I have never wanted my future to simply be about getting a job and collecting a paycheck. I want to build something of my own. This is why I am pursuing a Business degree through Capella University. My long term goal is to become an entrepreneur and build a successful business that gives me the freedom to create my own opportunities. I want to learn how businesses are built, how money is managed, how to lead people, and how an idea can become something real. I do not know exactly what my business will look like yet, but I know I want to create something that can grow beyond me. My interest in building something of my own started earlier than I realized. When I was in fifth grade, four of my friends and I decided to sell homemade cookies and cupcakes at our school. It started as an idea to make money for ourselves, but we eventually decided that there were people who needed it more. We brought the idea to our school, organized the fundraiser ourselves, and donated what we raised to help people experiencing homelessness. Looking back, I realize that experience taught me something important. I do not have to wait for someone else to create an opportunity for me. I can recognize a need, come up with an idea, and take action. That is the mindset I want to carry into my future. I also want my education to give me the ability to change what is possible for my family and for myself. I have experienced uncertainty and financial difficulties, and those experiences have made me determined to build a more stable future. I want to be the person who can look at a difficult situation and have the resources to do something about it. This scholarship would help me take another step toward that future by reducing the cost of my tuition. Instead of having financial pressure constantly in the back of my mind, I could put more of my focus toward completing my degree and developing the skills I will need to succeed. Even $1,500 would make a meaningful difference in the cost of my education and bring me one step closer to graduating. I do not know exactly where my business journey will take me, but I know what I want to carry with me: ambition, independence, and the willingness to turn an idea into action. My future is something I am building, and this scholarship would help me keep building.

For me, going to college means having the opportunity to build a life that I choose rather than one that is determined by the circumstances I was born into. Education represents independence, stability, and the chance to create a better future for myself and the people I care about. My experiences growing up have shown me how quickly circumstances can change and how difficult it can be when financial stability is uncertain. Because of this, earning a college degree is more than simply reaching a career goal. It is a way for me to create opportunities that I may not have otherwise had. I want to be able to support myself, build financial security, and eventually have the ability to help others who are struggling. I am currently pursuing a Business degree through Capella University. I chose business because I want to understand how to build and manage something of my own. My goal is to eventually create a successful business that provides me with financial independence while allowing me to make a positive impact in my community. I do not want my success to only benefit me. I want to use what I learn to create opportunities, support charities, volunteer, and give back to people who need help. My drive to pursue higher education also comes from knowing that I have worked hard to get here. College can be intimidating, especially when you are trying to navigate major life decisions and financial challenges at the same time. However, those challenges have made me more determined, not less. I know that earning my degree will require discipline and perseverance, but I am willing to put in that work because I know what I am working toward. Going to college also means breaking through limitations. I want to prove to myself that my circumstances do not determine what I am capable of accomplishing. I want to graduate knowing that I created a future through my own determination and that I did not give up when things became difficult. Ultimately, I want my education to give me more than a degree. I want it to give me knowledge and confidence to build a successful future, become financially independent, and eventually help others do the same. I want to use the opportunities my education gives me to create a future where i can provide for myself while also making a difference in the lives of others. To me, success is not only about how far I can go. It is about how many people I can help once I get there.

