Hello, my name is Cecilia Luna González. I am 17 years old and a Hispanic student with Mexican parents. I came to the United States 4 years ago when I was 13. I grew up in Mexico with my mom and sister. Growing up in a machista, sexist environment where you constantly hear phrases like “women are only good for having children and getting married” and “you’re a woman, why study?” makes you aware of reality and motivates you to help and become a better person. Since I was young, I suffered psychological abuse from my family. Despite this, I have always been dedicated to my studies and have consistently earned good grades. I have always fought for what I want and worked hard to achieve it. My family has never believed in me; they always thought I would get married and drop out of school. But currently, I am working two jobs to save money and pay for college. I truly want to have a career and prove that I can do it, and that all women and anyone who desires can achieve their goals with effort and dedication. I want to show them that I can achieve my dreams and that fulfilling my dreams can help others. When I arrived in the United States, I fell into a horrible depression and anxiety that caused many problems. I was in an anxious and depressive crisis for two years of my life. I had to return to Mexico to undergo therapy and understand what was happening to me. God put a psychologist in my path who helped me climb out of the hole I was in, one I never thought I would escape from. Mental health is highly underrated in my opinion. It should be a more talked-about topic since most people suffer from some mental disorder, but there is so little information that they could even die without knowing they had a problem. One thing I learned and will never forget is that if your mind doesn’t work, your body doesn’t work, YOU don’t work. The mind is our most powerful weapon and the least valued, and we must take care of it. We must take care of ourselves and give mental health the same importance as physical health. These two great motivations inspire me to move forward, to help others, and to help myself. I want to assist women who are battered and psychologically abused, and adolescents who feel like I did, who think they have no future, who believe life ends at 16 when you are locked in your room thinking about how to die. I want to show them that going for a walk, talking to a friend, or even drinking water can save your life. I also want to show my Hispanic community that women can achieve great things. I want to demonstrate to all those girls who are going through something similar that they should not give up, that everything is possible with effort and dedication, and that one day they will be able to leave their toxic family environment and live happily. They will become everything they once dreamed of.