In lamest terms, being an American means loving your country, doing your duty as a citizen, and being appreciative of the freedoms you are given. Every day, I am thankful that I am a U.S. citizen. I am grateful for the liberties I have been granted by my country because I realize a seemingly minuscule freedom, such as speech, is something most countries do not have. However, it is also an American's duty to respectfully hold their country accountable when they are in the wrong. As a second-generation Cuban American, it has been instilled by my grandparents, who have fled from the communist dictatorship that is Cuba, that out of all the rights Americans had and they did not, it was the freedom of speech. In Cuba, as communism grew, free speech diminished, and my grandparents recognized that their thoughts would eventually endanger them. They legally had immigrated to the U.S. before communism completely took over and although they faced some adversity in the U.S., they ended up being able to buy a comfortable home in Miami and have a wonderful, intelligent daughter who is currently a mom and educator. Growing up, learning the history of what my grandparents had to face made me more thankful for the country I live in, despite the mistakes America has made in the past. In recent years, freedom of speech has been something that I value just as much as my grandparents did. The reason why freedom of speech is crucial to the safety of Americans is because it protects unpopular speech. Without it, our country would be populated with individuals who think and talk alike, but underneath it all, the forced unification would cause tension, friction, and even violence among Americans. Would the U.S. truly be "united" without it? From a young age, we are taught that the United States was created to bring a melting pot of cultures and unify them. The melting pot not only includes diversity in race but also includes diversity of thought. Both of these definitions are protected in the Bill of Rights. Although we've been taking tremendous strides in progressively extinguishing racism in our country, the same cannot be said about the protection of our freedom of speech. In recent years, "cancel culture" has been plaguing free speech platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Even these social media platforms have gone as far as censoring opinions and even jokes that are unpopular among the American population. In extreme situations, historical figures, such as the statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, have been knocked down in an attempt to erase them from history. These were the exact beginnings of the communism that took over my grandparent's home country in which they fled and left their homes, businesses, and families behind. I love my country. I am proud to be an American and uphold the duties that come with being a citizen of such a great nation. However, the biggest and one of the most honorable duties is holding your country accountable. The progressive censorship of unpopular opinions, jokes, and deceased historical figures occurring within our country is the first step into the descent of the downfall of America. It is the biggest threat to our human rights and our united country. If I do not utilize my freedom of speech now and uphold my duty as a citizen to respectfully address the issues looming over my country now, then I would soon have to follow in the solemn footsteps of my grandparents and leave the country I have known, loved, appreciated, and cherished.

“Goodness! Did you get your wisdom teeth removed?” my second-grade teacher exclaimed. My heart accelerated. Palms sweating. Breathless. I'd just returned to school and I was unaware of what my situation was; nor did I know what wisdom teeth were. Before returning, hospitals were becoming my home, and being confined in a room with doctors entering to deliver bad news while my parents wept and worried, wasn’t my cup of tea. Nonetheless, I wished my oblivious teacher was right because my diagnosis was worse. “Your daughter doesn’t have cancer, but she has a related rare disease; histiocytosis. In her case, her leukocytes attacked her jawbone. Thankfully, we’ve caught it, and she should be fine considering the surgery she had. Hopefully, it’ll remain inactive!” I was nine. My worries were winning dance competitions and achieving straight-A honor roll. The pasty room began to shrink, my hearing diminished, and my eyes bulged. Thoughts of my illness returning sent my mind into havoc. Luckily, the disease stayed inactive, but my uncertainty remained. I’d start to hyperventilate, tremble, and feel nauseous. These worrisome thoughts would stalk me at every moment and pounce when I least expected it. From the moment I’d grab my pencil to start a test, to my first pirouette on stage, they arose. Once they came, they couldn’t stop. Eventually, I realized that histiocytosis wasn’t what would consume me, it would be my undiagnosed anxiety. Transitioning into high school, I began researching my condition and adopting a variety of hobbies like yoga, meditation, and volunteering at a cat shelter. These hobbies became healthy habits. However, the most therapeutic activity I found was conversing with others. Although I’ve gained and lost friends, all of them have confided in me at one point for insight into my experiences and advice. Analytically, I noticed that everyone had obstacles; some were more difficult than others, but obstacles, anyhow. Guiding my peers through struggles reassured them about their future. However, listening to others and sharing my story relieved me of my apprehension. Even though hearing others’ stories pacified the pain of my past, it was upsetting to think that many of my peers had gone through trauma, especially in terms of divorce or dysfunctional families. The negative stigma and commonality of mental illness are only increasing due to neglecting the feelings of others during adversity. As a child of divorced parents, their messy split worsened my undetected condition. I’ve come to realize that couples in troubled relationships for the sake of their children worsen their children’s mental health rather than a couple who’ve had a healthy parting. Through the stories of my peers, I became motivated to become a divorce attorney. By becoming a compassionate attorney, which is growing scarce, couples could have a healthy divorce, leaving less trauma for the child to cope with. I overcame my anxieties. Others aren’t as fortunate and could take a lifetime to find the light. I will always spare my time for those who yearn for their day in the sun.

