My history of playing chess is still relatively new as I've only played for the last seven months, but I've learned so much during that short amount of time. I first began playing it as I needed to retake my SAT, so I thought of creative ways to make myself think differently. I chose to read more often and to begin playing chess. It was difficult at first as I was very impatient with chess. Everything took time, and chess could be misleading as you may think you're in control the whole time, but in reality, you could've been playing into your opponent's set up the entire time. I learned patience from chess and how to be the quiet one in the room. I learned how to stop being the loudest in the room and to actually listen to others in the room. I continue to play chess every morning so that I may be ready for my day. Chess has helped improve my critical thinking and strategic planning. I now have a better understanding of how important it is to think four steps ahead, and although I'm not against anyone in life, my future and success are at hand, and thinking forward is very helpful. I have also used the knowledge I've gained from chess at work as I'm more time-efficient now and patient. My career goals are to become a medical professional and grow my other investments so that I may be financially free one day; I truly rather break the cycle of poverty that resides within my family than to not do anything. Chess has made me realize that I must have contingency plans because the way life is, not everything will go the way I plan it too. So although I wish to help those in need one day, I will not rely on that job to finally make me financially free; I much rather have multiple streams of income. With these hopes and dreams, I'm quiet with as I've learned through chess that patience and silence are more helpful in long-term situations as you can think more clearly and effectively. Chess also helped me realize how stubborn I was to try and force everything to go the way I wanted it to. As technology advances and more people begin to use their brains less and less every day, I find myself doing the opposite now. I've given up video games, and I've grown fond of reading and enhancing my brainpower. Most brilliant individuals of the past, such as Malcolm X, Benjamin Franklin, and Charles Darwin were autodidacts. I see them as motivation to be self-taught while also going to college for even more knowledge; one can never fulfill their thirst for knowledge. I see myself to continue playing chess until the days my hair is gray as someone will always be able to defeat me in a match; even the grandmasters of chess have had the taste of defeat. I apply defeat into the real world and my future career as every time I fail a task or make a mistake, it only helps to grow into a better version of myself. I am genuinely grateful for the game of chess.

When I first saw this scholarship, I thought I was not a match for it as I felt I had no role model. I grew up without a father and was raised by a hardworking mother, so I was very independent. Although I do have a role model, my recently added older stepbrother is my role model. I've never had a father figure in my life, so I was limited to what a man needs to know. I didn't even know to change my own oil or how to check if I had oil in my car before, but I sure knew how to solve a quadratic algebra problem or how to do research on college papers. School knowledge is very limited to real-world experience; many individuals graduate college with a degree they will never use. Although in my case, I need my degree to get into medical school. So that's why when I was offered to work for my stepbrother in his shop, I accepted. I began to learn that he was an entrepreneur in every way. When I asked him why he quit his job at tint world to open his own business, he replied, "I was tired of making someone else rich while I worked my butt off." My stepbrother taught me how to be time-efficient and to use critical thinking in real situations. I learned how to detail cars and wash them to a point where I could increase the number of customers we had. My work was posted on social media, and clients personally asked me to work on the cars so that their vehicles would look as best they could. I learned how to be a hard worker through all this. I also learned that there is never enough time in a day; Warren Buffet once said, " I can buy anything, but I can't buy time." Before, I never put much thought into that quote, but I now see how valid his words were. I study continuously to achieve my certificate as a pharmacy technician this year, as I'll have two good-paying jobs after graduating high school. Although with work and school, I feel as if I could accomplish so much more if I only had more time. I learned a new thing about myself from working with my brother this last year. I'm an entrepreneur too, a hustler. I spent hundreds of dollars on shoes before. I learned that wasting hundreds of dollars on investments is smarter. I invested in cryptocurrency and continue to do so, and I've also invested in stocks. Instead of going to parties on the weekends, I'm at home thinking of new ways to make more money. At the end of the day, I'm a scholar and an entrepreneur. I've already been accepted into Texas Tech University and will attend in the fall of 21'. I plan to invest in real estate during my second year of college to have another stream of income, my mother and I will buy the house out together. I wish to become a plastic surgeon and open my practices all over central America and give back to those in need. I do wish to give back to other young individuals just like me by donating back to them through scholarships, as education can be a way out of poverty, I'm using it to escape poverty. I'm using the lessons of my stepbrother so that I can succeed in life too. I was never one to sit around and do nothing when I was unhappy with my circumstances, and that's what I'm doing now; applying to scholarships, going to college, all while having side hustles.

