I was introduced to law at the age of 12 when my mother and I were discussing possible career choices for me. She went over all the fields she could remember and law seemed to stand out to me. I relished the thought of being able to come up with strong rational arguments that were capable of convincing a good number of people. I especially longed for the feeling of accomplishment in winning a case. However, these two reasons weren't the only reasons. I believe that every person has the right to be who they are and that it's important to respect another person's opinions/judgment. I adopted this belief through a book I read during my Junior year of high school by an author named Don Miguel Ruiz, a spiritual writer. In the other books I read by the same author, I learned that embracing your true self and obtaining a sense of self-authenticity played a key role in being happy in life. With this, I made a commitment to this belief and have since shown greater devotion to myself. I no longer hide away from other people because I'm afraid of what they'll think of me and for a long time I believed that not being accepted by someone for being who you are was an ultimate form of emotional pain that I had to avoid. With time, I stopped caring so much about the thoughts and opinions of others because in the end, I can get away from those people but I can't escape myself. My own company matters the most and when I finally realized the truth in this, I felt happier by being myself. I now live by the slogan "I like what I like and I am who I am". In returning to the first belief I mentioned, every person has the right to make their own decisions and I liked that my job would help support that person in whatever decision they make. In other words, I liked that my career was a way that I could make an impact on other people's lives through the support I provide. Although there will be many people that I may not agree with, this is where the importance of respecting another person's judgment comes into play. I had been taught from a young age that respect for other people and ourselves is unbelievably important. It is how we maintain healthy friendships and relationships with other people.

I'm sure millions of other human beings can relate when I say that I live a stressful life. I'm a senior in high school and my responsibilities include maintaining good grades, applying to scholarships, applying to colleges, doing chores, and more. Integrating each of these responsibilities into my daily life can be a handful, but fortunately for me, I have learned to manage stress in a healthy manner and have found that it really isn't that difficult to incorporate self-care into the mix. Each day, I make sure to do something I love to do which can include singing, drawing or coloring, watching Youtube, journaling, reading, or simply taking some time to reflect. On a school day, I attend my classes, do homework, do chores, and take some time for myself. Getting into the habit of this has made each day more enjoyable overall and has increased my satisfaction with life. For all those who insist that they don't have the time to do the things they love on a daily basis, I've found that it's always possible and even a couple of minutes of doing something fun can make your day all the better.

I would like to share a quote I heard not too long ago by someone named Anais Nin who said, “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by meeting that a new world is born”. The way I interpret this is that establishing friendships can significantly widen our horizons and contribute to our well-roundedness in the future. I certainly believe this is true based on my own experience. I've been best friends with someone named Sophia for over 5 years and have learned many things from her that proved helpful in the future. Similarly, I've learned things from my other friendships with people and firmly believe that spending time with them overall has contributed to my arsenal of wisdom.

Happiness, like many other aspects of life, is a choice. Those who have achieved happiness have chosen a perspective on the world/their own lives that makes way for optimism. Meanwhile, those on the other side of the spectrum are unhappy because they have not chosen change. Without this change, there can be no progress and therefore no optimism. A life without positivity is a dark, hopeless place based on my experience. For the bulk of my existence, life was filled with stress and distress. I was a fun person to be around, but during my own time, I would break down from all the things that were worrying me. I didn't always love myself and prioritize self-care, but when I finally began to I found that all that time I had been living and not LIVING. Now you may be imagining, what in the world does this girl do to "LIVE"? Nothing too special, I fulfill my academic and home responsibilities the same way I used to except now I wear a smile. I smile because I'm happy with life. The world is a beautiful place and yes, there is still a great deal of bad in the world, but I have chosen not to think that way. Instead, I have decided to believe that there are many opportunities to learn out there and they will only make a wiser person. In other words, I have chosen a positive outlook and have obtained happiness through this. Those who choose this same outlook will also live the long, healthy life that I foresee for myself.