When I was in fifth grade, my four friends and I had an idea to sell homemade cookies and cupcakes at our school. At first, we thought about using the money for ourselves, but as we talked about it, we realized there were people in our community who needed it more than we did. We decided to donate everything we raised to people experiencing homelessness. This was not a school assignment or a required community service project. It was something five kids came up with on our own because we wanted to help. At that time I lived in Pomona, where I saw homelessness, poverty, and addiction around me. My friends and I personally baked different food, came up with ideas, set up our table, and sold what we made. One of my friends helped keep track of the money with our teacher, while another helped organize the table. We all worked together and eventually donated what we raised. The money helped people experiencing homelessness get necessities such as socks, clothing, and food. I remember feeling genuinely happy knowing that something as simple as baking cookies could make someone else's life a little easier. That experience showed me that helping others did not have to start with having a lot of money or resources. It could start with simply noticing that someone needed help and deciding to do something about it. The lesson has stayed with me as I have gotten older. I have always tried to give whatever I can, whether that means my time, money, food, or effort. Recently, during an extremely hot week, I thought about people who were outside without a place to stay. I spent my own money on ingredients, made agua frescas, and prepared meals with chicken, and mashed potatoes, and made enough food for around forty people. My mom drove me around so I could distribute the meals to people who needed them. Just the week before, I had bought a meal for myself at McDonald's when I saw a woman sitting outside with her dog. I decided to give her my burger instead. These moments may seem small, but to me they represent the kind of person I want to continue being. My own experiences have also taught me that people can be struggling in ways that others cannot always see. Because of what I have experienced in my family, I understand how quickly circumstances can change and how important compassion can be when someone is going through a difficult time. Instead of allowing those experiences to make me feel hopeless, they have strengthened my desire to help people who are struggling. I am currently pursuing a Business degree through Capella University. My ambition is to build a successful business that will allow me to create financial stability for myself while also giving me the ability to support my community. I want to donate to charities, volunteer, and create opportunities for people who may not have the same resources or opportunities that I have. To me, success would not only mean what I am able to achieve for myself, but what I am able to do for others once i get there. I embody selflessness because I have learned that you do not have to be successful or wealthy to make a difference. I was a fifth grader when I first learned that lesson, and I continue to live by it today. I want my life to be defined not only by what I achieve, but by the people I am able to help along the way.

When I was twelve years old, I learned that addiction could change someone I loved into a person I barely recognized. My brother struggled with drug addiction when we were younger, and there was a night when he ran away from hone. My mother told me to go after him, so i followed him down the street, calling his name and trying to get him to come back. When he finally turned around, he looked at me with a scared, serious expression and asked, "Who are you?" I remember feeling a pit in my stomach. I told him, "It's Ashley, your sister." He simply said, "Oh." I followed hi until we reached a bus, not even knowing where we were going, and eventually had to call my mother to come get us. That moment stayed with me. Addiction did not only affect my brother. It affected my mother, our family, and my understanding of what it means to love someone who is struggling. Eventually, my brother was sent to Mexico to stay with my biological father and get away from the environment he had been in. When he returned, he was doing better, but the experience had already changed all of us. Years later, I found myself struggling with addiction in a different way. During my junior and senior years of high school, I developed a dependence on pain medication and was taking far more than I should have. At the same time, I was struggling with depression and self-harm, I had spent so much of my life trying to help other people through their struggles that I did not recognize how much pain I was carrying myself. Recovery for me was not simply about stopping a substance. It meant realizing that I wanted a different life and that I was worth fighting for, I began making changes in my life, focusing more seriously on school, and learning how yo take care of myself instead of constantly trying to carry everyone else's problems. I an in a much better place today, and that journey has given me a perspective I could not have learned from a textbook. My experiences have taught me that addiction is not simply a a bad decision or a lack of willpower,.. It can affect entire families and can be connected to pain that people do not know how to express or manage. I have also learned that recovery requires courage, support, patience, and the willingness to believe that your future can be different from your past. These experiences have shaped what I want to do with my education. I wanted to understand the systems that affect people's lives and learn how to use that knowledge to help others fins opportunities and resources. Whether I am working with organization and communities, or within government. I want to be someone who helps make complicated systems easier to understand and more accessible to people who may feel powerless within them. My brother's recovery showed me that people can change. My own recovery showed me that I can change too. The hardest experiences of my life did not have to become the definition of my life. They taught me to choose courage over despair. and that is something I will carry with me wherever my education and career take me.

