ÉCHALE GANAS!—in a very Mexican stereotypical voice— meaning “give it your all”. It's a phrase most Hispanic parents repeatedly tell their children. I’ve heard it my entire life and continue to do so by my parents and other family members. Over time, it began to frustrate me because what did they know? they never even finished school. What I didn’t realize was that I am my parents' second chance.I wake up every morning and choose what I want to wear without having to repeatedly wear the same outfit every day, I can grab an ice cream from the fridge without having to watch other kids eat and wishing I could have some, I get to have my dad home without him needing leaving to another country to make money then come back out of nowhere and realizing I have a father. These are the privileges I have because of the sacrifices my parent made-experiences they lived so that I wouldn’t have to. Like I said before, I am my parents' second chance to go to college and do things “right”. Unlike my parents no one supported them, they always heard Échale ganas just like me but from there nothing else. During a drive through Mexico,passing by the home where my mom grew up I was lost in thought and I asked her, “Mami if you could go back to the past and not have gotten married with my dad or pregnant with me would you have completed high school at least?” she just gave a sly smile and said no. I was in shock and asked why,She told me that though her life had been stressful and overwhelming she was happy with the way it unfolded. She started telling me about things she’s grateful for and thanking God for everything. She then looked at me and said “Just because I didn’t finish high school doesn’t mean you won’t. My life is good-but you can do better. Do it for you,not for me because in the end it will all benefit you and your future kids” and once again she said “Échale ganas”. That’s when the meaning Échale ganas completely changed it no longer meant pressure or expectation,it meant effort with purpose. It means to honor the sacrifices my parents made to by taking responsibility for my future.I now understand that education is not something I owe to parents—its something I owe myself. So starting from now on le voy a echar ganas con todo— I will give it my all in my goals,and in every opportunity I’ve been given.

ÉCHALE GANAS!—in a very Mexican stereotypical voice— meaning “give it your all”. It's a phrase most Hispanic parents repeatedly tell their children. I’ve heard it my entire life and continue to do so by my parents and other family members. Over time, it began to frustrate me because what did they know? they never even finished school. What I didn’t realize was that I am my parents' second chance.I wake up every morning and choose what I want to wear without having to repeatedly wear the same outfit every day, I can grab an ice cream from the fridge without having to watch other kids eat and wishing I could have some, I get to have my dad home without him needing leaving to another country to make money then come back out of nowhere and realizing I have a father. These are the privileges I have because of the sacrifices my parent made-experiences they lived so that I wouldn’t have to. Like I said before, I am my parents' second chance to go to college and do things “right”. Unlike my parents no one supported them, they always heard Échale ganas just like me but from there nothing else. During a drive through Mexico,passing by the home where my mom grew up I was lost in thought and I asked her, “Mami if you could go back to the past and not have gotten married with my dad or pregnant with me would you have completed high school at least?” she just gave a sly smile and said no. I was in shock and asked why,She told me that though her life had been stressful and overwhelming she was happy with the way it unfolded. She started telling me about things she’s grateful for and thanking God for everything. She then looked at me and said “Just because I didn’t finish high school doesn’t mean you won’t. My life is good-but you can do better. Do it for you,not for me because in the end it will all benefit you and your future kids” and once again she said “Échale ganas”. That’s when the meaning Échale ganas completely changed it no longer meant pressure or expectation,it meant effort with purpose. It means to honor the sacrifices my parents made to by taking responsibility for my future.I now understand that education is not something I owe to parents—its something I owe myself. So starting from now on le voy a echar ganas con todo— I will give it my all in my goals,and in every opportunity I’ve been given.

