Every time I bring up that both my dad and mom were in the Marine Corps, I've always been met with that question of whether I'm going to join the service. I felt an obligation for a while that I should, that I should give back the way that my parents did, that I shouldn't leech off their benefits and continue to hold that title of "military brat" but "service member". For a while I had struggled with those thoughts in my head telling me that I would disappoint my parents if I didn't follow in their steps. As I grew, however, I saw that the military wasn't for me, and that that was alright. I was reassured from other service members, from chaplains, from recruiters, from officers, and from active duty that I didn't have to follow in my parents' step, and that they chose their path so that I could too. I saw sides of the military that I never wanted to see, and now that I'm in college pursuing my own desires and my own dreams aside from the 18 years I've spent in the military life, that I can give back to my country in many different ways. I have so much support from my military family to be the first to graduate from university. That I'm going to be the first to carry our name across the stage at graduation than on the chest on my blouse. I'm so grateful and thankful that despite the stigma surrounded around my upbringing, that my parents served so that I can be able to have this decision now, to pave my own way and accomplish my own successes.

If i’m being honest, i haven’t had the best mentors in my life. Within my church i faced corrupt leaders and manipulative members who hurt my relationship with superiors. This made me really confused because i honestly thought, and seeing within the military, that mentors should help and lead down a right path. With talking with recruiters and constantly being surrounded by young marines, i saw the need and the purpose for mentors, i just never had found one that had my best wishes at heart. I had, however, a couple teachers i could easily go to and ask for help within academic issues as well as social issues. One who i can say left a definite imprint on my life was Ms. Green. She was my freshman biology teacher, and became a great shoulder to lean on going through the rest of my high school within Okinawa. I went to her to talk about teachers i was bumping heads with, and she always knew how to provide me with a perspective i hadn’t taken into account, and allow me to calm my nerves before taking it up with them personally. Because of interactions such as those, she showed me just how much people want to see me succeed. Likewise, within the military i learned that your superiors hold the highest responsibility to guide you, and that they should likewise be corrected when they aren’t providing the best job they can. Mentorship effects a person greatly and will always have an effect on a persons well-being. Now going into college and finding mentors of my own, social and spiritual, i have now developed the want to help other incoming freshmen in the incoming year after i have gained experience. I have been so impacted by these new people in my life and hope to see the signs before i am put in a position where i am vulnerable and subject to being hurt as well. My experiences helped shaped who i am and will continue to effect the decisions i make in the further, but surrounding myself with those who have good intention will do me a favor in the long run, and i know that with Gods help and the discipline that was instilled in me through the Marines.

Depression and anxiety is something i'm still trying to overcome. I think they are emotions we have and can never really get rid of. Personally, I've dealt with having to see a parent deploy, and seeing one leave to a divorce. This has given me separation anxiety and always leaves me with the thought that I'm going to be left behind, or a relationship I have is bound to fall apart. Especially never having been in a romantic relationship, I'm scared to commit myself because I have the feeling that I'm going to be let down or that I'm going to have to break up with them eventually. As a result from the divorce as well, i had to hide a lot of emotions, which made me angry. I had and still struggle with anger issues, as well as being vulnerable, because my mom wasn't around a lot either, I had to be an adult for my younger siblings, which saw me having to grow up faster than my peers. I was faced with having to go home to cook dinner because my mom wouldn't be home until late instead of staying up and doing my homework. With all that, I had to grow up quicker, which made me lose a lot of the "fun" to come with my teenage years, especially in high school and middle school. I was constantly putting my families, specifically my brother and sisters' needs, before my own. It wasn't until I reached freshman year that I really started trying to pursue my own path. Unfortunatley, i did stumble a fall and i did stupid things, and i restricted myself from expression, specifically romantically. This took a toll on me because I wanted to succeed so badly, even more than I wanted a person for myself, that anytime I did find myself in a situation where I was infatuated, I would get down or become anxious when thinking about or being with said person. I struggled with anxiety with friends as well, as I am a super social person, I love to talk and get to know and be there for people; which eventually made it difficult to let them go when the time had to come. Now that I'm an adult and about to be on my own, I have picked up some traits, some good and some bad. I now am very closed off and protective of my vulnerability, and I struggle with allowing myself to be freely me for the first time meeting someone. I do see some flaws in this, however it allows me to not think so much about forming relationships but instead allows me to be more focused, while having something to look forward to working on socially. I've worked on my anxiety a lot, to a point where I just don't tend to think about situations that may make me anxious, instead I tend to focus and center myself on things of value versus things of the temporary. With romantic relationships, i still haven't one hundred percent been comfortable with opening up myself, and it's going to be a challenge for me; one thing i can say for certain though is that i am challenging myself to be open to finding a love, and i think that that is big milestone for anyone in my same situation. Trauma and struggles helped build who we have become today, and everyone's life is valid, and I think that no matter what amount of struggle one has been through, there's always light at the end of a tunnel.