For a long time, I thought my future would be in history. I have always been fascinated by the past, especially by the people and decisions that shaped the world we live in today. When I started college, however, I took a democracy course during my first semester that completely changed the way I thought about my future. Instead of only wanting to understand what happened in history, I became interested in understanding why things happen, how decisions are made, and how the systems around us affect people's lives. That experience led me toward political science and business. I want to study both fields because I believe they complement each other. Political science will help me understand government, laws, institutions, and the way decisions affect individuals and communities. Business will teach me how organizations operate, how to recognize opportunities, and how to turn ideas into something that can create real results. Together, these fields will give me a broader understanding of the world and the tools to do something with that knowledge. My interest in these subjects is also personal. Growing up, I often felt like I did not understand how the systems around me worked. There were situations where decisions made by adults, schools, institutions, or other people had a major effect on my life, but I did not always know what questions to ask or what resources were available to me. As I got older, I became interested in learning how these systems work so that I would not always feel powerless within them. That is one of the biggest reasons I want to pursue higher education. I do not want knowledge to be something I keep to myself. I want to use it to help other people understand the systems they have to navigate. Sometimes helping someone does not mean solving their problem for them. Sometimes it means knowing where to look, what questions to ask, or recognizing an opportunity or loophole that they did not know existed. Getting my degree will also give me the independence and stability to build the life I have worked toward. Coming from a low-income, single-parent family has made me understand how difficult it can be to pursue an education while also worrying about financial stability and the future. Earning my degree would not simply be an academic accomplishment for me. It would represent the opportunity to create a different future for myself and eventually use what I have learned to create opportunities for others. I chose business and political science because I want to understand both the people who make decisions and the organizations and systems those decisions affect. My goal is not simply to have a successful career but to go above and beyond. I want to become someone who understands how things work well enough to find solutions, recognize opportunities, and help others navigate a world that can often feel complicated or inaccessible. Education is the foundation I need to turn that goal into something real.

For much of my childhood, I thought taking care of the people I loved was simply something I was supposed to do. I did not realize how much of myself I was putting aside until I reached a point where I had to learn how to take care of myself, too. My mother has struggled with depression for much of my life, although for a long time she did not accept that she was experiencing depression. During high school there were many nights when she would come home late and barely have the energy to take care of herself. I would remind her to earn, cook meals for her, clean for her, and get her fresh clothes and a blanket so she could shower and rest. I never thought of myself as a caretaker. I was just her daughter trying to make things a little easier for my mom. At the same time, my home life was often unstable. My father was emotionally abusive toward my family, and there were times when he would kick me out of the house. I was only fourteen the first time it happened. I spent periods of my life couch surfing and not knowing exactly where I would be staying, while still trying to be strong for my mother and my siblings while also trying to figure out how to be strong for myself. Eventually, I realized that constantly putting everyone else first was taking a a toll on my own mental health. I experienced periods of depression throughout high school and struggled with self-harm and suicidal thoughts and attempts. For a long time, I felt like I was carrying the weight of problems that were much bigger than I was. I was so focused on helping everyone around me survive that I forgot that I deserved help and care, too. There was a point when I decided I did not want my circumstances to determine the rest of my life. I wanted something different. I wanted to break the cycle I had grown up around, not only for my mother and siblings, but for myself. I began putting more effort into school and thinking seriously about my future. Choosing to move forward was not an overnight transformation. It took work, setbacks, and learning to recognize that taking care of my own mental health was not selfish. My experiences have changed the way I understand mental health. I have learned that someone can be struggling deeply even when they do not talk about it or recognize it themselves. I have also learned that loving someone does not mean you can fix their depression, trauma, or pain for them. I can support my mother, but I also have to recognize my own limits and protect my own well being. Most importantly, my experiences have shaped my aspirations. I want to build a life that is different from the one I grew up in. I want to pursue my education, become financially independent, and create stability for myself and for the people I love. My past has given me a stronger sense of purpose because I know what it feels like to have very little control over circumstances. I want to have the ability to create opportunities rather than simply react to whatever happens to me. My mother's struggle with depression taught me how deeply mental health can affect an entire family. My own struggles taught me that I cannot save everyone by abandoning myself. Today, I am still learning, growing, and working toward the future I want. My journey has not erased what happened to me, but it has changed what I believe those experiences mean. They are not proof that I am destined to repeat the past. they are proof that I can choose what comes next.

