We've always been asked as kids, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and I would always choose the best-sounding one. A "doctor," or a "pilot," but in reality, I never had a passion for anything. It was toward the sophomore year of high school, and things were dwindling, so I decided to think that I would go to trade school. As a kid, I loved building things, whether that be a new table my mom purchased, a new cabinet set, a drawer for storage space, or even simple ol' Legos. I realized building, innovating, thinking through challenges, and following the right instructions would help attribute to my success in what I did. As I'm a senior in high school, I came to the most profound idea I have ever come across and the thing I was most eager about to pursue, the trade school route. I loved working with my hands, I loved looking back at a project and feeling accomplished at what I created, and I love the idea of learning how to build something that could most certainly impact my community. To add on, throughout my high school years, I had a love for physical activities as I grew closer to my friends. Playing sports, going to the gym, going out for a long run, or just bringing the groceries back into the house made me understand more of myself. With my interest in electrical work, I grasped the idea that not only did I love the physical aspect of the job, but I would impact my community due to the fact that I would help the people around me. As I pursue trade school, I'm eagerly motivated to learn and connect with many people throughout the years. Whether that be connecting with teachers, coworkers, or customers, it would greatly satisfy me just by being there to help. Helping someone in need feels like a moment in life that never fades away. The feeling of someone needing you, and you're right there to support them, is ethereal to me. As a senior now in high school, my objectives are clear: work my way up the trades with my work and classroom hours, so I officially become a licensed electrician. One day, I even stepped it up, becoming a master electrician and furthering my experience. During difficult times, the human mind works in wondrous ways to try to overcome these obstacles. For me, it was my anxiety during middle school, the most confusing and intense times of my life. Going through the motions of puberty, and just learning more about who I really am outside of being a kid. A kid who loves being active with running or basketball, in a place of other kids who can be a lot to handle mentally, with growing up. My anxiety would lead me to spiral into overthinking and obsessing over how people thought about me. It wasn't until near the end of middle school that I embraced my anxiety by letting people get closer to me. My new friends in 8th grade helped me express my emotions and who I really am inside, a playful personality, but at first glance, people would see me as quiet or shy. With a supportive community like my closest friends, it could lead not just me, but others like me, to realize that all it takes is to let all the love and reassurance find a way into your heart.

We've always been asked as kids, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and I would always choose the best-sounding one. A "doctor," or a "pilot," but in reality, I never had a passion for anything. It was toward the sophomore year of high school, and things were dwindling, so I decided to think that I would go to trade school. As a kid, I loved building things, whether that be a new table my mom purchased, a new cabinet set, a drawer for storage space, or even simple ol' Legos. I realized building, innovating, thinking through challenges, and following the right instructions would help attribute to my success in what I did. As I'm a senior in high school, I came to the most profound idea I have ever come across and the thing I was most eager about to pursue, the trade school route. I loved working with my hands, I loved looking back at a project and feeling accomplished at what I created, and I love the idea of learning how to build something that could most certainly impact my community. To add on, throughout my high school years, I had a love for physical activities as I grew closer to my friends. Playing sports, going to the gym, going out for a long run, or just bringing the groceries back into the house made me understand more of myself. With my interest in electrical work, I grasped the idea that not only did I love the physical aspect of the job, but I would impact my community due to the fact that I would help the people around me. As I pursue trade school, I'm eagerly motivated to learn and connect with many people throughout the years. Whether that be connecting with teachers, coworkers, or customers, it would greatly satisfy me just by being there to help. The feeling of helping someone in need, I feel as if it's a moment in life that never fades away. The feeling of someone needing you, and you're right there to support them, is ethereal to me. As a senior now in high school, my objectives are clear: work my way up the trades with my work and classroom hours, so I officially become a licensed electrician. One day, I even stepped it up, becoming a master electrician. As trade school comes with a price, it saddens me when my parents look at a huge price number and wonder how they would pay it. I've come from a lower-income family, but it never allowed my parents to be lazy. Life is expensive, and it motivates me to work hard in my career, just like my parents, who work endless hours to put food on the table, clothes on my back, and the resources I need to succeed. With my career in the trades, I promise to never let them down, just like how they've never let me down.

We've always been asked as kids, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and I would always choose the best-sounding one. A "doctor," or a "pilot," but in reality, I never had a passion for anything. It was toward the end of my sophomore year of high school, and things were dwindling, so I decided I would go to trade school. As a kid, I loved building things, whether that be a new table my mom purchased, a new cabinet set, a drawer for storage space, or even simple ol' Legos. I realized that building, innovating, thinking through challenges, and following the right instructions contributed to my success. As I'm a senior in high school, I came to the most profound idea I have ever come across and the thing I was most eager about to pursue, the trade school route. I loved working with my hands, I loved looking back at a project and feeling accomplished at what I created, and I loved the idea of learning how to build something that could most certainly make an impact on my community. Throughout my high school years, I had a love for physical activities as I grew closer to my friends. Playing sports, going to the gym, going out for a long run, or just bringing the groceries back into the house made me understand more of myself. With my interest in electrical work, I grasped the idea that not only did I love the physical aspect of the job, but I would impact my community due to the fact that I would help the people around me. As I pursue trade school, I'm eagerly motivated to learn and connect with many people throughout the years. Whether that be connecting with teachers, coworkers, or customers, it would greatly satisfy me just by being there to help. The feeling of helping someone in need, I feel as if it's a moment in life that never fades away. The feeling of someone needing you, and you're right there to support them, is ethereal to me. As a senior now in high school, my objectives are clear: work my way up the trades with my work and classroom hours, so I officially become a licensed electrician. One day, I could help my parents with all the help they’ve given me. I could never make my parents' sacrifices go to waste, and so, pursuing my passion in the trades, I knew there was no way I could fail them.

