Throughout my life as a first-generation student from a low-income family, I’ve learned that financial education is really a lesson in sacrifice. From a young age, I saw that my family wasn’t wealthy, but they knew how to save money so that they could buy things that were more costly. Mainly, I learn from my mother, who has given up many comforts and luxuries for what the household needs. Now that I have grown up to the point where I need to think about my future and how I will afford college . Is the college I’m going to worth the investment? How much of a load will I cause her because of where I go, for four years, if not more? That's what I will need: direct support from my family. I have realized that she has sacrificed spending money on her wants for years to attend to our needs. While I respect that level of dedication and will never understand that level of sacrifice ,I also wouldn't want to sustain that state of finance. That is why I would like to have more stability while in and after university. Having this mindset is what makes me prioritize and plan for the future financially. Especially, as I’m entering university, it’s a whole new world. I didn’t have a typical job in high school; I worked with my family when I didn't have school, but I did learn to save those small amounts my family paid me. That habit of saving stuck with me and became my first taste of financial responsibility. Once I had entered high school, I knew that I had a lack of knowledge, which I wanted to fill. I knew that I wanted to take some classes in personal finance. With that little bit of financial education under my belt, I feel like I'm not going in completely blind , stepping into college. It’s definitely nerve-wracking having to figure out how to cover tuition while starting so late, especially since my financial aid and the university didn’t cover all of the tuition and housing. It's going to be different being away from home for so long. I hope that in the end, it all will work out. Many adults have me so that my work will be paid . With my family’s support and what I’ve learned, I feel like I can handle it without feeling collapsing under the load. Plus, now I know that scholarships are out there year-round, so I’m more ready to jump on those opportunities all year.

In my freshman year of high school, I, like many, was an awkward and shy teen who didn’t know who I was, nor how to talk to other people. I didn’t have any friends coming into high school and had no clear idea of what I wanted to pursue in the future. I didn’t want to think about something that seemed so far away, but I also didn’t want to close any doors when choosing a future career. I tried to do my best in all subjects, but I didn’t have a social life either in or outside of school. I had completely dedicated myself to my studies, and my grades had never been better. But I wasn’t living—I was just going through the motions of school, small talk, and homework. In my free time, I read, and what I envied in those stories were the human connections—the ability to trust someone enough to rely on them in your weakest moments. But for my freshman year, that was just a fantasy. In my sophomore year, I expected things to stay the same, but in one class we had to do a group project. Since I didn’t know anyone, I waited to find a group until Tom and Star asked me to join theirs. I was relieved because it meant I wouldn’t have to awkwardly search for a group. The first time working together, we introduced ourselves and divided the work. We worked well together and successfully presented our project. As we continued working together, we became closer. We started saying good morning, sitting together, and joking during class. I began to look forward to that class every day because I finally had friends again. After about a month, school announcements mentioned archery tryouts, something I had been interested in since elementary school. I told them I wanted to try out, and that’s when I learned Star had been on the team before and was excited for me to join. I was glad to already know someone on the team and to have another way to spend time together. When tryouts came, I felt excited but nervous. I had never tried out for a school team, and there were many unfamiliar faces. I sat quietly until it was time to shoot. I didn’t remember the correct form and needed help from another team member. Later, I realized the team was small enough that everyone who tried out made it. Being on the team and going to tournaments helped me build friendships with my teammates. I found pride in my achievements, and every time I did well, my teammates supported me, just as I supported them. Every success felt shared, and every failure felt supported. These experiences changed me. Once I graduate, I will value these relationships for the rest of my life because they helped shape who I am today. They taught me how to build connections, support others, and take the first step in forming relationships—something I once struggled to do.

When I was in my junior year on the archery team, we were able to go to the Open Nationals. Because of our effort as a team, we qualified to go to the World Series, the highest competitive level for NASP archery. I was surprised and ecstatic when I found this out, but we didn't go to the World Series because the coaches themselves didn't know, and there was little to no time to raise the funds for transportation. That's when I realized that I wanted to dedicate the next few decades to something I love doing. The joy I felt when we qualified, and the realization that money was the reason we couldn't go, was devastating. I was tired of money deciding many aspects of my life. I didn’t want a degree that would only lead to a job I didn’t enjoy. Throughout my junior and senior years, I kept hearing that I needed to choose a career at 17 that could shape the next four decades of my life. The thought that kept returning was that I didn’t want just a job. That's when people would say to choose something you enjoy doing. So I decided I wouldn't get a job; I would make a career out of what I already enjoyed, so that I would never work a day in my life. And that was when I began turning my ideas into reality. This was near the end of my junior year. After I figured this out, I needed a way to make a career out of that. I knew of freelancers, but I wanted to have a little bit more financial security. I also wanted to know somebody who could guide me on what path they took to get there, and the first person who really inspired me to enjoy art was my art teacher. Once I heard her journey, I was more sure than before that I wanted to become an art teacher. What I love about art is that anyone can create. Everyone is an artist, but many people believe creativity is something you are born with or that it’s too late to start. It never is. But I would attack the problem at the beginning. ​ That's why I plan to make a difference as an art educator is to be able to have the younger generations not let their creativity be snuffed out by the waves that life brings upon them. When they get into my class and have downtime from their other classes to be able to relax, but are not unmotivated to do work for my class. I want every single student to come out of my class doing something creative and enjoying the medium. For my students to have joy and pride that they thought of an idea and were able to manifest the theoretical into the physical. To have an empty space and to fill it with something. That could be a white wall of a hole they have in themselves. When I feel overwhelmed by life, I return to creating. Something as simple as a sheet of paper and a pencil allows me to draw, process, and decompress.There would be no greater joy than to pass that passion to the next generation. To help them feel the same joy I feel when I create, and maybe that will be my greatest creation.