Growing up in the inner city of Southern California came with a set of challenged that shaped who I am today. From underfunded schools to limited access to resources, I often had to navigate obstacles that made me even small achievements feel like victories. While many of my peers struggled to see a path forward, I learned early on that perseverance, creativity, and focus could create opportunities even in difficult circumstances. These experiences motivated me to pursue higher education and laid the foundation for my ambitions today. One of the biggest challenges I faced was the disparity in educational resources. Classrooms were crowded, textbooks were outdated, and extracurricular opportunities were limited. Despite these obstacles, I found ways to supplement my learning. I took online courses, sought mentorship from teachers and community leaders, and pushed myself to excel academically, ultimately maintaining a GPA above the scholarship requirement. I discovered that learning is not limited to the classroom, and my curiosity and determination became tools for overcoming systemic barriers. Another challenge was the social and economic environment around me. Growing up in a city with high rates of crime and limited community programs meant that distractions and dangers were constant. I realized early that I had to make intentional choices to stay focused on my goals. I devoted my energy to volunteering and community engagement, from raising funds for a homeless shelter in fifth grade to spending a year volunteering weekly with children with disabilities. These experiences not only allowed me to give back, but they reinforced the importance of responsibility, empathy, and leadership, qualities that continue to guide me today. Being a first-generation student also presented its own set of challenges. With limited family experience in navigating higher education, I often had to advocate for myself, research opportunities independently, and take initiative to ensure I had access to scholarships, programs, and guidance. These efforts paid off when I was accepted to Portland State University, where I am now pursuing a degree in Political Science and Business. My journey from the streets of Southern California to college has been fueled by resilience, strategic thinking, and a commitment to making the most of every opportunity. Through these experiences, I have learned that challenges are not just obstacles, they are opportunities to build skills, character, and vision. Growing up in the inner city taught me the value of determination, adaptability, and community. I am committed to using my education and experiences to create positive change, whether through leadership, public service, or initiatives that support others facing similar circumstances. I hope to inspire others from under-resourced backgrounds to see that with perseverance, ambition, and hard work, it is possible to overcome barriers and achieve one’s goals. This scholarship would not only help alleviate the financial challenges of college, but also serve as a recognition of the determination and resilience that have defined my journey. I aim to honor this opportunity by continuing to push forward, give back to my community, and create a life that reflects both the lessons I learned in the inner city and my ambitions for the future.

From a young age, I realized that small actions can ripple into lasting change. In fifth grade, I helped raise $500 for a local homeless shelter, and in sixth grade, I spent a year volunteering weekly with children with disabilities. These experiences taught me that creating a meaningful legacy starts with commitment, compassion, and the courage to act even when the impact seems small at first. Today, as I prepare to pursue degrees in Business and Political Science, I am driven by the same principles: I want to build something lasting, impactful, and rooted in service. My vision for my legacy is to create opportunities for others while driving positive change in the community. I hope to launch a social enterprise that bridges gasps between education, government, and business. The goal is to provide mentorship, career guidance, and resources for young people from underrepresented communities, especially those who face economic or social barriers. I want my business to more than a company: I want it to be a platform for empowerment, growth, and inclusion. By combining entrepreneurial innovation with a focus on social good, I hope to leave a tangible mark on both individuals and the broader community. The type of business I aspire to create is one that blends strategy, leadership, and social responsibility. I am inspired by companies that solve real-world problems while building ethical, unstainable models. My plan is to develop a consulting and mentorship firm that connects young entrepreneurs with experiences business leaders, offering guidance, workshops, and resources to help them launch successful ventures. This business would not only generate economic opportunities but also foster a culture of accountability, creativity, and ethical leadership. I want to inspire future leaders to see entrepreneurship not just as a way to build wealth, but as a way to create meaningful impact. I shine my light by actively seeking opportunities to help others and lead by example. Whether through volunteering, mentoring peers, or supporting community initiatives, I strive to demonstrate that dedication, compassion, and persistence can create real change. I believe that leaderships is not just about achieving personal goals, it is about uplifting those around you, inspiring others to recognize their potential, and leading behind a legacy that outlives yourself. This scholarship represents an opportunity to further my ambitions and accelerate my impact. By supporting my education and entrepreneurial journey, it will allow me to expand my capacity to lead, innovate and empower others. My commitment to building a business rooted in purpose, ethics, and opportunity reflects my drive to create a legacy that goes beyond personal success. I am determined to ensure that my efforts, both as a student and future entrepreneur, will have a lasting, positive effect on the people and communities I serve.