From a young age, my mother always made it a ritual to educate me on the importance of maintaining independence, specifically financial independence. She asserted that achieving financial independence for oneself would allow a person to remain independent in all other aspects. In dealing with the stress that comes with finances, a person would eventually learn to manage and care for their own mental health. When that care is present and is made a priority, the need for love is also satisfied through oneself. In other words, true love comes from the inside. Depending on the level of financial dependence, one would also be able to care for their other needs like safety through a home, water, food, and clothing. I contemplated her theory over the years and have increasingly begun to see the truth in her words. In achieving financial independence, I can care for all aspects of my being and even go beyond that by helping other people. Today, it remains a goal to obtain financial independence in the near future.

At a specific moment in time, my step-father told me, "Life really isn't all that hard, just do what you're supposed to and make the right decisions". His advice on life was simple and may even seem bland to some, but it was actually incredibly inspirational for me. I was determined to test his theory and in conducting the experiment, I began to discover promising results. No longer did I contemplate taking a trip to the restroom to escape a boring lecture or run in the halls because no teachers were around to see. I made smarter choices and integrity inevitably followed. I found myself finding satisfaction in picking up a napkin off the floor of the school hallway, picking up a fallen object off the floor, and doing small things to help other people. Who knew that such bijou acts could contribute to the common good? Only when I began to do them did I find that they held benefits for both parties. I was brought gratification and the other person was brought some assistance, the true definition of what it means to be an ally to your neighbors and peers.

School is a stressful aspect of any teenager's life and an important aspect at that. In facing this fact of reality, I fight back by making time for what I love to do every day after school and especially on weekends. I prioritize my mental health because if I don't, I'm afraid that I will return to the self-critical mindset I used to have before reading books from Don Miguel Ruiz (an author who writes highly influential spiritual novels). Since reading his novels, I've never ceased to discover more and more blessings that he gave me. They are the reason my love for myself and other people is so strong, the reason I prioritize my mental health, and the reason I take it upon myself to continue discovering myself by trying new things. Not only this, the wisdom that was shared with me is how I manage my stress. I make it a habitual task to remind myself of his teachings/certain quotes when I feel stressed or bothered by something. This is how I stay calm and happy.

As a student at my high school, I stand out as an extremely helpful person. If I'm not in class or walking with my best friends, I'm holding the door open for another student/teacher or helping the librarians. For example, just recently Ms.Guadique discovered that her small radio (last seen on one of the bookshelves) was stolen. In an effort to help her find it, I made an announcement to the student body through the morning announcement videos that I regularly participate in. Why? I do acts like this because it makes my and the other person's day better. There is a feeling of accomplishment that comes with completing an act of kindness for another person. A satisfying, relieving sensation that seems to say "Mission accomplished, you did something good here today" and the greater the acts, the greater the satisfaction. For instance, collecting a sizable amount of trash from the shores of Long Beach in celebration of California Coastal Cleanup Day, reassured me that the bag of trash I had collected was a contribution to something beautiful. It was an act of kindness towards the planet that I was able to be a part of and the reward was absolute contentment.

As a member of the National Honor Society (NHS), all students including myself are expected to provide mentoring to different grade levels at my school. The program is called Tiger Tutoring and is carried out each year when the council behind NHS sends out a google form to its members that display a list of classes/subjects and ask which ones a student would be willing to tutor. In the most recent google form, I signed up for at least two classes per subject and have found throughout the years that the subject I have been most willing to teach was English. In fact, this was the most recent subject I taught to a freshman student via Zoom in which she asked for advice on her English essay. She shared a Google Doc with me, I read it carefully, and made suggestions that I felt would make her essay stronger. I enjoyed the experience as well as the opportunity to improve other students' academic life by helping to relieve some stress. I hope to be assigned more students to tutor during this ongoing school year.