ÉCHALE GANAS!—in a very Mexican stereotypical voice— meaning “give it your all”. It's a phrase most Hispanic parents repeatedly tell their children. I’ve heard it my entire life and continue to do so by my parents and other family members. Over time, it began to frustrate me because what did they know? they never even finished school. What I didn’t realize was that I am my parents' second chance.I wake up every morning and choose what I want to wear without having to repeatedly wear the same outfit every day, I can grab an ice cream from the fridge without having to watch other kids eat and wishing I could have some, I get to have my dad home without him needing leaving to another country to make money then come back out of nowhere and realizing I have a father. These are the privileges I have because of the sacrifices my parent made-experiences they lived so that I wouldn’t have to. Like I said before, I am my parents' second chance to go to college and do things “right”. Unlike my parents no one supported them, they always heard Échale ganas just like me but from there nothing else. During a drive through Mexico,passing by the home where my mom grew up I was lost in thought and I asked her, “Mami if you could go back to the past and not have gotten married with my dad or pregnant with me would you have completed high school at least?” she just gave a sly smile and said no. I was in shock and asked why,She told me that though her life had been stressful and overwhelming she was happy with the way it unfolded. She started telling me about things she’s grateful for and thanking God for everything. She then looked at me and said “Just because I didn’t finish high school doesn’t mean you won’t. My life is good-but you can do better. Do it for you,not for me because in the end it will all benefit you and your future kids” and once again she said “Échale ganas”. That’s when the meaning Échale ganas completely changed it no longer meant pressure or expectation,it meant effort with purpose. It means to honor the sacrifices my parents made to by taking responsibility for my future.I now understand that education is not something I owe to parents—its something I owe myself. So starting from now on le voy a echar ganas con todo— I will give it my all in my goals,and in every opportunity I’ve been given.

I dance Ballet Folklorico at Santa Maria High School, this sport is a very unique that not many consider a sport, but rather simply beautiful art but that’s not true its so much more than simply art.Ballet Folklorico is a Mexican culture dancing, it involves a lot of heart, dedication,time, strength and tears just like any sport. When I was a beginner, I struggled a bit but got better over time.I would practice inside the garage, inside stores, in the kitchen, and technically anywhere I could my feet I would practice. Sometimes I would listen to our choreography songs to follow the beat so that I could figure out the counts (steps), the time my choreography would change, etc. I have been able to share my talent with the public during community performances and shows. I demonstrate that I work both day and night trying to learn steps just to produce a beautiful art piece and to demonstrate my Mexican pride, it may not be 100% perfect but it atleast comes from the heart 10000%. Learning these dances is difficult, I remind myself to make the performances beautiful and the money worth because to be honest, the tickets are expensive but I really hope it is worth it, all those late night of sleeps, empty stomach,doing homework late at night, waking up sore with new bruises, lashes glue all over my eye, and empty bottles of hairsprays are the things small things I will miss because they are the core memories I have made through out my 4 years in highschool. It is always exciting to have "big shows" because we create a lot of memories with the other high schools and companies we collaborate with, it’s always full of laughter and colors. As you can tell this skill is very impactful to me, I get to free myself from all the stress and personal problems, its a place where I can forget just focus on what I am doing, and get into the flow of dancing with my whole heart and soul. I was taught teamwork and the value of culture through this sport and I met so many amazing people that made my club feel like a family which I hate to leave behind once I graduate from highschool. I hate presenting in front of people and doing speeches, but God do I love dancing on that stage.

ÉCHALE GANAS!—in a very Mexican stereotypical voice— meaning “give it your all”. It's a phrase most Hispanic parents repeatedly tell their children. I’ve heard it my entire life and continue to do so by my parents and other family members. Over time, it began to frustrate me because what did they know? they never even finished school. What I didn’t realize was that I am my parents' second chance.I wake up every morning and choose what I want to wear without having to repeatedly wear the same outfit every day, I can grab an ice cream from the fridge without having to watch other kids eat and wishing I could have some, I get to have my dad home without him needing leaving to another country to make money then come back out of nowhere and realizing I have a father. These are the privileges I have because of the sacrifices my parent made-experiences they lived so that I wouldn’t have to. Like I said before, I am my parents' second chance to go to college and do things “right”. Unlike my parents no one supported them, they always heard Échale ganas just like me but from there nothing else. During a drive through Mexico,passing by the home where my mom grew up I was lost in thought and I asked her, “Mami if you could go back to the past and not have gotten married with my dad or pregnant with me would you have completed high school at least?” she just gave a sly smile and said no. I was in shock and asked why,She told me that though her life had been stressful and overwhelming she was happy with the way it unfolded. She started telling me about things she’s grateful for and thanking God for everything. She then looked at me and said “Just because I didn’t finish high school doesn’t mean you won’t. My life is good-but you can do better. Do it for you,not for me because in the end it will all benefit you and your future kids” and once again she said “Échale ganas”. That’s when the meaning Échale ganas completely changed it no longer meant pressure or expectation,it meant effort with purpose. It means to honor the sacrifices my parents made to by taking responsibility for my future.I now understand that education is not something I owe to parents—its something I owe myself. So starting from now on le voy a echar ganas con todo— I will give it my all in my goals,and in every opportunity I’ve been given.

