by supporting them financially; that is my goal in my life. The CAMP program will be my greatest achievement because they supported me to become the best version of myself, which is why I want to create a program that will help students like me follow their passion.

I'm a very dedicated and ambitious person. Once I set a goal, I make sure to achieve it no matter the challenges that will come my way. I feel the need to be a perfect student because I'm a first-generation student from a Hispanic and low-income family. I'm not only representing myself but also my family. One of the things I'm grateful I learned from being part of a Hispanic community is hard work. It is very common in our culture to be proud of our work ethic; no matter how big or small the accomplishment is, you still made a difference, and it had an impact. As someone who wants to pursue Electrical Engineering, I want to make a difference and give back to my community. I want to open up scholarships for low-income Hispanic people who are passionate about engineering and help them succeed. Money plays a big role in our success because having an education is expensive, which is why I strive towards success to not only accomplish my own goals but also to give back to my community. One of the things that make me unique and stand out is my dedication. My passion for engineering makes me become very dedicated to my classes and clubs. I've even made sacrifices to get where I am today. During the fall semester, I was taking 18 credits on top of being part of two programs, being active in an engineering club, and having a part-time job. I had a lot on my plate at that time; however, I always made sure I could make time to study. There were times when I sacrificed my sleep and skipped meals to score above average on my exams. Instead of spending time with my friends or family, I would often go to my professor's office hours to understand the material in-depth. The more I kept learning about engineering, the more my ambition grew, and I had a desire to learn. As I keep growing, I want to make a difference, no matter how small or big the impact is. I want to not only make a difference in my community, but I also want to make a difference in the engineering field. I want to create something that can help society move forward. I believe that if we learn from our mistakes, we can grow beyond our potential and reach the stars.

Typically, many people expect the man to be the one fixing the problems that happen around the house, such as fixing the sink. Growing up, it was my mom who fixed the problems that happened, except we lived in an RV because that was all she could afford for the two of us. In a Mexican household, it's common for the man to be the one in charge, but my mom taught me that I could be in charge and be my own person. My mom, being on her own at the time of raising me, and being the one who worked these jobs, had very limited time to spend with me; she would drop me off with a family friend very early in the morning and would pick me up when she was off of work. To be able to afford school materials, education, food, and home, my time with my mother had to be sacrificed. It is general culture for farmworker children to wake up in the early morning hours. Not to go on school trips or family vacations, but because our parents were awake to pack their lunch and get ready for work at 3 AM. From a very young age, we stress about the irregular schedules of our parents, from early morning to late at night. This had a negative impact on me, as my sleeping schedule became that of my mother. It came to a point where my mother received multiple calls from my school, informing her that I had fallen asleep during either class or recess. It became such an issue that it led my mother to decide to abandon her job in the fields to start her own house-cleaning business in an attempt to fix the situation. After that, my mom and I spent a lot of time together. On the weekends, we watched Barbie movies. My mom wanted to teach me that it's okay to be feminine while also having a successful career. Growing up, I loved playing with puzzles which started my love for mathematics, so my mom would buy me math books to help me practice. Then in high school, I started to love physics. Once I got into college, I developed a passion for engineering because it was like a challenging puzzle to solve. There is a hidden beauty in creating an image from a ton of pieces that, upfront, are a bunch of nonsense to the eye, but once you find the correct pattern, everything falls into the right spots. Despite engineering being a male-dominated world, it did scare me at first, but seeing my mom being able to raise me on her own and fix things around the house that most people expect men to do made me realize that I can do it too. My mom always told me from a young age to fight back. Especially now that I've been dealing with sexist comments from my classmates who question my work and effort. Through their belittling, I've been accused of cheating and earning scholarships because I'm a woman, and yet they're the ones who frequently ask to copy my labs and homework. I've not only proven to myself but also my professors that my work is my own and that I'm giving it my best. Seeing my mom raise me as a single mother and her struggles have prepared me to become the woman I am today. She taught me that life is challenging, but you always have to be ready to fight back and be prepared for the things that will come your way.

