I am a daughter to undocumented parents, who came to the United States to receive better opportunities. My parents work every single day to provide for my brother and me, so we can live a fuller life. They want to make sure we have the ability and resources to accomplish our dreams which is why my main goal is to make all of their sacrifices worth it. I grew up working with my parents in housekeeping, I experienced the emotional and physical labor it took to make sure they have enough money to provide for us. Their only wish as undocumented parents was for me was to do well in school. I want to make their dreams come true, to see their only daughter attend college. As a first-generation student, it's a lot of pressure knowing that my parents are rooting for me and expect me to do academically well. It's also difficult to realize that because of financial barriers, I won't be able to attend my dream college. My dream college is Wesleyan University because of it's open curriculum. I attended a fly-in program and immediately felt at home, the campus was beautiful. My career goal is to become an art teacher, which combines my love for the arts and teaching others to be creative. I fully believe that having space for creativity is important for people starting at an early age, it expands creativity. When I was younger, I didn't have access to many art classes, so I hope to be able to provide them for students in my future. I believe I am a great candidate because I have learned to be true to myself. Growing up, I have always felt the need to please others' wishes for me, just so they can be happy with what I'm doing. Over these last few years of high school, I've learned to chose my own path, a path I can strive in. Specifically connecting it to my future, my parents already have my college path in mind, where I should go and what I should study. I've learned to be bold and let them know I'm choosing my path. They've had dreams of me becoming a doctor or lawyer, mostly because it makes good money. But I want to choose a career that I will enjoy doing. I'd rather wake up every day and feel excited about my career than feel like it's just another paycheck I'm waiting for. I'm bold for standing up for what I think is best for me.

• Housekeeper

  Housekeeping · Saint Felix House Cleaning

  Jan 2013 – Present

• Apprentice

  Arts · MOCHA

  Jan 2019 – Jan 2019

• Advocacy
• Volunteering
• Philanthropy
• Entrepreneurship

• Soccer

  Varsity · 1 award

  2018 – Present

  Awards:

  Best Sportmanship

• Cross-Country Running

  Varsity

  2019 – Present

• Intern

  Public Service (Politics) · East Side Arts Alliance

  2018 – 2018

  Mission:

  Use arts to build a stronger community and create social change.

• Volunteer

  Volunteering · Build On

  2016 – Present

  Mission:

  Empowering urban youth to transform our communities through community service that includes: cleaning parks, feeding the homeless, planting trees, etc.