ÉCHALE GANAS!—in a very Mexican stereotypical voice— meaning “give it your all”. It's a phrase most Hispanic parents repeatedly tell their children. I’ve heard it my entire life and continue to do so by my parents and other family members. Over time, it began to frustrate me because what did they know? they never even finished school. What I didn’t realize was that I am my parents' second chance.I wake up every morning and choose what I want to wear without having to repeatedly wear the same outfit every day, I can grab an ice cream from the fridge without having to watch other kids eat and wishing I could have some, I get to have my dad home without him needing leaving to another country to make money then come back out of nowhere and realizing I have a father. These are the privileges I have because of the sacrifices my parent made-experiences they lived so that I wouldn’t have to. Like I said before, I am my parents' second chance to go to college and do things “right”. Unlike my parents no one supported them, they always heard Échale ganas just like me but from there nothing else. During a drive through Mexico,passing by the home where my mom grew up I was lost in thought and I asked her, “Mami if you could go back to the past and not have gotten married with my dad or pregnant with me would you have completed high school at least?” she just gave a sly smile and said no. I was in shock and asked why,She told me that though her life had been stressful and overwhelming she was happy with the way it unfolded. She started telling me about things she’s grateful for and thanking God for everything. She then looked at me and said “Just because I didn’t finish high school doesn’t mean you won’t. My life is good-but you can do better. Do it for you,not for me because in the end it will all benefit you and your future kids” and once again she said “Échale ganas”. That’s when the meaning Échale ganas completely changed it no longer meant pressure or expectation,it meant effort with purpose. It means to honor the sacrifices my parents made to by taking responsibility for my future.I now understand that education is not something I owe to parents—its something I owe myself. So starting from now on le voy a echar ganas con todo— I will give it my all in my goals,and in every opportunity I’ve been given.

ÉCHALE GANAS!—in a very Mexican stereotypical voice— meaning “give it your all”. It's a phrase most Hispanic parents repeatedly tell their children. I’ve heard it my entire life and continue to do so by my parents and other family members . Over time, it began to frustrate me and I am pretty sure it frustrates many other Hispanic children because I bet you that almost all of us thought that, what did they know? they never even finished school or been through that stress. What I didn’t realize was that I am my parents' second chance and they have been through more than just stress.I wake up every morning and choose what I want to wear without having to repeatedly wear the same shredded outfit every day, I can grab an ice cream from the fridge without having to watch other kids eat and wishing I could have a bit of ice cream, I get to have my dad home without him needing leaving to another country to make money then come back out of nowhere and realizing that I had a father, I got to go to school every year without leaving it once to work in the fields and get my hands full of blisters. These are the privileges I have because of the sacrifices my parent made-experiences they lived so that I wouldn’t have to. Like I said before, I am my parents' second chance to go to college and do things “right”. Unlike my parents no one supported them, they always heard Échale ganas just like me but from there nothing else. During a drive through Mexico,passing by the home where my mom grew up I was lost in thought and I asked her, “Mami if you could go back to the past and not have gotten married with my dad or pregnant with me would you have completed high school at least?” she just gave a sly smile and said no. I was in shock and asked why,She told me that though her life had been stressful and overwhelming she was happy with the way it unfolded. She started telling me about things she’s grateful for and thanking God for everything because all those hardship is what made her my strong mom. She then looked at me and said “Just because I didn’t finish high school doesn’t mean you won’t. My life is good because that how God wanted it -but you can do better than me. Do it for you,not for me because in the end it will all benefit you and your future kids” and once again she said “Échale ganas”. That’s when the meaning Échale ganas completely changed it no longer meant pressure or expectation,it meant effort with purpose. It means to honor the sacrifices my parents made to by taking responsibility for my future.I now understand that education is not something I owe to parents—its something I owe myself. So starting from now on le voy a echar ganas con todo— I will give it my all in my goals,and in every opportunity I’ve been given.

