My mother's greatest hidden blessing is her being an immigrant coming from Nicaragua. She struggled in all aspects, from money, speaking English, and always feeling like she did not belong. When she got to America, every teacher made her believe that she was incapable of making a life for herself. Her senior year was the toughest yet until one teacher believed in her. She had never felt this support before, which led her to graduate high school and pursue a higher education. With this experience, my mother taught me how to support all people, primarily through their times of struggle. She has devoted her life to introducing me to make change through the personal experiences I have. My mother is the epitome of what I thrive to be like as I am becoming an adult. I was born and raised in San Francisco, California, which played a big part in how appreciative I am for what I have. I did not grow up having everything I wanted, but what I needed. My mother taught me to value what I have because others are not as blessed as I am. Throughout my life, she made sure that I shared my blessings with those who had less than what I did. She always made sure to connect me with where I came from, which is why I decided to volunteer at St. Anthony's in San Francisco. St. Anthony's is a nonprofit organization that works to provide for the lower-income community who seek help regardless of personal circumstances. This organization offers food, clothing, and support for all individuals. When I volunteer, I usually serve the individuals there, which allows me to hear stories and meet new people who came from different backgrounds although we lived in the same community. Every year I look forward to volunteering at this organization because not only am I helping others, but they teach me lessons about life and how I should cherish every moment and blessing I have. The interactions I have at St. Anthony Combined with how my mother has raised me formulated my outlook on my life. After becoming a part of the St. Anthony's community, I feel as though I would not be who I am today without my experiences. Not only does it inspire me to reconnect with my roots, but I am able to be a service dealing with hardships. This allows me to comprehend my surroundings and be thankful for what I have in my everyday life instead of what I lack. Of all the information I have learned from my mother, I have decided that after I complete my four years of college, I plan on going to Physician Assistant school to pursue a career as a Neonatal Physician Assistant. I want to add to the 5.8% of Latinos in this field, and I believe that in the future, this percentage can increase despite the challenges we face every day.

"What are you" is a question that I was and continue to be constantly asked because I go to a predominantly white high school. Growing up, I was frequently confused about why my life was so different from those of my classmates. I have always had a hard time studying various math topics but never had the help I needed, but my classmates explained that I should get a "tutor"; this word was foreign to me at such a young age. I remember asking my mother for a tutor to help me with my challenges, but she explained that a tutor would not be available to me due to our financial situation. As I became older and understood the differences between my life and my peers, I felt as though I could never be as bright or even prosperous because I did not have the same opportunities as my classmates. My first year of high school was the hardest, and by the end of the year, I had a realization that no one was going to help me pursue the life or career I want, so I must do everything in my power to succeed in my own. My mother was born and raised in Nicaragua with the rest of my elders within my family. She is the first and only individual in my family who attended and graduated college. She had several academic barriers, including her difficulty understanding the English language, which is why she understood my challenges first hand. Due to my father not being around, my mother has and always will be my greatest supporter in my life and has guided me to where I am today. She is where I get my strength, courage, and work ethic from. I spent hours studying, memorizing, research, and trying to comprehend each and every single topic I was "taught" in school. I took 8 classes, joined and created clubs, became involved in several volunteering organizations, tried a new sport, applied for honor societies, memberships, and board, and ran for Vice President at my school; just to feel as though I was capable of anything After years of working hard and trying to understand what I want to do, I have decided that after I complete my four years, I plan on going to Physician Assistant school to pursue a career as a Neonatal Physician Assistant. I want to add to the 5.8% of Latinos in this field, and I believe that in the future, this percentage can increase despite the challenges we face every day.

After many years of struggling with mental health and body image, a quote that I have learned to accept is "Mental health is not a destination, but a process. It's about how you drive, not where you're going". Growing up in a Latino family, I never realized how important mental health is and its effects on people who never seek help. In my culture, going to therapy or seeking medical help is only for "locos," meaning crazy people in English. They see it as a sign of weakness, and if we seek help, we are encouraged to tell no one because it could be used against us. With this mentality, I could never come to terms with my body image and ask for help. From Freshman year up to the beginning of junior year, I lacked confidence and felt that instead of competing with others, I was competing with myself. This led me to doubt and question myself in and out of school. My lack of confidence and courage in the classroom carried out in my everyday life. I felt uncomfortable and fearful of talking to my community about how I felt because I did not want it to define me as a person. It was the first week of October 2019, when Kairos arrived. Kairos is a weeklong spiritual retreat offered at my school so I signed up. During this retreat, I opened up to new and old faces. I shared my story about how I felt, struggling with self-worth. It felt as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I could finally breathe again. The hardest part was opening up and letting out all of my suppressed emotions. After my talk, my peers began to tell me their stories and how I influenced them to speak out about what they were experiencing. This was when a light sparked within me, realizing I matter. When I got back home, I realized I need to open up to my family. I was always so ashamed of how I looked and treated my body. I hardly ever gave myself food, and no matter how little I would eat, I still believed I was unhealthily large. I was never aware of how I looked. On some days, I loved what I saw in the mirror, while on others, I completely dreaded getting out of bed because I felt heavier. My family never noticed these tendencies because they were so busy with their responsibilities, or they could not imagine their beloved "Andreita" dealing with this. I would receive comments about my appearance like, "Keep doing what you are doing," or "You look so thin! Great for you," but little did they know how this was feeding into my disorder. The stigma of mental health still impacts me today, and I can only continue to work on opening my Latino family's minds about mental health, and that seeking help is not for the weak but for those who are strong enough to speak about their struggles. Because of my experience, I dream of becoming a psychiatrist to help those who feel that they would be rejected because they were struggling with mental health. Being bilingual, fluently speaking both Spanish and English, will help me connect with my background and stop this stigma regarding mental health. I want all people, especially my Latino background, to feel comfortable and confident to seek help. I plan on breaking this barrier and continuing to help those who may have similar experiences to mine. Majoring in psychology will only be the first step to furthering my knowledge of and fully understanding the mind.