I feel that financial education is one of the most important things to be educated on, but very few people get educated on the subject. In fact, out of the very few people who do get educated on finances, most of them are in college and majoring in a business class that has to do with finance. I believe that this lack of knowledge is a leading cause when it comes to low-income households and poverty in general. I know this from experience; allow me to elaborate. I come from a low-income household myself, but I am actually going to UNC Charlotte for a Bachelor's in Finance, so I have been educating myself on the topic and other matters that surround it. Because of this, I know that if my parents knew what I know, they would have been able to make better and more knowledgeable decisions that would have propelled their finances and would have also led to better career and overall life choices. Financial education is so important because everything touches a person's finances, whether it is gas prices, the economy, or shortages. Another reason why I believe financial education is so important is that finance, in layman's terms, means money, and “Money answereth all things.” This means money accounts for life's physical demands that are required for human existence. I plan on using what I have learned and what I will learn to set myself up for success. My knowledge about finances will allow me to secure a more secure job with higher-paying wages, it will allow me to make good investments that will set me up years after I have retired, and it will allow me to make better decisions based on what's going on around me, such as the economy. I don't think this knowledge will only help better my own future, but also the future of my descendants, who will have more opportunities because of the decisions I made before them. This is actually one of the larger reasons I chose to major in finance because I know that finances are what propel generations to come. I know that the generations that come after me will have many more opportunities to be successful than I had, and that is why I wanted to educate myself in finances, because I want to break my family's cycle of low income and bring on a new cycle of prosperity.

I have been blessed. That is a general way to put it, but now I will go into deeper detail about how I have been blessed. I have been blessed with a stable home and two hardworking parents who make sure I never have to worry about whether the lights will come on or not. I have been blessed because I have never gone to sleep hungry unless it was by choice. I have been blessed because God placed people in my life who could help me achieve my goals. I could keep going on about how I am blessed, but all that was to say as a person that is blessed so much in so many different ways, it would be wrong of me not to bless others. This ideology stems from something I heard in my church when I was much younger, and it has always stuck with me and resonated in the back of my head whenever I take the time to think about the reason I do what I do or why I want to accomplish what I want to accomplish. What I heard was “Blessed people bless people.” I know that some people aren't as fortunate as I am. Two specific people come to mind when I say that, and those two people are my parents. My mom was born and lived in one of the most dangerous cities in all of Mexico until she was 16. At 16, she and my grandparents moved to North Carolina. None of them even knew how to speak English. They had to start from nothing. My dad's story isn't much better; he grew up in a rough neighborhood and lived in a household where it was sometimes a struggle to make ends meet. For my dad, graduating from high school alone was a grand feat. Despite these harsh beginnings, my parents worked hard, and they put me in the position I am in now. After I graduate from high school, I plan on attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where I will major in finance. I chose to major in finance because of a specific phrase from the bible, “Money Answereth all things.” Because of this phrase, I feel that I would be able to impact more lives through finances than in any other way. Once I graduate from college and get nestled into my career, I can continue blessing people and giving back, but at that point, I will be able to do it on a much grander scale. At the end of the day, my purpose for doing everything is simply because “ Blessed people bless people.”

I have worked multiple jobs and volunteered through a few different programs. I have been a Shoe Department sales associate, I have worked in landscaping, and I also have a reselling business. I have volunteered through my high school Junior Civitans, through my church's pantry, and also through my own city's pantry.   Working these jobs has taught me many valuable lessons. My most recent job, in a Shoe Department, has taught me how to work with others as a tight-knit team with a common goal in mind. It has also taught me to make myself available to help others. Working hard and labor-intensive jobs like landscaping, washing cars, and houses have taught me that to reach my goals, I must work. Washing cars and houses has specifically taught me to pay attention to details and not do a mediocre job.   Out of all the work I have done, volunteering has brought me the most joy. Being able to help people who are less fortunate than me is one of the most important things to me. I believe fortunate people were put in that position to help the less fortunate. The way it was always told to me was that blessed people bless people.   My biggest mentors are my parents. My mom was born in Mexico and moved to America at 16, and she had to work for everything and all the opportunities I have now. My dad was raised in a poor neighborhood and has worked to support himself and his parents since he was 14. He still works just as hard—even to this day, every day he clocks into work at 6 am and clocks out at 3 pm—but his day doesn’t end there. After he clocks out, he landscapes till it's dark outside. Both of my parents have shown me what true work is, and they inspire me and also push me to go out into the world and strive to achieve my goals.   My ambitions are to become successful and wealthy through my determination and grit. But I do not want these things so that I can flaunt or purchase expensive things; I want to do these things so that I can give back to the people who made me succeed, like parents, friends, teachers, and my community. I truly feel like I owe my future success to them, and I have learned that giving back and being selfless is what we are meant to do. It all goes back to a saying that has stuck with me: “Blessed people bless people.”