I haven’t lost anyone in the military yet and I pray to God I don’t because I would hate to lose them. My cousin Yazmin is in the military she is a marine and sergeant. We share both last names (Flores and Tello) because her mom is my dads sister and her dad was my moms brother. We grew up together ever since I was a baby it’s a reason people assumed we were sisters even more because our last names were similar just flipped. I really love my cousin when she had said she would move to japan because its where she was moved to I was devastated because I had no other cousin as close as her I really miss her, she is like the older sister I couldn’t have, since I am the oldest in my family. She came back once and surprised us and by us I mean her mom, her younger brother, me, and my sister. My dad and mom helped her plan it and we all cried like babies when we saw her it was very emotional and I am glad I saw her again. She may be far away now but there not once she doesn’t answer my calls or text she is still there for me and I love her so much. I am indeed happy everything is going well with her she’s been through so much, I still remember her giving me advice in a playground before she left just thinking about it makes me cry because that day is the day I found out how much her fathers loss had affected her and family a lot more than I expected. The day my uncle died it affected a lot of us, he was a great impact to our lives but not as much as my cousins and my aunt. Her oldest brother started getting in fights and doing things he shouldn’t and he left to Oregon at an early age to change his life. My cousin Yazmin stayed with her little brother and mom, she was a messy teenager she also did things she shouldn’t do, she would talk back, got tattoos and a few others stuff. she got in HUGE trouble (things got messy) it still didn’t make her change till the day my mom helped she reflected it took her time but she got better. I didn’t know much about her situation till she told me. She said that once her dad died she took care of herself and her brother so for her mother to step into her life and corrected her and it was like weird because why would she be spawning into her life out of nowhere but its also because my aunt was buy working to pay bills and the moved houses really often. But now my aunt it stable her little brother is like my little brother where I make sure he doesn’t do anything bad but you can’t take care of people that much we have to commit mistake to learn from them.

Whenever I get the chance to talk about my faith and how it helped me through out life because there were moments where I really wanted to give up and just leave this world but Jesus never let me.I’ve been through many stressful moments and obstacles I thought I would never get through but Jesus never left me alone no matter what. He is the one I cry to during the night when there is no one around me and I only had my blanket and pillow to cry on. You may wonder why I haven’t stated an exact obstacle and how my faith helped me overcome it. Well its because there were many and to sum it all up my faith and God helped me overcome them all such as when get real bad anxiety, when I feel like I am not good enough and other. It just to many obstacles that happened that are a bit hard to share but what I can say is I got out of that dark place millions time and got back up because as hard as thing are I dare not give up. which is why as a first generation of both of my families and oldest daughter of my family,I want to work hard and become someone in life and not waste my parents sleepless and tiring night/days because they both have worked so hard to help me and take care of me I want to repay them with my gratitude and hopefully someday be able to buy them a home how they always had wished. I may not go to church that often but I try to pray every time I can and read my bible when I can sometimes I just end up listening to the audio it difficult to balance out school, hobbies, sports, and other but I try very much to involve God in my life, for he has been there for me every time I needed him. Ever since covid started I started going to church less and less to the point that I rarely go. All because of my parents work and school, rent has been going up lately so its why my mom works on night shifts, so our schedule are very complicated. But that doesn’t mean we forget about the God that gave us everything and has blessed us everyday and there is nothing I can complain about.