In January of this year, I lost one of the most important people in my life: my Mema. Mema was the best grandmother you could ask for; she loved me unconditionally despite my flaws and always gave to others more than she received back. Spending time with her was one of my favorite things in the world; whether it was going to an arcade or watching a baseball game with her, her personality always found a way to shine through. Throughout the almost 19 years I had known her, she never once missed a birthday, Christmas, dance recital, choir showcase, or graduation that occurred if she could make it. I know being in and out of the hospital was difficult for her, but she would never show it. Though her constant trips to the hospital were sad, they also were time to bond with the family that chose to show up and support her. I always felt so important when I saw her smile light up when we’d walk into the room to visit her; she would tell me about all her nurses, if the food that day was good or bad, and how she was feeling. I tried to stay positive because I knew she needed people around her who believed in her. And many times I went home hoping I could keep her dream of coming home alive. She always pushed me to go for my goal: being a doctor. She would let me tell her about things I knew about her condition, and she would tell me how proud she was that I wanted to help people. Even in the end when we couldn’t speak, her support for me never faltered even once. Losing her put a damper on my dreams for a while; I had to decide if medicine was still the right place for me in my life. Through my struggles with my plans, I kept coming back to the same conclusion. When I thought about the way she fought for so long to stay present with me and my siblings and cousins, I knew I had to keep going. Similar to the way she never gave up on us, I knew I could never give up on my dream; it wouldn’t be what she wanted for me. I continued to push through the rest of my semester and wound up being very successful with her fire lit under me. I know that dedicating my life to helping others as I saw done by her time and time again is the best choice for me. I know now to fight is to keep her alive in the hearts that knew her, and remaining steadfast in these efforts will help me to honor her in more ways than one. I understand and recognize that her ability to be kind and understanding of others created an environment that people wanted to be a part of. I never once felt that her love for me or my family was altered by the challenges we faced together. An unyielding love like that is an invaluable thing, and I doubt I will ever encounter someone like her in my lifetime. I hope that, in this same way, I can be for others what she was for me: the person who carried me through my troubles and gave me a place I could always go home to.

Throughout high school, I have had a majorly different experience from those who attend public or private schools. Through a Vocational-Technical School, I have learned and applied my knowledge in an accelerated and career-centric way; therefore, I am always up for the challenge of my education. Ever since I was little, I have had a passion for helping others, so I want to use my education to be as amply prepared as possible to do so. I want to give people more access to healthcare amongst different groups of people; by minoring in two languages, I believe I will be closer to reaching my goal. I also try to help those around me by volunteering with theatre groups, at my old middle school, and as a student leader at my high school in an Initiative that I founded. This passion for service has even aided me in choosing my future career path. I want to become an Early Childhood and Adolescent Psychiatrist. However, I do not want to take the normal route for medicine; I want to become a D.O. or a doctor of osteopathy. This is appealing to me as I want to do anything I can and take every step possible to help individuals obtain the care they need. Being an active member in organizations such as HOSA-future health professionals and competing at the regional, state, and national/international levels, I have already begun my journey into what I know will be a rewarding vocation. This is one of many reasons why I am excited to further my education; I am driven by my hope of aiding in a better tomorrow. I also love to be able to apply what I have learned to my real-life experiences. Every experience I have had and will continue to have helped me grow, and I am always eager to improve in areas where I am lacking. Being able to explore what it means to be a leader and what it takes to be an upstanding member of society is something that I am excited to delve into further. Being given this opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself helps to blossom my excitement for college. I am eager to see where this journey for the next 4-years and onward will take me, and I hope to grow as a student, peer, and person. I am so excited about the next steps in my life, and I hope to be able to fully immerse myself in education for the foreseeable future.