My dream goal in life would be to finally be to live a comfortable life while helping others overcome their troubles faster than it has taken me. In my life, there were more "downs" than "ups" unfortunately, due to my parent's divorce, a rare genetic diagnosis, and now living in a single-parent household. However, on my path to becoming a matrimonial attorney, I hope to help others who are also going through messy family problems while finally being able to give my family and myself a comfortable life.

My biggest back-to-school tip for incoming high school freshmen specifically would be to take it slow! There is so much to absorb and learn in the ocean that is high school if you are coming out of a little pond! My suggestion is to take it easy while also making the most out of your year. For example, don't spend this time taking classes that are too difficult for you, as that will add to your stress. Rather, take simpler courses while you are getting used to your new environment. You can also spend this time collecting volunteer hours in your spare time, instead of procrastinating on them. It's better to knock this major aspect of high school sooner, rather than saving them for your junior year (also known as THE MOST STRESSFUL YEAR OF YOUR LIFE)! This is some advice that I would have loved to have known stepping into high school. In summary, don't overdo it, but make the most out of each moment. Instagram Handle: @llivingdeadgirll

“Dancers make the best actors,” said famous dance choreographer Debbie Allen from the show “Fame”. Meaning, that unlike most of the arts, like singing or poetry, dancers cannot speak to provoke their audience’s emotion. Instead, they must use their bodies and facial expressions to tell a story. It is easy to tell someone how they should feel, but it is much harder to show an audience how to feel after a two-minute performance. Many outsiders looking into the dance world do not realize how much effort and dedication it takes to perfect this craft and how it pours into the rest of the arts. To an audience, depending on the genre, dance is something that can be “hip” or graceful to watch in a show. Beneath the surface, each genre tells a different story and teaches a different lesson. For example, tap taught me musicality, which assisted me in writing songs and remixing. Jazz showed me to go about life with joy and eagerness to absorb experiences and take risks without second guessing. Contemporary and lyrical taught me to look deeper and to think outside of the box; the genre emphasized that not everything in life is black and white. Each genre of dance displayed lessons that carried into the real world. However, the foundation of all dance, ballet, deserves an entire dedication in and of itself. Ballet is something I am convinced no one can ever completely master. Without it, the techniques for each dance genre would not exist. As it is one of the oldest and the most difficult styles of dance, to exhibit it poorly would be an injustice. In summary, in my experience, ballet is the most painful, straining, and tedious style to perform. However, it is my favorite. With all the waterworks that I cried due to frustration and hurt, ballet demonstrated many lessons I would learn about the dance itself, and the outside world. Ballet taught me patience, as the moves themselves are not learned overnight. It taught me to pay attention to the details, as these details can dramatically change outcomes for the better. It braced me to work through frustration, as the result will always feel like a reward. It disciplined and strengthened me physically and mentally. It gave me a healthy outlet for almost a decade to express myself during ups and downs while opening more doors of creativity in other forms for the future. Ballet matured me and it prepared me for the professional world. Mostly, it saved me from the dangers and temptations kids my age easily fall into when obstacles begin to pile up. By giving me something to work on and improve on every day, this beautiful art form instilled the values I hold dearly while keeping me out of harm's way. Overall, the art of dance has paved the way for all the arts I now practice today. All of the knowledge I have acquired from my eight years of dance, I have carried over into my hobbies, school work, and real-world situations. The values that I have gained have gotten me to the point in life I am at today, and they have not faltered me. I certainly don’t expect them to fail me for my plans of graduating and attaining my law degree afterward!

To put it simply, the best financial advice I have ever received was from a social media post that came at the right time, right place. I was at a financial low going into college and I was a wreck trying to sort through how I would pay for next year's tuition. Although this advice is pretty well-known in the financial world, I had never heard of the concept until that day. In short, it is called the 50/30/20 rule. What this rule means is that after you have earned your paycheck, you have to split it up into these percentages. 50% of your earnings will go to savings, 30% of your earnings will go to utilities, and 20% of it goes towards the money you can spend on entertainment. Following this rule from a young age and onward, teaches you how to build your savings and how to manage your utilities in your later adulthood. Currently, my savings have improved tremendously over the past year and I am more relieved about entering my sophomore year of college.