Time flies, my Mom used to say. It is already October, and I am now a freshman at my dream College. It seems like it was yesterday when I was still in High School, studying for my AP and SAT exams on the weekends, working at school as a lab assistant, or practicing Tennis every day after school, excelling academically, being a member of the National Honor Society and volunteering in the city of Santa Clarita on the weekends, whether decorating a library, pulling weeds or planting beautiful plants or even raising funds for a non-profit organization. I forgot to mention that I also helped Mom around the home, ugh, it was a lot. I am a first-generation student, and I would be very proud to bring home to my Mom my college degree. While searching for college, I discovered how expensive it could be, coming from a low-income household, raised by a single parent has its downside, this is why I am applying for work while I am in college so I can be able to contribute to pay for some of the costs and not to have to apply for too many loans, especially with the career I chose to study where I will need to receive my bachelor's first and continue to studying to earn my masters. My career goal is to become a Psychologist. In the first years of my school life, I was bullied, and my classmates made fun of me all the time. I had difficulty communicating, and I was not a perfect English speaker. I recall how many times, when working as a group, I was not heard or even acknowledged; they would simply shut me out. I suffered from severe anxiety, and I was depressed. I felt that no one saw me. So, with my Mom's help, and my therapist I received the help I needed to survive my struggles. This is why I decided to study Child Psychology, I want to be able to help other kids like me, those who have gone through similar difficulties, knowing the personal struggles firsthand, and helping them to remove mental blocks that are making them feel stuck or hopeless, showing them that all things are possible. It would be my personal victory and a true life's dream to make a difference in other people's lives, to be able to give back to my community, and especially my family.

Often friends and family ask me how I remember things so vividly from my childhood and I do not know what to answer other than..I just do!. It was a Saturday afternoon, I was 6 years old and I asked my Grandma to call Mom at work because I had a very important question to ask. She looked surprised but agreed to it and when my Mom answered I just asked how and why my father never came to take me or pick me up from school? There was an awkward 2-minutes silence, but Mom calmly asked if I could let her get back to me with an answer. Now I know. This never stopped her, she had to work two jobs to provide for us, while Grandma took care of me at home. I remember that when I started in Kindergarten my teacher told her that I didn't know how to read, of course, Grandma only spoke Spanish, she is the one who put me to bed because Mom worked second shift, so Mom asked at work and switched to the AM shift so she could read me stories before bedtime. We struggle sometimes but she has always helped me with anything she can. Many times Mom will leave for work late because she is trying to help me with my homework, always at school, communicating with my teacher about my progress. In the first years of my school life, I was bullied, and my classmates made fun of me all the time. I had difficulty communicating, and I was not a perfect English speaker. I remember how many times when working as a group I was not heard or even acknowledged, they just shut me out. I was depressed and suffered from severe anxiety. So, with my Mom's help, my school, and my therapist, I received the help I needed to survive my struggles. I just graduated from High School with honors, and a 4.0 GPA, and I can say that I owe all my success to her, to my Mother, for always being there for me, for pushing me always to do better, to not agree with a B if I could get an A. I am a member of the National Society of High School Scholars, but I also a member of the National Honor Society. I volunteer for the city of Santa Clarita, my school town, either preparing areas for planting native plants, watering them, and pulling weeds as needed or helping around the community by helping clear and maintain trails at different open space properties within the City of Santa Clarita. She taught me to do good, she taught me good moral values, and it is because of her I am the man I am now. College is expensive and she is helping me to pursue my dreams, I wish other kids could have a Mom like mine, my heroine.

Please, don't be late, we only have enough time to get there! I hear my Mom telling me before getting out of the car while dropping me at school early in the morning. She was just reminding me not to get distracted with anything because I had to be there at a specific time for volunteering, In this case, I was volunteering at the Newhall Library. A Festival was coming up and I was gonna help decorate it. It was just another day in my busy life. I look back, and I say to myself...it wasnt so difficult ahh, getting up early every day to go to school, making sure I turned all my work in on time, practicing Tennis after classes, working as a Lab assistant, studying for my SAT and AP exams on the weekends volunteering as a member of the National Honor Society, plus helping my Mom around the home, and I can not forget all the travels doing my college search. Well I guess it wasn't so bad after all because I recently graduated from High School with honors, a 4.17 GPA, and getting ready to enroll this fall into my dream college. I continue volunteering for the city of Santa Clarita, either helping around the community by helping clear and maintain trails at different open space properties within the City of Santa Clarita, or preparing areas for planting, planting native plants, watering them, and pulling weeds as needed. When I was searching for colleges I had no idea how expensive college could be, but this is my dream for a better future, I want to make a difference in other people's lives, not to mention I will be the first one in my family to earn a college degree. I was so proud to be able to bring my diploma home to my Mom. It's not easy when you come from a low-income family, but she has always said " nothing is impossible when we set our mind to it. She has always been there to try and help me stay focused and continues to help me strive for my dream of earning a degree in Visual Arts. Winning this scholarship will help to get one step closer, and would most certainly ease the financial burden helping me to pay for tuition, as I prefer not to apply for loans, if at all possible. Reading about the life of Kalia Davis has touched me, and has truly inspired me to work even harder. In closing I feel that I must say, I will be eternally grateful that you shared Kalia's story as I will be forever touched, inspired, and grateful. Thank you very much for this opportunity to share a bit about myself as well.

I was born in America, and yet despite this, there was a point in my life where I was struggling to speak and read English. This predicament began early in my life. My mother used to work to provide for us. She has always worked two jobs, which did not give us too much time to enjoy together, missing my favorite bedtime stories. My father was never in my life, so she has always been my support. We struggle sometimes, but she says that things will get better, that my time will come to make something great out of my life. My grandma, who only speaks Spanish, had to take care of me. Coming from another country and being afraid to let me out of her sight she pretty much kept me indoors, afraid to let me socialize with other neighborhood children, she kept me isolated which attributed to stunting my social skills. Everyone talked to me in Spanish, and I would watch television in English. Through these 2 languages colliding, I could not stick to one language and speak it. I was referred by my pediatrician to receive some help from a speech therapist at the age of 3. I was suffering from anxiety, and I endured bullying in my first years of school because of this. Today, I am getting ready to apply for college, not doubt that the road is a little bumpy, and there is a lot of stress and confusion. I learned that getting a good SAT score will give me the best chance of earning scholarships, so I have been preparing for my exam and continuing to keep my grades up. I am not done with high school yet, and my AP exam is also coming soon. On the weekends, I continue to volunteer in my city, so I am always busy. I would love to have a part-time job, but we can not afford another car, and Mom is afraid of me commuting back and forth. I will be the first in my family to earn a bachelor's degree. I am very excited and dream of becoming a successful school psychologist. Yes, this is what I would like to do with my life. It would be a personal victory and a true lifes dream to be in a position to be able to help children through similar difficulties. I believe this will be a positive impact in those children, knowing the personal struggles first hand, helping them navigate their lives and helping to remove mental road blocks that are making them feel stuck or hopeless, showing them that all things are possible, as I have discovered.