School can be a stressful aspect of many people's lives, however, I have realized that mentoring can play a huge part in reducing that stress. It is undoubtedly relieving to finally understand a problem that one has been struggling with for some time. I have felt this relief on numerous occasions when I spent some of my lunch breaks asking for a teacher's help on a certain question. When I was able to comprehend the problem and the logic behind it, I felt as if I had scratched an irritating itch. Much to my fortune, I have been able to provide this level of comfort for other students in my school through a program called Tiger Tutoring. All members of the National Honor Society (including myself) are handpicked by teachers and staff based on their academic excellence to mentor other students and perform forms of service around the school. Last year, I mentored a freshman student via Zoom and was able to help her with her English essay. Not only did it feel great to help another person, but I noticed a sense of relief in her after receiving my help. I plan to continue spreading this relief by mentoring other students when the opportunities present themselves.

With such an exciting question, it would be shameful to stay within realistic realms so I will take this as an opportunity to exercise my creativity. In my dream life, I'm the #1 lawyer in the entire world, married with two kids, own a 10ft tall golden retriever, live in a 6-bedroom mansion, and have a DB10 Astin Marton. I would have one room with my spouse, two rooms for my children, a study room, a room filled with music equipment, and an environmental adoration room for the kids (where they would be able to have a natural study space and become acquainted with many plants). However, this is only the materialistic aspect of my life and no matter what I have, I know it will never truly bring me happiness unless I find it within myself. Therefore, I would also like to be a world-renowned philanthropist that travels to two countries a year to see how I can improve the lives of other people. I would eventually come across Don Miguel Ruiz (the author of the 5 spiritual books I've read so far) and we would become friends. I would talk to him about his books and have the ability to further my understanding of his theories/concepts. As for my family, I would provide them with strong financial support so that they will be able to live their dream just as I had. I hope to make a positive change (environmentally, socially, and economically).

Growing up in a low-income household, the absence of financial stability has meant a loss of numerous opportunities. Allow me to expand...during my sophomore year of high school, I was contacted by Stanford University about their "Intensive Law and Trial Program" at their campus. Both my parents and I were extremely excited by the invitation as I had always dreamed of pursuing a career, but when we looked into the finances it would take to attend, we were faced with the disheartening reality that I wouldn't be able to go. The same organization that administers the program contacted me via phone call that same year and the year after (or my Junior year) and I felt unbelievably terrible as I politely declined the offer that I desperately wanted. Though it was an unfortunate circumstance, it didn't allow it to break my spirit and instead took it as a motivation to work harder for a better future in which I would be able to afford certain luxuries, along with the costs of philanthropy. As I'm currently undergoing my senior year, I plan to apply to numerous law schools (including those located out-of-state), majoring in Philosophy (a subject that I immediately found an interest in through my love of reflection or contemplation about life), applying to law school, obtaining my Juris Doctor degree or JD, and taking the California bar exam to become a lawyer. I'm aware that the goals I have set for myself are very ambitious and difficult to achieve, but I have tons of faith that I can do it because of what I have already achieved. I have met almost all of the academic goals I have set for myself which included a 4.0 GPA, a decent score on the SAT, and maintaining good grades throughout high school. At one point, I felt that these goals were too high and wondered whether I would be able to achieve them, but as I continued to meet the higher expectations I set for myself, I discovered a heightened sense of confidence that motivated me to continue setting tough goals for myself. Not only this, the support I have received from my family along the way has offered further motivation for me to reach towards the sky and try my best at everything I do in life as it will eventually pay off in the long run/the future that waits ahead for me.

Like many others, I have experienced a multitude of bad days in my lifetime. However, from unfortunate coincidences happening all at once on a specific day or an occurrence that flipped my mood upside down, I noticed that certain simple things made those days at least slightly better, acts of kindness. Although it would seem that a little help from others on a bad day would have no effect, such acts actually went a long way. They give a person something to reflect upon and appreciate among the pool of negative instances they experienced, which can mean a lot to a person who has had only bad things happen to them that day. Knowing this, I have always tried my best to do what I can for other people whether that be by maintaining my manners (holding the door open for somebody) or participating in service opportunities as I've learned that service, in general, is an important aspect of human existence that adds a positive twist to life on Earth.