One of the greatest adversities I have faced was figuring out how I would afford college, and, to be honest, I still haven't completely figured out how I will pay it off. To colleges, my household appears to bring in plenty of funds, but most of that money goes toward debt created before I was in school. Because of this, colleges don’t provide me with financial aid. It wasn’t my parents' fault—they were taken advantage of by loan sharks who knew they were young and unknowledgeable about debt. But I will not let this stop me; I will use this wall as a stepping stone. I will overcome it by putting my head down, working hard, focusing on strong academics, and applying to as many scholarships as I can. I am also taking free classes at Randolph Community College that allow me to graduate early, reducing costs.   As a first-generation college student descending from immigrants, being able to secure a degree would completely change my future, my family's future, and my descendants' future. My mom was born in Mexico and moved to Asheboro at 16. She worked hard in school but couldn’t pursue higher education because of her citizenship. She worked as a waitress until she could get DACA and start working for the city of Asheboro. My dad grew up in a poor neighborhood where graduating from high school was impressive on its own. He faced many challenges and also could not pursue further education. Without advanced education, both of my parents had low-paying jobs with little room for growth.   Through their perseverance, my parents set me up for success so that I could change the path my family has always been on. Stories from my family show generations working dead-end jobs just to survive paycheck to paycheck. Achieving a degree would allow me to gain financial independence and generational wealth, giving my family the freedom to pursue education, own businesses, or follow their dreams. Future generations would no longer have to worry about surviving paycheck to paycheck or putting off ambitions.   My mother also instilled in me that no matter how successful I become, I must give back to my community. I try to help the less fortunate through Junior Civitans and food pantries. I truly believe that blessed people bless people, and I have been blessed with a stable house and steady income. A large part of why I want a bachelor's degree in finance is to help others achieve financial stability, which I believe has the most impact on people's lives.   Challenges have shaped my ambition and taught me resilience. I’ve seen that challenges don’t stop you if you keep working hard; they can actually push you to do better. Ambition, to me, is reaching for the goals that can change my life and my family's future, while also finding ways to help others along the way. What drives me to be the best I can be is the knowledge that every effort I make today can change my future and the future of those I love, while inspiring others to dream bigger and break cycles of hardship. Overall, my goal is to bless others so that they can bless others.

My mother was not as fortunate as I was; she was born in Mexico in one of the most dangerous cities in the country, and when she moved to America, she had to stay in a poor neighborhood. My mother was provided with help from her community, and with hard work, she was able to come up from her bad fortune. But she knows of people who were not as fortunate as her, and they are still in a vulnerable place. I believe that is why she has always instilled in me that whatever I do and however successful I become, I must always give back to the community. At this time, I have not reached the pinnacles I plan to reach, but I still try to help my community and the less fortunate as much as possible, whether that be through Junior Civitans at my school or helping in multiple different food pantries. I truly believe that blessed people bless people, and I have been blessed with a stable house that has a steady income. I have never missed a meal against my will or wondered if the lights were gonna turn on. A large portion of the reasons I want to get my bachelor's degree in finance is so that I can help and be of service to my community. In the Bible, it says But money answereth all things and I truly believe that I have always seen throughout my life that there are many ways to impact people's lives, but helping them gain financial stability helps them the most. I've always viewed this as teaching a person how to fish, and providing housing or food was only giving them a fish. That is why I am trying to bless others throughout my life and my career. Even though I was very fortunate to be set up for success, I still had struggles, and my community helped me over those hurdles. This is why I want to go on to do big things so that when I do reach my pinnacle, I can pay it back to the people who made it possible for me: family, friends, church members, and teachers. By giving back and being of service, I hope to inspire others to continue the cycle of helping others so that people years after me can receive the help they need. Overall, my goal is to bless others so that they can bless others.