I'm Christian and was brought up tithing, so imediately i would give ten percent back to God. As well i would try to help my mom with my sisters quinceanera coming up, because i would want that to be one of the best nights for her life and too i wouldn't want my mom to have to carry a financial burden. Too i would use a lot of it to save for college and to look into housing expenses and books and travel fees. I would probably try to put aside some to invest, so while i'm trying to accomplish everything i'm trying to pursue, i would also want to have some money work for me so i can focus on the other expenses of life, so its not just sitting around and collecting dust but is actually building off itself. That way when i need extra money and i take it out, i have so much more saved up and maybe have enough to start looking into retirement at a really early age.

If you look at schools from one hundred years ago and compare it the the schools of today, not much has changed. Our standardized tests no longer measure what they intend to, students have too many after school obligations and pressure on them that there's not enough time for them to even do simple homework tasks. Even then, most students with passing homework grades are most likely cheating to get the homework done, thus they don't understand the material to the fullest extent, putting them at a disadvantage for the class and for the testing. As well, teachers aren't paid enough, when teachers are the backbone of this country, in recent years there has been a decline in enthusiasm in teachers for younger children, when kids need teachers to be at their very best. As well, students aren't taught facts and life skills that are detrimental to life outside of school. Schools should stress understanding government and politics instead of ancient history; and we should try to enforce the learning of more languages, as many countries in Europe and Asia and have shown to improve brain activity, and also creates a well service for children too, as in this country we have so many languages, and its would break the bigotry towards people who speak different languages. These teachings would also help create jobs and opportunities or low income families, essentially stimulating the economy. Overall, I believe that the whole system needs to be remade. We need to assess what's working and what's not; and federalize the school system, which would have tax dollars go towards something everyone would pay for and be something the government would have to uphold. For too long and too often we see students leave and have no knowledge of the outside world. Yes, it's important to have a base knowledge of adding subtracting and the presidents and the elements, but after we need to start teaching things that deal with the workings of the world, the hurtful pasts and gruesome truths, because when you open up peoples minds to that, opinions form and will be intrigued to go out and search, and students will know defineitley what they want to do after school and not waste money in college.

In my opinion, the biggest problem facing the world right now is division. It's sad to say that we live in the era of divided politics, that all over the globe we see political conflicts, we see heated disputes and injustices happening everywhere. With the recent events of the death of George Floyd, our divided politics have become ever more prevalent; instead of trying to find justice and answers for his death, we dipute the morality of him, his murder, and of eachother. Because of skin color, our country is becoming more and more de facto, and is tearing apart otherwise meaningful relationships among people. Our leadership is not doing what they have promised to do, as federal officers should uphold the American values that help keep the country grounded in faith. Instead, we’re met with empty promises, betrayals, and overall bickering both domestically and internationally. However, amongst all this chaos, we can find the good. We can have civil open dialogues, where we don't argue issues of morality or of whose right and who's wrong, but to answer how we are going to overcome and respect one another. We need to come together and have meaningful votes, and bring people into office who will fight for change and betterment of our country. We need to see and uprise in our generation to be more active when it comes to the working towards a solution. We will fight division with mutual respect, and understanding of each other's beliefs, cultures, political stances, and everything in between. You can't fight fire with fire, but instead have to understand the fire, in order to put out the flame.