For the great majority of my life, I found it difficult to accept myself and strived towards being what other people wanted me to be instead of being my authentic self. Only when I began reading books by an author named Don Miguel Ruiz did my habit of self-neglect begin to change. I was introduced to new ideas and philosophies that I chose to adopt because of how much they amazed me with the beautiful picture they painted of life. Eventually, I adopted the mindset of the author and began to see this picture as an awakened reality that inspired me to change. I didn't want to continue suppressing my emotions and inner desires. With this, I found a self-love that made life so much easier for me to handle. Stress became less overwhelming as I looked to myself as a source of motivation, I finally achieved the sense of style I've wanted for a long time (voluminous curls, a cute T-shirt, ripped jeans, and colorful bracelets), and I became more in tune with my needs and emotions. This love is what I value most in myself as it has brought me an unimaginable amount of happiness and without a doubt, it was/is the best discovery I have ever come across. I admire not only the benefits it has brought me, but the positive effects it has had on my relationships. It's a lot easier to make friends now that I am more accepting of myself/others and meeting new people has made my life all the better. I personally know lots of people around my school community and I enjoy having the ability to look to those friends for individual things. For example, I know I can look to my friend Jasmine for coming up with decorations for a club poster I need to do and I can look to Noemi if I ever need her help leading Music Ministry Club in song during liturgies because of her admirable confidence. In other words, knowing a vast array of people can have its perks as so many different people have their own distinct specializations. I remain confident that my ability to connect with so many people will benefit me in the long run as I pursue a career in law that centers around people. It is a light that illuminates my life and will glow undying from today until the end of my days on Earth as there are so many people on Earth to meet and connect with.

During my Junior year of high school, I found self-acceptance and self-love in reading a total of five spiritual books by an author named Don Miguel Ruiz. In achieving the level of happiness I extracted from his novels, my biggest goal became continuing to work on myself to become an even better person and the future that I see due to this positive mindset is what makes me most excited about life on Earth. I plan to continue volunteering at organizations, joining clubs/groups that advocate for better human conditions, and performing acts of kindness as I got about my daily life. I have hope that all of the kindness I will be investing into the world will offer something great in return, whether that be happiness or a chance to meet new people/form new relationships. I know that making good decisions and helping other people will inevitably yield favorable results.

Currently, I am undergoing my final year of high school at a private, all-girls institute called Ramona Convent Secondary School where I plan to apply to a wide multitude of law schools around the world with the help of my college counselor Mr.Chavarria. My top choice for college is Vanderbilt University (ranked #16 in the best law schools in the United States) in Nashville, Tennessee. I find myself attracted to the general area of Tennessee and the competitiveness of the university. The state itself is a beautiful array of oaks and maples that provide a change of scenery that I often don't get to see in California. I also love the fact that it snows in that state and I will be able to experience seasonally snowfall instead of being stuck between two worlds (sun and rain). On a separate note, I would like to acquire a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy. For a significant period of time, I was unsure of what I would major in until I decided to do some research. I searched all of the possible majors I could pursue from science to mathematics to English and discovered this certain branch of humanities. I am a person who enjoys reflecting and taking the time to ponder my existence, making philosophy a great major for me. I would be able to learn about numerous theories of existence from many famous philosophers around the world. The possibilities and the knowledge I will come by excites me. As a person of color in a low-income family, I understand and accept that my path to college will be more difficult than it would be for a lot of other people. I will have to apply for lots of scholarships, apply for tuition assistance, and possibly obtain a job during college in order to stay financially afloat. Despite this disheartening reality, I have remained confident that I will be able to attend college and receive a fulfilling education in law that will inevitably support my dream of becoming a successful lawyer. In striving to fulfill this career path, I know that I will enjoy developing arguments, supporting other people, and meeting different kinds of people. The last aspect, however, strikes my interest the most. I happen to get along with many types of people and receiving the opportunity to come into contact with different people in the future is something I look forward to as I know that the more people I meet, the more wisdom I will to obtain. With wisdom, comes great power and responsibility that I am willing to accept.