For a long time, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. But I always knew how certain teachers made me feel- and that feeling changed everything. Since 7th grade. I've connected deeply with every history teacher I've had. They were all male, and at first I didn't understand why their presence let different. But over the years, I realize it was because they gave me something I was quietly craving-understanding, patience, and support. Growing up with an absent father was challenging and that is something I don't often say out loud. Growing up without a consistent, emotionally available father figure left a space in me that I didn't know how to fill. Somehow, my history teachers did. They were emotionally intelligent, calm, funny, and genuinely cared about what I had to say. Thought talking about story, they gave me a safe space to express my thoughts, ask questions, and even explore the kind of person I wanted to become. They didn't make me feel "too much" or "too quiet", they made me feel seen. That emotional safety allowed me to grow not just as a student, but as a human being. I want to become that teacher for someone else. My passion for teaching isn't just about a love for learning but its about impact. I want to be the kind of teacher who doesn't just deliver lessons, but helps students feel understood, supported, and worthy, Especially the quiet kids. Especially the ones who carry invisible weights, I want to create the classroom I needed growing up, one that welcome every part of a student, nut just their grades. It wasn't until late high school that I started seriously considering teaching as a career. It hit me that people who had the biggest impact on me weren't celebrities or influencers-they were teachers. They're the one who noticed when I was off, encouraged me when I doubted myself, and inspire me to see strength I empathy. I want to follow in their footsteps, while also bringing my own voice and experiences the profession. I know teaching isn't easy. But I've already had to be patient, flexible and resilient in my own life Growing up in a low-income household, helping my single mom raise my younger siblings, and learning o handle anxiety have all taught me how to lead with heart. And I think that exactly was today's students need-teachers who care, who listen, an who understand. Marie Humphries believed everyone should be a teacher. And while not everyone is meant to teach, I know I am. Not just because enjoy the idea of it, but because I've lived through what it feels like to be changed by a good teacher and now I wan to be that change for someone else.

When I was younger, my life felt like a constant state of survival, I didn't grow up with stability or comfort-instead, I earned how to adapt to change, to take care of myself and my siblings, and to find in unexpected places. Education wasn't just important to me-it became my way out. Now it's become my way forward. I want to become a history professor because I believe that understanding our past is the key to changing our future. History is more than just dates and facts-it's the story people, of mistakes repeated and lessons learned. I've always been fascinated by how power, resistance, culture, and conflict shape the world we live in. As someone who grew up in a community that often felt ignored or forgotten, I want to teach students-especially those from underrepresented backgrounds-that their stories matter, too. Furthering my education means everything to me. As a first-generation college student from low-income background, the road ahead is challenging but I know what I'm capable of. Through higher education, I'll gain not just the knowledge I need to teach, but also the opportunity to inspire change in classrooms that desperately need diverse voices. I want to teach at a University one day, helping students think critically about the world around them and how they can shape it for the better. I also hope too give back in more immediate ways. I plan to mentor first-generation students like myself, helping them navigate the confusion and pressure that comes with college. I want to show young people in my community, especially girls, that education can be powerful form of rebellion and healing. I've worked hard in both Academic and service roles. Whether it's helping younger student with homework, working in customer service, or supporting my family when thing got tough, I've always tried to show up for others. These experiences have strengthen my work ethic and made me deeply aware of how representation, encouragement, and access can transform lives. Receiving this scholarship would help life part of the financial burden I carry. It would allow me to focus more on my studies and less on how I'll afford the next semester. But more importantly, it would be a symbol that someone believe in my potential and that belief would go far. Because I don't just want to succeed for myself, I want to build a life that allows me to educate, uplift, and make lasting impact on every student I reach. By continuing my education, I'm not just pursuing a degree. I'm preparing a step into a role where I can help others feel seen, values, an capable of shaping their own futures. That is the impact want to make-and it starts with opportunities like this one.