I find myself in moments of reflections when it comes to our modern day society and the norms we have implemented and are constantly changing. One social issue i feel strong about are the norms around single parenthood. I grew up myself in a single parent household, seeing my mom struggle as she did, and i constantly asked myself why. My end goal in speaking up in favor of help for single parents would ultimately to keep both parents in the household. I’m grew up an at-risk kid, being a military brat and a fatherless male. The main issues i would want to attack are the normalities that surround fatherhood, that it’s alright as a man becoming a father to not know how to be a good father, no one does becoming parents. Another thing is to stress on the functionality of co-parenting, the importance that needs to be stressed on putting aside your pain and hurt, and maturing for the benefit of the child. I would try my best to implement organizations and help for people who find themselves in situations they feel like they cannot fight on their own. To provide mothers and father with the resources they need, the counseling they need to keep our next generations from repeating the curses being raised fatherless or motherless bring. As well, to educate the youth about the responsibility sex brings. To teach them the beauty of it, but as well the ways to prevent early pregnancies and to provide the resources and the answered they need in order to be ready for parenthood, and everything associated with caring for a child. I feel very strongly about this just because i was on the latter end. I want to break the stigma and the normalization of single parent households, because they hurt the parents and the children; instead i hope to promote responsibility, unity, and ultimately, a catharsis to many mindsets that stem from trauma, or people feeling like they’re unable to uphold a title they were never used to experiencing. To bring families back together, and reach peace the world needs right now.

Personally, i feel that my greatest skill is my artistic abilities. I’ve always loved every aspect of art: painting, sketching, sculpting, building, cooking, photography, cosmetics, and many more. The art field is so beautiful to me and i find people who are successful in their field and craft to be very inspirational. The most art work i do is visual, such as painting and drawing. I always find myself drawing on homework’s and sketching out scenes i would love to paint. At any moment i am able to paint, i try new strokes, blending techniques, and styles. Recently, i’ve been venturing into cosmetic and fashion arts; dabbling in barbering on my brother. I’m constantly trying new things to perfect a craft and to be a versatile Renaissance man. I’ve been able to do so much growing from the help of the people around me. Friends allowing me to paint on their water bottles and personal items, teachers and church leaders entrusting me to paint murals and my family being willing to cut their hair to learn a new craft. I constantly try to hone my God-given gift to make people happy, and i try my best to dip my toes in every pool that is art, to allow me to better not only my life but the lives of those around me.

Personally, I believe that spirituality and sciences work hand in hand. Many scientists will tell you that science does not prove the existence of God, while theologians and spiritual leaders, in contrast, will say that God proves science. People of different belief systems claim they are correct while everyone else is wrong, but how similar does that sound to science? The time it took for the theory of gravity to become a universal law, the ideas of micro-physics to be implemented, and the equation of energy to be generally accepted. These instances are examples that science as well is constantly trying to answer which theories are fundamental truths. Anchored in our own perspectives, are constantly arguing moralities based on opinions inspired by religion or science, such as abortion in our courts today. The line between science and spirituality is more blurred than people want to admit but I believe they go hand in hand. It’s a common idea that spirituality is directly related to religion, however, this is not necessarily the case. Spirituality is just solely an out of body experience, one that allows us to reach emotions on a supernatural level. Such experiences could be caused by religious practices, the use of substances, or in a field of study. Some may find themselves having a supernatural reaction to a study or discovery. It's safe to say that spirituality can be tied back to sciences, as famous scientists have used their religious beliefs as a basis for their theories, which shows just how disassociated we have made these subjects and it's a disservice to the relations they play into allowing what we know to be true, neglecting the historical background that religion and spirituality play into discoveries. Math is the language of the world and is universally understood. The same can be said about science and spirituality. There's no science without mathematics; it is dependent on ideas and mathematical principles. Likewise, spirituality does not restrict to faith to experience similar phenomena, such as miracles, answered prayers, etc. All areas require some amount of faith. "Now faith," the Bible reads, "is the assurance of things hoped for." (Hebrews 11:1). Scientists hypothesize and hope for the best result, leaning on math to help bind it all together. Faith is extrapolated by all fields, to some capacity. The idea is that spirituality is based on what you choose to put your beliefs in; we all put faith into something, or someone, and that thing for each individual is what propels us into a spiritual experience. Religion answers the existential question “what happens after we die, and what created everything?”, just as science. Even today, we believe in what makes the most sense to us; whether it's a miracle that is backed up by science, or by religion. These fields are constantly being pinned up against each other, and our modern society tries to resolve the feud as an “either or'', but the truth is that they’re more common than anyone will admit. It speaks to culture and personality as well, whether someone wants to put their trust in something they can or cannot prove. Ultimately, the relationship between spirituality, mathematics, and the sciences is that they all require an amount of belief. There is a reaction that takes place in which all subjects rely on each other to stay relevant in our lives. We cannot solely put our faith into one aspect without putting it to another, these subjects are the Holy Trinity of our world, they all are different in their own aspects but are one in the same.