A couple of days ago, I went over to one of my best friends' house to work on a project together. We planned to make a trifold board of the information about a club that we would be representing at the school club fair. Before we even began planning what would be on the board, I noticed a pile of drawings on a box near the wall. I asked her if I could take a look and squealed in excitement when granted permission. Her art was so beautiful and all the colors made it all the more admirable. My favorite drawing was a close-up of a blossom painted blue, pink, and purple (all of my favorite colors). An estimated 3/4 of the flower was depicted and the pedals were pink while the background was a deep, rich purple. Though I wasn't sure what angle to look at the painting at first, I was instantly drawn to its vibrancy.

About 6 months ago, I became exceedingly curious about obtaining my own credit card. In one whole sitting, I talked with my step-father and learned about all the things I needed to know about credit. I learned that one of the major ways to build credit was to obtain a credit card (which I was only able to acquire at the age of 18) and pay off the amount owed each month. If I failed to do so, I would have to pay an interest rate that would increase with each month until finally paid in full. The thought of missing a deadline and having to pay extra money for it made me anxious, but I was assured that as long as I remained levelheaded when it came to my finances, I had nothing to worry about. I was glad to have learned all of this information at an early age instead of having to figure it out on my own in the near future. In addition to this, I saw the value in the lesson and how far being responsible with my financial decisions would take me in life. I truly believe that it is an important lesson that all children should know by the age of 16 years.

Recently, I learned that a plastic-eating bacteria exists that helps to break down plastic by eating away at the chemical bonds in the polymers that make up its chemical composition. The bacteria is called Ideonella sakaiensis and was discovered in March 2016 by a group of scientists in Japan who sampled some dirt from a recycling facility. Although it only eats a certain type of plastic (commonly found in bottles, carpets, and clothes), it remains highly comforting to know that the world is working to create the puzzle pieces to a cleaner, healthier planet. Not only this, I have faith that further testing and data will show that it has helped make a huge difference in the amount of plastic left on the planet. Yes, there are years worth of plastic to be decomposed, but this form of bacteria can play a significant role in reducing the issue. On a final note, any improvement is still an improvement and it helps the planet/humanity one way or another.

A couple of months ago, I was introduced to a quote by a friend that said "Never put off today what can be done tomorrow". Although the author was not named, I really loved its message and the motivation it radiated. I made sure to put it on a post-it next to my calendar and I felt a lot more inspired than I previously had. There were numerous occasions in which I lost the energy to keep completing school-related tasks and the quote called out to me. I would look at the square, turquoise reminder on the corner of my calendar and read it in my head, allowing its words to rewire my present mindset. Then, a deep breath in and out would be enough to push me into action. The quote proved especially useful during the Covid pandemic when the majority of schools shifted to online learning. I often found myself sleepy from sitting at my desk all day, but those words were a key reason I finished more than just my homework on school days. I was able to take more notes, study for the SAT, and complete my chores instead of pushing them over until the next day.

I have grown up with a single mother of two for over 17 years, which has proven itself to be a challenging circumstance time and time again. My mother worked a lot for the majority of my childhood, making transportation a shaky aspect of my life. As a result, I was expected to ride my bike to school every day during my 7th and 8th-grade years of middle school. It was an hour and 40-minute long ride that included steep hills and the unsympathetic heat of the seasons. However, there were also days when it rained and I was unable to get driven or picked up from school. In fact, I remember a particular day that I rode my bike from school. It was a rainy day and although I originally didn't have an umbrella or a sweater, a classmate allowed me to borrow their sweater until the next day. More than halfway through the ride, I was already soaked when a bus passed by the curb and splashed a huge storm of water onto me. However, my reaction was quite unexpected. I didn't get sad or upset, instead, I laughed. I loved the rain and getting soaked by the bus brought me comfort in knowing that I now had a funny story to tell other people. It was more of an 'oh boy, wait till they hear this one' rather than a 'why can't anything just go my way for once' kind of moment. This story remains a positive, exciting one until this very day. Much to my liking, my mother changed jobs and was finally able to take me to school. Not only that, we passed through the Starbucks drive-thru almost every day and I was able to grab a delicious breakfast. The difference between the levels of comfort I felt when riding my bike and receiving a ride to school was most definitely a learning experience for me. There had been many days in riding my bike that I had longed for someone to ask if I needed a ride, but that was hardly ever the case. Therefore, I learned that helping other people is important as they might be going through something unfortunate and your help could really go a long way. In addition to this, I began reminding myself to not take anything for granted and to always be ready for a sudden change in circumstance as certain comforts can be taken away. Appreciate the blessings you have been granted.