Growing up, I watched my older brother go through more than most people couldn't imagine. He had two kids by the time he was sixteen, struggled with addiction, and spent years trying to find stability in a world that kept pushing him down. But instead of giving up, he turned his life around and along the way, he introduced me to the world of technology. I remember sitting beside him late at night as he explained how the cold worked or shower me how to write my first lines of code. At first, I was just curious about what fascinated him so much. But soon, I found myself wanting to know more-not just because I admired him, but because I started to see how much power there was in being able to create something out of nothing. Watching I'm go from rock bottom to becoming a successful cloud developer showed me whats possible with perseverance and passion. He taught me that even when life is unpredictable, technology can offer structure, creativity, and hope. My interest in tech grew from those moments. I started teaching myself more on my own using free online courses, took a class in school, building small games, and asking my brother endless questions. What started as quiet curiosity became ambition. I want to become either a software engineer or developer, working on tools and systems that make life easier and more accessible for others. I hope to focus on education tech or community-based platforms that serve people who, like my family, may not have had traditional paths or resources. Of course, my journey hasn't been easy either I've faces instability, financial hardships, and personal challenged that sometimes made it feel like pursuing a future in tech was out of reach. At many points, my family was homes. I've had to work harder to stay on track, to find resources that many of my peers had without asking. And as a female student interested in a male-dominated field, I've often felt out of place. There were times when I questioned whether I belonged in tech. But I always go back to my brother's story and to my own growth. If he could rise have what was expected of him and build a life through coding, then so can I. His belief in me gave me the confidence to push past the discomfort and keep learning, even when it was hard. That's the kind of impact I hope to make others one day. I want to mentor girls who feel like they don't belong in tech, just like I once did. I want to create opportunities for people who underestimated, who just need someone to take a chance on them. What excited me most about the future of technology is how much space there is for change-for diversity, creativity, and compassion. I see a future where people from all backgrounds can shape the tools we use everyday. And I plan to be a part of that future-not just as a developer, but as someone who helps make tech more human. For me, this isn't just a career path. It's a way to honor where I come from and build something better for the next generation. And it all started because my brother believe in himself, in me, and showed me how to believe in myself.

History has always been more than just dates and events to me, it's been a guide, a mirror, and a reminder that resilience and change are possible. Growing up,I faced challenges that made me feel invisible at times, from navigating a chaotic home lie to periods of homelessness. But even when life felt overwhelming, I found comfort in the stories of those who came before me--people who faced adversity, stood against injustice, and shaped he world for the better. As a member of the Latino-American community. I've seen firsthand how history can connect us to our roots and give us the stretch to push forward. My cultural identity has taught me the value of perseverance, but it's also shown me how easily important voices can be overlooked. That's why I want to stay history, and become a college professor--to make sure those stories, especially the ones that often go untold, are heard. I believe that understanding history isn't just about knowing what happened; it's about learning why it happened and how we can do better. For example, studying movements like the Mexican-American civil rights to efforts of the resilience of marginalized group throughout history remind us that progress is possible when people come together to fight for change. By teaching these lessons, I want to inspire students to see themselves as part of that legacy--to realize that their actions today can create a ripple effect for our future generations. My journey has also shown me how interconnected history and geography are. I'm fascinated by how environments shape civilization and how past societies dealt with challenges like climate or resources scarcity. These lessons are incredibly relevant today as we face global challenges like climate change. By studying these patterns, I hope to contribute to conversations about sustainability and help ensure that we don't repeat the mistakes of the past. Through all the struggles I've faced--taking care of my siblings while balancing school, enduring instability at home, an working hard to overcome mental health challenges--I've learned to keep moving forward. These experiences haven't just shaped me; they've fueled my passion to create change. I want to give others the same hope and understanding that history give me. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that history is more than stories--it's a guide for building a better future. By sharing these lessons, I hope to help others see their potential to make a difference, just as history has shown me mine.