All my life i have been influenced by many influential women. It was a woman who gave me life, who raised me, who taught me how to cook, how to clean, how to love, how to appreciate, how to treat women right, and ultimately how to be a man. This woman had helped me through so much despite her hardships, she took her own time to make me who I am today. Of course, i'm talking about my mother. She grew up less fortunate, but she didn't complain because she knew the worth of her parents and the worth of their strife. She joined the military and met my dad, had 3 children, fought in the War on Terror, been divorced and became a single mother, all while providing and loving for me and my siblings. She worked hard and made herself endure pain so we could live a good life. She wanted the best for us, and she did everything in her power to give us that life. She showed me what love was, how to be responsible, how to care for others, and become independent for myself. She helped me grow and cultivate a relationship with my God and build my identity through Him. Though it's been tough, not having the most important man for me in my life, I commend my mom for doing her best to be the greatest mother she could've been to us, despite all her challenges. She made me who I am today.

“Don’t put all your eggs into one basket.” This is one of my favorite sayings that has been given to me as financial advice. I don’t do much investing right now put I daily try to look at the stock market and I constantly have that saying in the back of my mind for when i eventually do decide to start investing. I love it so much because it applies to so much more than just financial situations: it applies socially, academically, athletically, etc. I see it in a number of different ways. Financially the idea is to not put all your money towards one bond in case that may fail, because then you’ll lose all your money, instead, differentiate your money throughout the different bonds so if one fails you can always rely on another one. Same goes in many different situations. The way i see it: don’t make friends with just one group of people, because then you’ll think and act like them but instead have a large circle of different people to not only expand your way of thinking but to help expand your social circle; don’t rely on one grade to mess you up, work hard in all your classes so that if you struggle in one, your overall GPA won’t be effected because you put in the hard work to your other areas of academics. I could go on, but those are just some examples of how i’ve taken “don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” to heart.

Something that everyone constantly deals with is feeling like we’re stuck, being in a comfortable situation where we don’t find ourselves become more than who we already are. Personally, I love a challenge; i live meeting new people, trying different foods, speaking different languages and more. My main goal help me grow is to be open to experiences. Indulging myself into cultures and peoples, to expand my knowledge on different ways of thinking and to gain empathy for other people and situations that effect our society, politics, and way of life. Personally i believe that being open minded is one of the best ways to grow as a person, being open to trying things that your not accustomed to will allow for you to have a broader knowledge. Likewise, being strong enough to not bend your moralities, as many people tend to neglect that your morals don’t have to be swayed, however when you don’t ever try to learn or constantly investing into learning about the way of life in the world, you can become dangerously ignorant in other situations effecting more that whats in your local bubble.

Mental illness is something that everyone deals with, it being more severe for other in some cases. However for me i tend to find that the arts really help me calm down and allow to to think and express how i’m feeling. I’m usually very outspoken, however i find that in my artwork, suppressed emotions will make themselves apparent: whether it be an action or tone to a painting, or symbols in a sketch, or the sound of a song, or the look of a sculpture. And by expressing such emotions i’m able to tackle them head on, and i’m able to openly talk about how i’m really feeling through my artwork. I hope to someday become an Interior Designer, but my hearts desire is to paint: paint for fun, paint commissions, paint as a business, etc. Either way, i know that what i’ll do with be better for my mental health, because personally i value my mental state over my financial one. Though money plays a big factor in today’s society, i choose to consistently challenge those social norms to better myself and those around me.

Recipe for Caleb servings: 1 Ingredients: 1. 1 cup of Jesus 2. 1 cup of Latino heritage 3. 1 cup of Military life 4. 1 cup of artistic liberties 5. 1 cup of eldest child 6. 1/2 cup of hardship 7. 1/2 cup of heart break 8. 1/4 cup of worries 9. 1/4 cup of fears 10. 1 gallon of love We all identify with some basic principles: religion, ethnicity, hobbies and talents, upbringings, etc. These play a big factor in who we are., however, so do those things we don’t tend to want to showcase. Things that make us human.