For decades upon decades the United States education system has prioritized the education of privileged individuals while minorities have often been left in the dark. Thousands of dollars are invested in pricey, private schools that are capable of affording affluent teachers/professors while many public schools are left to ration the money given to them by the government. There is indeed inequity in the value of education between students belonging to the rich and those belonging to the poor. However, such a difference in prioritization can be detrimental to the future of those who cannot afford a better education. Minorities attend incompetent public schools, go to college, and discover the need to study extra hard, ruining their mental and emotional health in the process. It is undoubtedly wrong that those born into their humble backgrounds have to work so much harder to receive a good education. With this, educational inequity is something that needs to be combated by all those involved with the education system. Some solutions may include better government funding of public schools, donations from private schools, and donating to organizations fighting against the issue. With further funding, school boards will be able to hire better teachers and better textbooks for students to use.

In my world, generosity means two things: love and hospitality. In order to express generosity, love needs to be present. Without love, generosity is forced which completely takes away the idea of being generous. A person needs to feel love in their heart to be a generous person and be able to properly express it. For instance, if a small girl gives a homeless man her last slice of pizza, she is doing it out of her own will and natural love that children possess, but if her mother tells her to give the man her pizza, then she does it because she was told to and not because she wanted to be generous, hindering her from being a generous person. On a related note, hospitality is the foundation of the word itself. Helping another person is what makes someone generous in the first place. Fortunately for those who desire a generous persona, it is quite easy to be generous. One can perform a variety of actions from sharing kind words to helping to buy groceries for another person. However, on a more personal level, generosity means my school Ramona Covent Secondary School. Students are required to complete a certain number of service hours by the end of the school year, which is an aspect of my education that I am extremely grateful for. Ramona has made me a more generous person and is how I learned that I can find happiness in helping others.

What if I told you that you could never see your favorite person again? No more regular visits and birthday gifts. No more "merry" Christmas and no more enjoyable Thanksgivings. Imagine. How long would it take you to accept it? How long would it take you to be happy again? Now imagine this being a reality. It was mine for about an hour or so. When your world is falling apart there is nothing you can do except sit there and wait for what happens next. If you're smart about it, you'll cry to release some of the emotional poison but if you're not, you'll immediately find a way to get your revenge. But why am I even bringing this up? What message do I want to send to you? Peace. It is a center within yourself that takes some time to find. It requires you to clear all the cache from your mind and think of what matters. It took me a while to find, but once found, it's a comforting paradise.  When you're crying as if your world is ending, you quickly begin to question whether you're mentally stable. Is there something wrong with me? Don't ask me that, what's wrong with you?! I need you to be on my side right now. I need you to be here for me when no one else can. Back and forth the conversations start. We talk to ourselves because we don't want to feel alone, but sometimes other voices join the conversation. Memories of the painful sentences that were said circle around in your head like a hungry flock of seagulls. Malevolent voices that developed from your painful past to remind you that you're less than you thought you were. She's right about what she said about you, you know. Think about it, you know it's true. Then all of a sudden you fall into a black pit and you don't think of an exit until you've been there long enough to thoroughly experience the trauma. But not everyone makes it out. Some people live it until they finally find the strength to leave. I left only after registering the words of the voice calling out to me. One moment I'm falling and the next I hear a person. My angel? I need you to pull yourself together. I want to, but I can't. I don't have it in me yet. I'm tired and falling is so much easier than trying. And then there's another voice...He's right. You need to collect the pieces and be strong. Imagene? I'm here for you just as much as Joe, love. Wipe your tears and let's do this. Maybe we just need to get out there and have a long talk with her. Amelia? Ok, ok I'll do it. Starting...now! Pain is temporary if you make it that way. If you choose to stay in the darkness, then you choose to live that way. I chose freedom. And what a really needed was a couple of words from myself to create action. I needed Imagene and Amelia. The voice of knowledge and my thoughts. I am not those entities, I'm something called the authentic self. The one hearing the thoughts and voices. It's a system of harmony. Imagine reminds me of the lessons Don Miguel Ruiz has taught me, Amelia gets creative with solutions, and I show them appreciation for taking care of me. A loving trinity. A peace of mind that will be my safe space for all future references. How do you cope?