Growing up in a household filed with challenges, I learned the importance of resilience and community. My journey as a member of the Latino-American community as been shaped by experiences of instability, limited resources, and a deep sense of responsibility toward my family. These struggles have not only defines my character but have also inspired my passion for history and education. When I was younger, I often had to care for my younger siblings while my mother worried about providing for our family. these moments taught me selflessness and the value of hard work. My connection to my culture, though sometimes overshadowed by life's difficulties, as always been a source of pride. The stories of my ancestors perseverance and the sacrifices my family has made to build a better life in this country have fueled my determination to succeed. As a history major, I aim to become a college professor, focusing on amplifying underrepresented voices in history, including those of the Latino-American community. Too often, the contributions and struggles of our community are overlooked or misrepresented. By pursuing a career in education, I want to create a case where students of all backgrounds can see themselves reflected in the narratives of the past. Sharing the stories of resilience and innovation within the Latino-American community can inspire future generations to take pride in their heritage an strive for excellence. My experiences have also taught me the power of empathy and connection. Having faced periods of homelessness and mental health struggles, I understand how difficult it can be to find hope amid challenges. these experiences drive my to create a supportive and inclusive classroom environment were students feel seen and heard. I want to encourage my students t embrace their identifies and recognize the strength they carry from their own experiences. One of the most profound lessons I've learned is that education is not just a tool for personal growth but a vehicle for change. Through teaching, I hope to challenges stereotypes, celebrate diversity, and inspire students to use their voices to shape a more equitable future. My journey as a member of the Latino-American community has instilled in me a responsibility to uplift others and ensure that our stories are never forgotten. By sharing my experiences and fostering a love for learning, I hope to empower future generations to embrace their identities and pursue their dreams unapologetically. Through Edison, I can help build a world where every voice, especially those from underrepresented communities, is valued and celebrated.

There was a time when I dreaded waking up. Each day I felt like an endless cycle of pain, and I saw no way out. I wasn't looking forward o anything, and I often questioned my purpose. As a young person living in an unstable environment, mental health struggles weighed heavily on me. I was just dealing with homelessness and economic challenges; I was dealing with the silence that surrounded my struggles-mental health wasn't something talked about in my family. I didn't know how to ask for help or even acknowledge my depression. I thought my future was already written, and it was a hopeless one. Everything began to shift at the start of my junior year when I met someone who helped me see myself differently. This person didn't just encourage me to push through the day but helped me realize that i deserved more, that I was capable of more. He taught me t appreciate who i was and helped me understand that mental health wasn't something to be ashamed of, it was something t manage to understand, andn to seek support fr when needed. This realization did not come overnight, but it was the first step toward a healthier mindset. With his encouragement, I started focusing on school, ad for the first time, I felt like I had control over my life. I began setting goals and achieving them, whether it was turning in assignments on time or maintaining a high GPA. Procrastination still lingered, but i learned to push through it. Even as I face the challenges of homelessness and family instability, I found ways to build stability in my schoolwork and personal life. I developed a routine and stuck to it. understanding that consistency in small steps would lead me to the future I want to create. Though I am still learning to manage my mental health and face struggles, I now recognize that the path forward isn't always linear, and I can get through tough times. I know that overcoming these challenges isn't just about pushing through; it's about being kind to myself, seeking help when needed, and having the resilience to keep going even when it feels impossible. I now understand that I am not defined by my struggles, but by my ability to rise above them. The tools i've gained will help me achieve the life I've always wanted, and I am determined to continue growing, not just for myself, but for others too. My personal journey has also given me a deeper understanding of how important it is to support others who might be struggling in silence. Moving forward, I want to share my story and let others know that they are not alone. Mental health challenges are real, and they don't define us. I hope to encourage others to speak up, seek help, and find the strength within themselves to push forward, no matter how difficult it may seem. Through my passions, like taxidermy, writing poetry, and making dolls, I can also encourage other to embrace their unique interests. I've learned that self expression, whether through that self expression, whether through art or personal stories, is an essential part of healing. I want to create an essential part of healing. I want to create an environment where people feel empowered to be themselves, share their struggles, and explore creative struggles, and explore creative outlets to help them heal. By leading with understanding and empathy, I hope to contribute to a more open and supportive environment for others.