Being the firstborn has been unique for me. My mother left Nicaragua to come to the united states so that I may have a better education. By the time I was 7, I had an understanding of money and that we were destitute. My mother would work two jobs while I stayed at home alone and cooked for myself at only 7. When my baby sister was born, I would take care of her as we didn't have money for a babysitter; my childhood was there but for a short time as I had to mature much quicker to become successful. The role of being the oldest son is very stressful as you want to be a good role model for your siblings. I practically raised my little sister, taught her how to walk, changed her diapers, and even taught her how to speak, and I was only a few years older than her. In addition to taking care of my little sister, I was taught by my mother that I am always to take care of her and my family. So in my life, family is first; that's why whenever my mother would tell me I could be anything I want to be in this world; I took it to heart. I've chosen to work in the medical field, and the end goal is to be a plastic surgeon. It's a big dream to accomplish for me as I was born in a communist 3rd world country, and I come from nothing. But no matter what it takes to achieve my dream as there is no reason I should not. I'm grateful for being the firstborn and to be a first-generation child. It's made me hungry for more, more success, and more accomplishments. Being a firstborn and a child to a single mother has affected me mentally positively as it's made me ambitious as I want to be on top. I don't want to succeed just for me. I want to succeed for my family's good, make myself something, and break the cycle of poverty and low education within my family. Although I want to be a respected health professional, I want to go into med school already wealthy. I'm only 17, and I've already invested in cryptocurrency and plan to invest in real estate once I'm 18. I strive to not only do well for myself and my family but also to impact the world. I genuinely think this perspective I have on the world comes from being a firstborn. I saw my mother struggle when times were at their absolute worst, where we had to shower by heating pots with water and pouring ourselves with the warm water. I want a different future for my family and me; I want prosperity and blessings. That's why I rather work myself to the point of exhaustion so that I may accomplish every dream that I have.

In only two years, I've learned so much about myself as a person with just fitness. I started working out at the age of 15, and it's been a rollercoaster of calorie counting and protein shake-filled days. I started at first, so I could lose a couple of pounds, but then I began to take my gym time very seriously. The summer before my junior year of high school, I went to the gym for about 4 hours a day; I would go in the morning for an hour and a half to get my cardio done. Then I'd return at night for 2 hours and a half to perform whatever workout I had planned. It was absolutely amazing. I conducted my research on what I should eat and how much; daily, I was consuming around 120 grams of protein with about 6 pints of water and 3,400 calories. I even began to pick the gym over social interactions as I enjoyed getting fit a lot more than getting fat. I looked my absolute best in my junior year. I began to make such progress I began to have many people who wanted advice from me, to train with me, and learn from me. I used my social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat to spread positivity and tips to those who needed it. I was able to help a close female friend of mine lose 20 pounds in 6 weeks, which was awesome to accomplish as I helped her choose her meals and planned out her workouts. Fitness, in general, has helped my mental health, and it helped me help others reach their desired physique. Sadly I've had to slow down my progress as my classwork has taken up more time than I expected this year, although if there is a will, there is a way. With that being said, I have begun to eat healthily again, and no, instead of going to the gym at night, I wake up at 5 am and go to the gym for about 2 hours to begin my day, and then I'mI'm off to school. Fitness helps me relieve my stress and anxiety levels, and for that, I'm very thankful; looking good is just another perk of it only as of the new self-confidence. I plan to continue to workout seriously through med school, as I will need it for my mental health.