My mother has been a visionary since the earliest days of my existence. Although we lived a humble lifestyle for the bulk of my childhood, she nevertheless remained optimistic about the future. She knew exactly what she wanted and spent as much time talking about her goals and she did putting action into them. Eventually, she achieved one of her major goals of owning mobile homes in Tennessee, setting a huge example for my brother and I. In living with such a remarkable woman for 17 years, I adopted her high aspirations and went about achieving some of my own. I studied hard in school and by the final year of middle school, I received a certificate honoring students with a 4.0 GPA and was named valedictorian of the 2018 graduating class. However, receiving a title of honor can make you hungrier for more and hungry I was. I wanted to receive more honors and certificates so I made sure that I always finished my homework before its due date, asked questions in class, and participated in my school community as much as possible. Yes, I found myself quite successful in the academic realm, but I eventually found myself missing something important. I invested so much into school that I lost my true identity. Only when I entered my Junior year did I begin to take my emotions seriously, love myself, and accept others. I found true happiness in expressing myself so I kept investing more time in embracing the real me and found such beauty in myself and the world around me. As of now, school has become a bit easier for me in the sense that I'm no longer as stressed as I used to be, but school fever is still a contagious disease that can eat at the human spirit until that spirit is gone. I had to learn to control the temptation of giving so much of my free time to my school work and now that I have mastered this, life is a heaven where I'm doing all the things I want to do and believe I should be doing.

My family, particularly my mother, has played a major role in my academic success. Due to our financial situation, my mother has always looked to me as a beacon of hope in the family and a way to finally achieve financial stability. Therefore, I was encouraged to get good grades and sign up for advanced classes like AP United States History and AP English Language and Composition ever since I can remember. A strong example of this is a pact between my mother and I that was made during my 6th-grade year at a private, Catholic middle school called Saint Thomas Aquinas. She told me that if I achieved a 4.0 GPA by the end of my 8th-grade year, we would travel to a place I've wanted to visit for a long time, Paris. At first, I was frightened by the thought that I might not be able to achieve my goal because I was behind the rest of my class. I had to relearn multiplication and division and my English class was unbelievably challenging. Luckily, I had patient teachers and an even more patient math teacher who stayed with me for hours after school helping me catch up. When I was finally able to reach an equal footing with my classmates, I quickly began to excel as my grades improved dramatically and my GPA grew higher and higher with each report card. By 8th grade, I finally achieved my goal and shocked the rest of my class by being the new person to receive a 4.0 GPA recognition certificate. My mother was extremely proud of me, but by the time we began to look at plane tickets to Paris, Covid came into existence and we had to postpone the trip. On the bright side, achieving my academic goals motivated me to keep reaching higher. What was once a goal to achieve a 4.0, became a goal to achieve a 5.0 and what was once a goal to get into AP European History, became a goal to get into AP American Government. However, my success or improvement in reaching these goals has inevitably inspired me to attend a competitive college and become a lawyer. Some of these colleges include the University of Chicago (ranked #4 in best law schools in the United States) and Vanderbilt University (ranked #18 in best law schools in the U.S.). My original college of choice was Harvard, but as I matured I realized that attending such a prestigious school would prove back-breaking because my family simply doesn't have the funds to afford my attendance if I got in. With this, I'm applying to as many scholarships as I can to help my mother in affording the college of my choice.