Growing up, I thought making time for myself was a selfish thing. So I never took the time to work on my mental health; instead, I was a shoulder to cry on or being used. The only selfish thing I've done so far was major in engineering. I did not receive a lot of support at first, and I was looked down on by people who I thought were my friends. They told me that I should have picked something easier because a young girl like myself couldn't handle the challenge. Hearing people you used to consider close friends tell you that they don't believe in your potential hurts you, but I didn't want to let their comments affect me. When I won an award, I told my mom I wanted to do engineering, and she wasn't very pleased. Not because she didn't believe in me but because she didn't want me to be surrounded by a sexist environment. In high school, I felt a lot of pressure on my shoulders because a lot of people asked me what I wanted to do in the future. I didn't have an answer to that question because I didn't know which field I could be useful in. Every time I was asked that question, I felt worthless and unprepared, as if there was no hope for my future or even myself. I wanted to live the ideal teenage life you see in a coming-of-age movie or TV show. But when you're a First-generation student with a Hispanic background and come from a low-income family, living the ideal teenage life is impossible. My mom kept pressuring me to become a teacher or to choose a job like nursing, where I could easily find a job right after college. However, I didn't want that for myself; I wanted to do something I'm actually passionate about where I can use my skills and strengths. During my junior year of high school, I took physics and knew that I wanted to do something related to science and mathematics. When I started community college, I felt like that was when my education began. I started as a physics major. It was required for my major to take an engineering course, which was a programming class. After taking the course, I knew I wanted to do engineering. It felt like, for the first time, I was passionate about something, and I was ready for the challenging projects I'll participate in the future. However, it was also the time when my mental health started to get worse. During my first year, I felt like a champion, like I could handle the impossible and ready to overcome a lot of challenges. I won three awards, and I was at the top of my class. During my second year, I had a lot of difficult classes. I was taking 18 credits during the fall semester and 19 credits during the spring semester; I was part of two programs, I had a job, and I was part of a club where we had to send a solar panel in the sky. As my classes kept getting harder, the more I faced discrimination from my classmates. It got to the point that I started to question my worth, and I felt like I needed to prove to everyone I belonged in the engineering field. I began to push myself beyond my limits by sacrificing my sleep and my time with my mom and skipping meals just to make time to study or finish an assignment. It started to pay off when I began to score above average on my exams, but it got to the point where my body started to break down. One day I ended up collapsing, and I was sent to the hospital. After that, I got behind in my classes, and my perfect 4.0 GPA dropped to 3.6 GPA. During the winter break, I realized that I was willing to risk my health just for engineering. Even though I was accused of cheating and winning a scholarship for being a "woman," no matter how hard I try, I will never be taken seriously. However, my professors know that I'm giving my best in class, and I have friends who support me through my best and worst moments. I'm still struggling with imposter syndrome, but deep down, I know that I can make it through this challenge.

Of course, technology has its pros and cons, it can’t be good, and bad but it can be used both ways, which is why safety guidelines exist. Many people are afraid of technology advancing with the worry that it will take over the world. However, many ignore the fact that they like what technology gives them and how they can benefit from it. In my opinion, I believe that cell phones are a great technology that helps make the world a better place. Phones have existed since 1876. It was a great way to communicate with other people. Nowadays it’s used to make phone calls, use social media, take pictures, keep track of your weekly schedule, etc. I find it fascinating how a simple cell phone we use daily can keep track of so many things and it keeps advancing with new updates. On social media, we’ve seen many people use their phones to spread awareness about certain things that have been going on, with not many people being aware of the situation. Phones are a powerful tool; many users will agree with that statement. It has become many tools for us in what many people on the internet call a ‘’touch-screen rectangle.’’ Besides the many uses I counted in the last paragraph, phones have evolved from communication and entertainment purposes to a tool in the workplace; allowing developers to create apps to access our bank accounts and link them to our debit & credit cards as well checking our credit score. Companies such as Adobe have created apps that allow a user to open PDF files, which a lot of employers use for document signing for fast deliveries. Microsoft itself has created TEAMS, a tool so broad that companies and schools have used it for meetings, organization of documents, and text message communication between users. Technology is inspiring, as it reminds us how much the human mind can conceptualize and create new things, or update already existing tools to make them more accessible and easier to use. We might see technology taking its next step and actually creating flying traffic, or maybe even space traveling that is safe for us. It’s all a matter of not ‘’if’’ but ‘’when.”

My dream version of my future self is someone who is confident in their work and achieved the impossible.

