The phrase "Education will get you further in life" was told many times by my grandmother, who would babysit me until her eventual passing. She was an intelligent woman, who inspired me to take advantage of the opportunities that she did not have. She was not allowed to study, as she was told she could only ever be a wife. She was a woman with a great mind, and she was also a great mother and grandmother. Every day I am continuously grateful for that phrase because whenever I did not want to go to school, I would remember her phase and her tone. Every single time that I got a bad grade, or was careless, I knew that she would be disappointed. I aspire to never disappoint her. So, education to me is a way to have a bigger role in society. To be educated is to be heard. To be educated is to have better opportunities. As a young girl who is forging her own path in an uncertain world, I know that education will take me down a road that can make my grandmother and her ancestors who did not have a say in the world, proud. She is a constant reminder that people should always strive for more because we have these valuable growth opportunities, which is also what education means. Growth in mind, growth emotionally and also, to grow culturally. We all deserve the very best, and education can make you meet other amazing people. I want to be happy. I want to travel the world and learn about other ways of living. As my mother always said, going to college means that you can interact with people of other religions, ethnicities, and races. This ensures that I am not only educated in a certain area of study but that I have seen, felt and heard other ways of life. To be a well-rounded human full of intellectual and cultural information is what an educated person should be like. As you can tell, the women around me have shaped me into what I believe to be an open-minded person. They have educated me as much as they could. Not only that, but I respect the way that even if they did not attend school formally, they have lived lives that are worth telling. They have educated themselves so well, that how could I not want to do the same?

Mental illness and addiction run pretty deep in my family, and since a young a age I have witnessed what it does to people. I believe I was around 7 when I realized how bad my father’s mental state and how bad his addiction truly was. In retrospect, it traumatized me deeply and I would sometimes stay up late in the night with my older sister just to make sure he came home safely. I grew up paranormal. Later on at 13 I realized how my father’s actions affected my mother as well, so much that she left him and went to live with her mother 3 hours away. She was in a state of psychosis and paranoia, and I was scared for her. But I was also so proud, because she broke a chain that had been haunting her family, she left a man who harmed her mentally. I knew right there and then how much I did not want to fall into the same vices. Though it was hard, since living in a border town where people have a different idea of how much mental health really matters, I saw myself succumb to unhealthy habits that seemed so normal. I knew it was not, and by then I also realized how therapists were not for “crazy” people, and decided to go. As I approached my later teens, I swore to myself that I would try my best to get out but never leave them behind, because my parents don’t want to be unhealthy, they just were never taught any better. I promised myself I would not get into a relationship with someone who could harm my heart and my mind. I also knew that living this town was the very best option for my future. It’s been hard making healthy decisions when you spend your whole life thinking that if they have issues, then so will you, But I had to grow out of that mindset for my own sake. So did my father, who has decided that we matter more, and that his life is precious enough to not ruin it. He went to therapy. I aspire that one day I can do all the things my parents could not do because they had no hope. I hope that they are proud of me, and I hope that I can inspire them to get better and to heal. I aspire deeply to learn from their mistakes and make a better life for my future children to look up to. One big thing now, is working towards moving on with life despite the setbacks. My family’s mental problems has made me a more conscious and empathetic person. I treat people with kindess, I know what I want out of life and I believe that I know what not to do to fall into bad habits and vices. I believe I now have stronger boundaries, and I know how important having a community with a good mindset. To have hope that you can do anything you want.

If I could have anyone read just one book, it would be She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb. The book follows Dolores Price from the ages of four to forty. As a woman, that book hit me in a way not even I could understand. I don’t think only women can relate to it, young people in general can relate to the ups and horrible downs that happened to the main character and how she decides to deal with them. This book showed the internal conflict between living and trying to move on in a world that never stops, whilst also having to deal with the emotional aspect and the trauma that happens when horrible situations seem to always happen to you. I admire the character, even if she was fastidious at times. I learned to ALSO admire the people around me. People go through hardships everyday and I can’t completely comprehend how it is humanly possible that we just have to keep going, even if we don’t necessarily want to. That is why I would like for people to read it. I would like for people to go through the same emotions that I did, to see and sympathize what people go through, because sympathy is rare these days and bad things are everywhere. Also, to be kind in this world, because people are just trying to get by. For the world to not be so harsh and have conscious that what is happening to us is not the only thing happening, but the only thing we can see.