“The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one,”- Malcolm S. Forbes. A beautiful quote that depicts a bit of me; I nearly failed the 4th grade as I had a hard time understanding the material my peers would teach me. I thankfully, did not fail the third grade as I finally opened up and began to ask for help. In recent years I’ve been taking dual enrollment classes that are much more rigorous and challenging than what most kids my age take. I even decided to take on a very advanced course this year to push me closer to my medical career; that class is Pharmacy Technician. Let alone that class has set upon multiple panic attacks within me since when school started in August. It’s all worth it, as I’ll be able to earn fair pay and be able to pay for college a bit better. On a daily basis, I study for about 2 hours on Khan academy to retake my SAT and at least 1 hour on Pass Assured in order to pass my test and become a certified Pharmacy Technician. I sadly do not come from a wealthy family, my mother let alone does her best, but it’s a fact that no one will pay for my college for me. So I must work hard now and get a higher SAT score to receive more money and conduct research weekly for more scholarships to apply. I will be a first-generation college student. I am also a minority in this country, but I will not let that stop me from accomplishing my dreams of working in the medical field as a surgeon. Education is what I chase as the more I acquire, the further I will get in this world. In all honesty, I want to be an example for others like me that you can break the chain of poverty and control your destiny, that anyone is capable of whatever they put their mind to.

Self-discovery has been my greatest achievement so far, many individuals grow old and die without ever knowing who they truly were. I have matured and evolved into a completely different person throughout my high school career than when I first entered high school. The lack of confidence to succeed is no longer there; the lack of self-worth is no longer there, either. Attempting new things out of my comfort zone does not fill me with fear anymore; it now excites me. Self-discovery has played a significant role throughout my high school career. Freshman year was a challenging year as I had planned to return to Nicaragua, but I sadly could not. My country was becoming very dangerous as protests broke out; those protestors were college students standing up, fighting for a free Nicaragua, fighting our communist dictator President, Daniel Ortega. These protests began to escalate as many students not far from my age were being killed. I learned about why I could not return: even though my father is not very active in my life, his last name still impacts my life. The last name Salazar seems normal but raises a red flag for Sandinistas in Nicaragua as my father was against the communist party as he fought with the Nicaraguan National Guard from 1973-1979. My father spoke against communism, which affected him in recent years as he had to flee from Nicaragua in 2018 as many people who had spoken against our government were being arrested or killed. This affected me as I wished to return to my country, but I could not due to fear of prosecution or even the possibility of being executed. People near my age were being killed just for protesting for the cancellation of social reforms; many of them were students of the university and were ran off campuses as many protestors were college students. This knowledge always remains in the back of my head whenever I lose motivation for school; it makes me aware of what my people are enduring. So I do not complain about schoolwork or anything else that is put to the test for me. I am determined to be the absolute best version of myself. Obstacles often occur in my life; it's one hoop after another. I began to step out of my comfort zone and push myself to see how much I could grow. And so, in my sophomore year, I decided to take college courses while in high school, doing absolutely anything that would help me in the long run. While most kids my age were partying on the weekends, I had my head in a book or studied a subject. I've gone from receiving mediocre grades to being invited to join National Honor Society. I used to think I wasn't smart enough, but I now have a 4.0 GPA, and although that does not measure my intelligence, it has shown me I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. A large con that has risen through this is I've had no guidance from anyone; I've had to do everything independently. That con can also be a pro as I have become very independent; although I do like to work with others, I'm also capable of overcoming any obstacle independently. The journey of self-discovery has led me to the decision to serve others with the knowledge I will work hard to obtain. To be a doctor, to help those in need globally, that is my dream, which will be my legacy. Although my country is going through conflict at the moment, so are many other countries. My plan is to one day return to Nicaragua as a doctor and help those in need and to open practices all over the country, then to further expand globally to other countries and to motivate more like-minded individuals to go forth and expand healthcare to places it has never been before. I've put forth these goals for the future, and I'm only still in high school. I will always have to think ahead and work twice as hard, but I know what I've signed up for, and I'm ready for the sacrifices of my youthful years to be spent through exams and medical training to help as many individuals as I can in the future. These are dreams that I will turn into reality.