When I was a little girl, I loved playing with puzzles and seeing how I could combine them to finish them. In school, when I got into math and physics, my passion for those subjects grew because it was like playing around with a challenging puzzle. There is a hidden beauty in creating an image from a ton of pieces that, upfront, are a bunch of nonsense to the eye, but once you find the correct pattern, everything falls into the right spots. I love engineering because I love doing the impossible; I love the challenge and using my skills to research something that’s out of the world. When I developed a passion for engineering, I was not afraid of my classes getting difficult, but I was afraid of the career I chose being male-dominated. Growing up, I wish I had someone ask me if I wanted to do something related to the STEM field. Instead, I was asked if I planned to become a mother in the future. I believe that women also have a place in the STEM field if they have a passion for it. However, in my classes here at my community college, there are not a lot of girls. I keep advocating for more women to join the STEM field because I have met so many talented young girls who are good with mathematics but are pursuing different degrees. I keep recommending them to consider pursuing a career in the STEM field, but they also had the same fear as me: a male-dominated world and dealing with a sexist environment. There has to be someone to break down these barriers to open more opportunities for women, and I’m willing to do that. I want to pursue Electrical and Mechanical engineering because it is what has helped us advance technology, and I want to work behind the scenes to help improve and get further with technology. As someone who tends to be curious, I love discovering how things work and why. Electrical and Mechanical engineering caught my attention because it is the root of modern technology and created other engineering career aspects, such as computer, aerospace, and software. My dream job is to work behind the development of satellites in the spacecraft field. I am motivated and determined to reach this goal. However, I find myself seeing obstacles in front of me. First, the obvious financial struggles are not being able to save the right amount of money I need, needing more scholarships, and the student debt I might have. But also the sexist environment in Engineering, a very male-dominated field. Even now, as a college student, I’ve found myself in situations with a lot more expectations over my head than my male classmates. I have received comments that put my work and efforts into question, some even suggesting I copy one of my good friends who happens to be a great student. As a woman in STEM, I have to work twice as hard to be taken as seriously as any male student would, on top of also struggling with my finances. Despite dealing with those challenges, it doesn’t take away the passion I have for engineering and my dedication to keep studying.

Being part of a Hispanic family I learned to have encouragement and faith. From a young age, my family has always said the phrase “echale ganas” which means “give it your best.” As a double major student (Electrical and Mechanical Engineering), I often deal with imposter syndrome to the point that I start questioning my worth. “Do I deserve to be here?” “Will I be able to fit in?” “What if I can’t do this and I’m just being delusional?!” Whenever I’m at my lowest, I remember the sacrifices my mom made to make sure I was able to reach beyond the stars. Hard work is a general culture in many Hispanic/Latino communities in the United States. My mother, a single parent, raised me alongside my aunts, uncles, and cousins who were in support of her. Similar to many other Hispanic kids in the United States. My mother worked in the fields for a period of time; a period in which my mom had very limited time to spend with me. She would drop me off with my aunt very early in the morning and would pick me up when she was off of work. To be able to afford school materials, education, food and home, my time with my own mother had to be sacrificed. Challenges are also to be expected, Hispanic households have a distinct way to challenge their daughters; questioning their abilities and potential at any given chance. Besides my background in low-income spaces, I also have had to deal with the sexism that has been normalized in Hispanic communities for years. Having family members doubt my potential in engineering, and classmates connecting my success to cheating allegations; I have learned that this world believes that succeeding by one’s own merit can only be done by men. While we can logically explain women’s success only by searching for a man to credit. I have come to accept that many will not see my success as my own, and that many will think I have come far because things have been handed to me for being a girl. However, I do not allow these perceptions of society towards the success of women take away my pride, it doesn’t take away the hours I spent studying, reviewing, and going beyond expectations. Thanks to the sexist views of my people, I have learned to be my number one fan. Through the struggles, whether these be economic, social, or academic, I have a huge support force that has accompanied me for years: My faith. Like most Hispanic/Latino kids, I grew up in the Catholic faith, which has been my number one support throughout my academic journey. The closer I became to God with prayers, hours of bible reading, and devoting my time to worshiping him, the better I did in my classes, and the more opportunities came knocking at my door. Whenever I am having a tough time, I can always take a break and use my time to communicate with God, and while doing so, I feel as if my inner battery regains power; I get recharged and inspired to carry on with my assignment or study time. Culture is the philosophy of a community, the way they go about their lives. The culture surrounding Hispanics teaches you hard work but also challenges you to become tough and thick-skinned. This is why many of us, First-Generation students, are so hungry for success, we have often been starved of it, that we do anything and everything to obtain it.