My senior year, I became a student mentor for Anaheim’s Innovative Mentoring Experience program(AIME). The AIME mentorship in which I help students struggling academically or emotionally in my high school. Apart from being a mentor for the program, I am also in charge of media promotion for the program in which I create flyers in Spanish which outline the various tools and resources the program has to offer to Spanish speaking parents or students. Most of the students I tutor are English Language Learners from Spanish Speaking countries who have a hard time in school because of the language barrier. Being bilingual in English and Spanish, as a mentor I am able to bridge the learning gap of the language barrier may cause these students in any of the classes they are struggling with. One subject in particular most students struggle with is math because of the differences in math terms and vocabulary. Luckily for them, I had already taken a few math classes in Spanish so I am familiar with the math terms in both languages allowing me to help them understand the newer material. Apart from helping students academically, I offer mindfulness sessions to help those few students that are struggling with their mental health. As their mentor, I let them know that it's normal to ask for assistance when it comes to mental health and refer them to the various counseling resources the program offers. Most students who come to mentoring hours are looking to improve their grades to pursue their dream of higher education and I am honored to be a part of that system which can guide them towards their goals. In doing so my role as a mentor has molded me into an effective leader that motivates and brings out the best in people. For me, being an AIME mentor isn’t just about helping students academically but it's my way of helping them unearth the best version of themselves. This is exactly what being a good leader entitles: bringing out the very best in people through their actions and assistance.

Despite all obstacles life throws in my way, I have always pushed through those obstacles and never let it hinder my academic abilities. In a way these obstacles have only motivated me even further to perform better academically. For example, you would think coming from a low income household I would be discouraged to attend college but instead it has motivated me further to dream of higher education as the key to helping out my family. My major is Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of California, Davis to be a pediatrician and prevent further families like my own from suffering from health-related issues. As I further develop my interest in medicine and become a pediatrician, I not only want to help children in the U.S. but I would also wish to extend my help to the Latin American communities suffering from medical-related issues. Medicine has inspired me to make a difference in my family and community. Sure I may be the daughter of immigrants and I do not come from a wealthy family, but I do not let any of these facts hinder my dreams. I am proud of who I am and where I come from and I will rise above all the odds to reach my dreams through hard work and dedication. The $1,000 scholarship will be used to pay off my college tuition. It'll support my dream of becoming a pediatrician and later on in life help others achieve their dreams/goals.

Science is the subject which has inspired and motivated me to pursue my dream of working in the medical field. I give credit to my interest in science and the medical field to the health issues that trouble my family. My family has been plagued with health related issues over the years and this has awoken a desire inside of me to become a pediatrician and help my family in any way I can. One such health trouble was when my mom left for Mexico when my grandma had died, leaving me in the care of my dad for a few months. It was a very challenging moment for my dad and I with my dad barely able to make ends meet on a single wage leading to our diet heavily dependent on cheap junk food that then developed into high cholesterol within my system at only 10 years old. Not only did it affect my physical health but it also led to me falling into a state of depression for the time without both my parents. This along with my family’s long history of being diabetic has contributed to my dream of becoming a pediatrician in order to prevent these health related scares from happening in other families. Most of my mom’s family is diabetic and we have already lost so many loved ones to the disease that I feel it is my purpose in life to do something about it through my interest in the medical field. I have further developed my interest in the medical field by taking an online health class that opened me to the world of medicine. My aim is to major in biochemistry to be a pediatrician and prevent further families like my own from suffering from health-related issues. As I further develop my interest in medicine and become a pediatrician, I not only want to help children in the U.S. but I would also wish to extend my help to the Latin American communities suffering from medical-related issues. Medicine has inspired me to make a difference in my family and community. Despite all obstacles life throws in my way, I have always pushed through those obstacles and never let it hinder my academic abilities. In a way these obstacles have only motivated me even further to perform better academically. For example, you would think coming from a low income household I would be discouraged to attend college but instead it has motivated me further to dream of higher education as the key to helping out my family. I will be the first in my family to attend college meaning I have the responsibility of setting a good example for my younger siblings. Instead of feeling pressured to be a good role model, I welcome the challenge because it means my sisters will see it is possible to push boundaries and go to college. My obsession with attending college comes from my desire to open the door to numerous opportunities for success for my family. . I don’t like to make excuses for myself because I know what I am capable of and who I am capable of becoming. I do not let the world define who I am meant to be. Sure I may be the daughter of immigrants and I do not come from a wealthy family, but I do not let any of these facts hinder my dreams. I am proud of who I am and where I come from and I will rise above all the odds to reach my dreams through hard work and dedication.

I am a senior at Anaheim High School and I’m in the AVID and DLA programs. In my senior year, I became a student mentor for Anaheim’s Innovative Mentoring Experience program(AIME) which is a way of giving back to my community. The AIME mentorship is a job in which I help students struggling academically or emotionally in my high school. For me, being an AIME mentor isn’t just about helping students academically but it's my way of helping them unearth the best version of themselves. This is exactly what being a good leader entitles: bringing out the very best in people through their actions and assistance. During my free time, I like to dance Ballet Folklorico. Ballet Folklorico is a big part of my life and is my greatest talent. My passion for Ballet Folklorico started when I joined my first group at the age of 10. I really enjoy dancing Folklorico because it’s my way of honoring my heritage and it helps to relieve me of stress from school. Nowadays, dependence on the new and modern has meant that as a people we are forgetting the importance of heritage and losing our connection to traditions and our culture. Dancing Folklorico however has allowed me to connect to my heritage and it has been a key part of my life reminding me of the importance of culture and never forgetting my roots. My aim is to major in biochemistry to be a pediatrician and prevent further families like my own from suffering from health-related issues. As I further develop my interest in medicine and become a pediatrician, I not only want to help children in the U.S. but I would also wish to extend my help to the Latin American communities suffering from medical-related issues. Medicine has inspired me to make a difference in my family and community. I will be the first in my family to attend college meaning I have the responsibility of setting a good example for my younger siblings. Instead of feeling pressured to be a good role model, I welcome the challenge because it means my sisters will see it is possible to push boundaries and go to college. My obsession with attending college comes from my desire to open the door to numerous opportunities for success for my family. Despite all obstacles life throws in my way, I have always pushed through those obstacles and never let them hinder my academic abilities. In a way, these obstacles have only motivated me even further to perform better academically. I don’t like to make excuses for myself because I know what I am capable of and who I am capable of becoming. I do not let the world define who I am meant to be. Sure I may be the daughter of immigrants and I do not come from a wealthy family, but I do not let any of these facts hinder my dreams. I am proud of who I am and where I come from and I will rise above all the odds to reach my dreams through hard work and dedication.