As a first-generation college student descending from immigrants, being able to secure a degree would potentially completely change my future, my family's future, and my descendants' future. My mom was born in Mexico and moved to Asheboro at the age of 16. She worked hard to get good grades and be at the top of her class, but this proved to be pointless because of her citizenship, or the lack thereof. She was unable to pursue further education and had to acquire a job as a waitress, and her financial growth was stunted until years later, when she could get DACA and start working for the city of Asheboro. My dad's story is no better; he grew up in a poor neighborhood where graduating from high school was impressive on its own. On top of that, he was forced to be around the wrong kind of people, causing him to make bad decisions that still affect him to this day, and he was also unable to pursue further education. Without further education, both of my parents had to get low-paying jobs with little to no growth. But my parents did apply themselves, and they set me up for success so that I could change the path my family has always been on. Through stories as far back as I can remember, my whole family, and not just parents, have been working laborious, dead-end jobs just to make it by paycheck by paycheck until old age, never getting to enjoy the true splendors of life. I say all that to say that thanks to my parents applying themselves and pushing me, I am now in a position where the only thing I am missing to change everyone's future is this degree. With this degree, I would be able to achieve financial independence/stability and, more importantly, generational wealth. This generational wealth would give my family financial freedom, and that would allow them to also pursue further education or open a business and own properties or whatever their hearts desire, something that the people before me couldn't do. Not only that, but future generations of my family won't have to worry about surviving from paycheck to paycheck and wondering how they will pay the next set of bills. They would no longer have to quit dreaming and putting off or shutting down their ambitions because they don't have the finances to fuel them. In essence, this degree would be a bridge from past struggles to brighter futures. My People would finally be able to dream bigger.

As a first-generation college student descending from immigrants, being able to secure a degree would potentially completely change my future, my family's future, and my descendants' future. My mom was born in Mexico and moved to Asheboro at the age of 16. She worked hard to get good grades and be at the top of her class, but this proved to be pointless because of her citizenship, or the lack thereof. She was unable to pursue further education and had to acquire a job as a waitress, and her financial growth was stunted until years later, when she could get DACA and start working for the city of Asheboro. My dad's story is no better; he grew up in a poor neighborhood where graduating from high school was impressive on its own. On top of that, he was forced to be around the wrong kind of people, causing him to make bad decisions that still affect him to this day, and he was also unable to pursue further education. Without further education, both of my parents had to get low-paying jobs with little to no growth. But my parents did apply themselves, and they set me up for success so that I could change the path my family has always been on. Through stories as far back as I can remember, my whole family, and not just parents, have been working laborious, dead-end jobs just to make it by paycheck by paycheck until old age, never getting to enjoy the true splendors of life. I say all that to say that thanks to my parents applying themselves and pushing me, I am now in a position where the only thing I am missing to change everyone's future is this degree. With this degree, I would be able to achieve financial independence/stability and, more importantly, generational wealth. This generational wealth would give my family financial freedom, and that would allow them to also pursue further education or open a business and own properties or whatever their hearts desire, something that the people before me couldn't do. Not only that, but future generations of my family won't have to worry about surviving from paycheck to paycheck and wondering how they will pay the next set of bills. They would no longer have to quit dreaming and putting off or shutting down their ambitions because they don't have the finances to fuel them. In essence, this degree would be a bridge from past struggles to brighter futures. My People would finally be able to dream bigger.

One of the largest adversities I have faced was trying to figure out how I would be able to afford college, and to be honest, I still haven't completely figured out how I will pay off college. To colleges, my household brings in plenty of funds, but that is not true, since most of those funds go towards debt created before I was even in school. Due to this, colleges don't provide me with any financial aid. It wasn't my parents' fault either; they were taken advantage of by loan sharks who knew they were young and unknowledgeable about debt. But I will not let this stop me; I will use this wall as a stepping stone. I will overcome this hurdle by putting my head down and working, continuing to focus on strong academics, and also applying to as many scholarships as I can. I will also continue taking and doing well in my free Randolph Community College classes that will allow me to graduate early. When I enter college, I will push myself and stay focused on my studies to earn merit-based scholarships that will cover parts of my tuition. By doing all of this, I will be able to pay to further my education without falling into large amounts of debt.