During my time trying to find out who I am and who I wanted to be, my Vietnamese heritage brought a broader light to my character. Coming from two Vietnamese immigrant parents, ariving to America for the endless opportunities, it made me realize the values I had to take on. Seeing my parents come home from work, after 12+ hour shifts, with my grandma living with us to take care of us while they were gone, made me appreciative of their work ethic. Learning from my parents, I knew I had to make them proud to make their hard work pay off. My values of determination, persistence, challenges, and optimism all made me who I truly am today. My mother always taught me that the results you receive will reflect the work you put in. My parents came here from Vietnam for me to seek opportunities they never got, which is why I take it to heart to put in the most amount of effort a human could possibly put in. I always knew hard work and dedication would play a large role in being successful in life. My aspirations in life stem from my parent's perservence in work, influencing the way I see things aswell. If my gratitude and appreciation for my parents could be weighed, it would break the scale. Within the Vietnamese community, the love, joy, and cheerfulness that the Vietnamese people have for each other shaped how I viewed life. That even during all the rough times, Vietnamese people face, they still try their best to put on a smile. Appreciating life even during the darkest of times helped me come to a realization in my childhood that persistence is key to success. Looking back, my child-self never fully grasped how much my parents put in the time and labor to see me just crack a simple smile. I see my parents come home at night after their long shifts, and I just see how much time and effort they put into giving me the best life I could have. My Vietnamese heritage helped me find more about myself, and to not waste my parents' sacrifices. If my parents worked hard, I knew I could work even harder in my academics. So in this case, I had to learn from my parents not to let their sacrifices go to waste, and to pursue my journey throughout all the hardships life throws at me.

We've always been asked as kids, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and I would always choose the best-sounding one. A "doctor," or a "pilot," but in reality, I never had a passion for anything. As a kid, I loved building things, whether that be a new table my mom purchased, a new cabinet set, a drawer for storage space, or even simple ol' Legos. I realized that building, innovating, thinking through challenges, and following the right instructions contributed to my success. As I'm a senior in high school, I came across the idea to pursue the trade school route when a friend talked about going, specifically the electrical path. I loved working with my hands, I loved looking back at a project and feeling accomplished at what I created, and I loved the idea of learning how to build something that could most certainly make an impact on my community. My interests in electrical systems and electricity in general, it made me more motivated than ever. Trade school comes with a price, and with living in a lower-income household all my life, it motivated me to work as hard as I can to reach my dreams to make my family proud. With my passion for the trades, I would hope to inspire other trade students with the ideas of honest work, persistence, and determination. That in life, things won't be handed to you, and the results you get will reflect the work you put in.

We've always been asked as kids, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and I would always choose the best-sounding one. A "doctor," or a "pilot," but in reality, I never had a passion for anything. It was toward the sophomore year of high school, and things were dwindling, so I decided to think that I would go to trade school. As a kid, I loved building things, whether that be a new table my mom purchased, a new cabinet set, a drawer for storage space, or even simple ol' Legos. I realized building, innovating, thinking through challenges, and following the right instructions would help attribute to my success in what I did. As I'm a senior in high school, I came to the most profound idea I ever come across and the thing I was most eager about to pursue, the trade school route. I loved working with my hands, I loved looking back at a project and feeling accomplished at what I created, and I love the idea of learning how to build something that could most certainly impact my community. To add on, throughout my high school years, I had a love for physical activities as I grew closer to my friends. Playing sports, going to the gym, going out for a long run, or just bringing the groceries back into the house made me understand more of myself. With my interest in electrical work, I grasped the idea that not only did I love the physical aspect of the job, but I would impact my community due to the fact that I would help the people around me. As I pursue trade school, I'm eagerly motivated to learn and connect with many people throughout the years. Whether that be connecting with teachers, coworkers, or customers, it would greatly satisfy me just by being there to help. The feeling of helping someone in need, I feel as if it's a moment in life that never fades away. The feeling of someone needing you, and you're right there to support them, is ethereal to me. As a senior now in high school, my objectives are clear: work my way up the trades with my work and classroom hours, so I officially become a licensed electrician. One day, even stepped it up, becoming a master electrician. As trade school comes with a price, it saddens me when my parents look at a huge price number and wonder how they would pay it. I've come from a lower-income family, but it never allowed my parents to be lazy. Life is expensive, and it motivates me to work hard in my career, just like my parents, who work endless hours to put food on the table, clothes on my back, and the resources I need to succeed. With my career in the trades, I promise to never let them down, just like how they've never let me down.