Poverty, a challenge many in the world face; sadly, I had to face this challenge too. Out of everything I've lived through these 17 years on this planet, poverty is something that has not gone away. As a child, I would ask for small things at the store like toys, and my mom would say no to my request, and I would resent her and throw a tantrum. But as I got older, I became more aware of our financial status, and I became aware that I had no father who was going to assist us financially. So I stopped asking my mother for toys at stores as I didn't want her to feel sad that she could not afford it. This way of thinking continued to the present day; on significant holidays, I don't go all out with my gift requests as I feel guilty, even putting that stress on my mother. I grew up in Torrance, California, a costly place to live; I was a witness to the stress my mom went through, the payments my mom missed, the lights being shut off when we missed a bill; even having to shower under heated bowls of water due to having our water being shut off. Even though I was happy, my mother showed me love and put food in my stomach and always, no matter our financial status, always kept a roof over our head. My mom gave me a choice to stay in California or move to New Mexico with a family friend and start a new life. That changed a lot for our life as I saw my mother evolve and finally relax as she did not have to stress over such expensive bills. One essential skill I've been able to acquire out of this is, money management. I witnessed it all, and it pushed me to mature much faster than others. I stopped thinking about what would be fun to do and began to plan my future. I got a job as a car detailer at Faith Auto Reconditioning and began to pay for anything I wanted and any bills I had. One of my first purchases was CryptoCurrency; I've always been fascinated by it and finally decided to take action. In addition to that, I'm currently taking a very rigorous and excelled course that will get me certified as a Pharmacy Technician; once I begin to work as one ill be much more financially stable for college. Poverty has helped me realize I want to help others as a Doctor and provide my services and help to those who could not receive it before. Poverty has made me humble, and it has opened my mind to think very differently on many things; it's a blessing and not one at the same time.

Throughout my high school career, I have matured and evolved into a completely different person than when I first entered high school. The lack of confidence to succeed is no longer there, the lack of self-worth is no longer there, either. Attempting new things out of my comfort zone does not fill me with fear anymore; it now excites me. Self-discovery has played a major role throughout my high school career. Freshman year was a very difficult year as I had planned to return to Nicaragua but I sadly could not. My country was becoming very dangerous as protests were breaking out; those protestors were college students standing up, fighting for a free Nicaragua, fighting our communist dictator President, Daniel Ortega. These protests began to escalate as many students not far from my age were being killed. I learned about why I could not return: even though my father is not very active in my life, his last name still has an impact on my life. The last name Salazar seems normal, but raises a red flag for Sandinistas in Nicaragua as my father was against the communist party as he fought with the Nicaraguan National Guard from 1973-1979. My father spoke against communism, then and it affected him into recent years as he had to flee from Nicaragua in 2018 as many people who had spoken against our government were being arrested or killed. This affected me as I wished to return to my country but I could not due to fear of prosecution or even the possibility of being executed. People near my age were being killed just for protesting for the cancellation of social reforms; many of them were students of the university and were ran off campuses as many protestors were college students. This knowledge always remains in the back of my head whenever I lose motivation for school; it makes me aware of what my people are enduring. So I do not complain when it comes to school work or anything else that is put to test for me. I am determined to be the absolute best version of myself. Obstacles occur often in my life; it’s one hoop after another. I began to step out of my comfort zone and push myself to see how much I could grow. And so, my sophomore year, I decided to take college courses while in high school, doing absolutely anything that would help me in the long run. While most kids my age were partying on the weekends, I had my head in a book, or I was studying a subject. I’ve gone from receiving mediocre grades to being invited to join National Honor Society. I used to think I wasn’t smart enough, but I now have a 4.0 GPA, and although that does not measure my intelligence, it has shown me I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. A large con that has risen through this is I’ve had no guidance from anyone; I’ve had to do everything independently. That con can also be a pro as I have become very independent; although I do like to work with others, I'm also capable of overcoming any obstacle independently. The journey of self-discovery has led me to the decision to serve others with the knowledge I will work hard to obtain. To be a doctor, to help those in need globally, that is my dream, which will be my legacy. Although my country is going through conflict at the moment, so are many other countries. My future plan is to one day return to Nicaragua as a doctor and help those in need and to open practices all over the country; then to further expand globally to other countries and to motivate more likeminded individuals to go fourth and expand healthcare to places it has never been before. I’ve put fourth these goals for the future, and I’m only still in high school. I will always have to think ahead and work twice as hard, but I know what I’ve signed up for, and I’m ready for the sacrifices of my youthful years to be spent through exams and medical training to help as many individuals as I can in the future. These are dreams that I will turn into reality.