My favorite book is Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Fangirl follows the main protagonist Cather (or Cath) who is about to start college and recently discovered that her twin sister and best friend Wren does not plan to be her roommate. Cath has always been attached to Wren and is the more introverted twin. She experiences a lot of anxiety about not having her twin sister by her side to lead her through the college experience. Cath's anxieties go as far as her resorting to only eating protein bars out of fear of going to the cafeteria. Her roommate Regan and Regan's ex-boyfriend Levi, encourage Cath to ignore her fears and speak her mind. Cath worries for her twin sister Wren, who is seemingly becoming a whole new person and distancing herself from Cath and, their dad who has a Mental illness that progressively gets worse when the girls are away at college at one point ending up in the hospital. Fangirl is my favorite book because no matter your situation, you can relate to Cath's experiences and what she is feeling. Every high school student who is going to college is terrified to leave what is familiar behind and venture into something new. Every teen is also scared of the fact of losing those friends and growing apart from relationships as you enter new stages of your life. Rereading Fangirl these last few months before graduating high school and starting college has relieved my anxieties about graduating from the school and leaving the classmates who I have known since kindergarten, my childhood best friend going to a different college, and leaving my high school friends who I talk to every day in school. Fangirl is a must-read book for all teens going through change.

I will go to the University of North Carolina Charlotte and earn a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice to better understand the background of the inner workings of America's criminal justice system. After earning my Bachelor's degree, I will earn a post-degree certificate in paralegal studies for criminal law. I believe paralegals are just as important as the lawyers who represent clients in a criminal case. Paralegals do all the research for a case, such as laws and evidence; they conduct witness interviews, prepare documents, and draft complaints, motions, or briefs in criminal proceedings. Paralegals do all the work to build and prepare the case to help represent their attorney's clients. Lawyers and attorneys represent clients, but paralegals work behind the scenes to put cases together, helping those who need a strong case in a criminal trial. As a Hispanic American woman, I want to help other minority groups who feel underrepresented or mistreated in the criminal justice system. I would excel in helping clients who have been wronged or mistreated by the system. Almost 56% of Latinos have had contact with the criminal justice system firsthand or have a close family member who has had an encounter. African Americans and Latinos combined makeup 57% of the United States prison population, even though combined they only make up 29% of the United States population. African Americans and Latinos also face harsher prison sentences and are less likely to receive sentences below their sentencing guideline. Many Latinos do not want to reach out for help because they do not speak English or feel like no one will understand or listen to their situations. African Americans do not want to reach out for help thinking they will be punished for it. Existing research indicates that members of minority groups are less likely to seek help when they experience a civil legal problem. Injustices they perceive in the criminal justice system mark the belief that the legal system is unjust and should just be avoided no matter the problem that may have occurred. I want to be a Paralegal who can be personally hands-on with their cases and find solutions. My contributions to the legal field could help balance the imbalance that exists within our legal system. Helping families who are usually ignored in the legal system would help bring the issue of imbalance forward and promote change for minority groups within the criminal justice system. Every person deserves proper legal representation and an opportunity against the criminal justice system. No individual should approach their case already defeated just based on their background or the color of their skin.

The investing tip I have taken to heart the most is to start a retirement account as soon as you are making income. My own grandparents do not have any funds for retirement because they did not start an investment fund for retirement earn in life and were burdened by debt payments. My mother has very little saved for retirement at the age of 50 because she did not open her account earlier and had to take out funds to cover her own debt. My plan is to graduate college debt-free and open an emergency fund, savings account, and retirement fund. I do not want to reach the age of retirement and worry about if I will be able to sustain myself with what I have or what I will do if I can not. I will take the advice of the trusted adult in my life and do the research to make sure I chose the best plan for the long wrong. Another piece of advice I have also received is once you open a retirement fund is to be paying close attention to the percentage and money growth within the account to make sure it is consistent and not fluctuating to dangerous levels. Most people do not even know what is going on within their funds because they are not checking as often as they should or at all. I will be on top of my funds when I open my account and begin to invest. It is money from my paychecks and I should know what is going on with that money. I should also be informed if something could happen to that money I m dependent on to support me in my future once I am unable to work.

The study strategy I use every time that always works for me is to envision my dream apartment. I start to imagine the different themes I want each room to be, the color schemes I want, and the decorations I want to buy. I imagine my bedroom, the living room, and most importantly the office. I think about the chairs I am going to buy, the color desk I am going to have, the color laptop and keyboard I am going to use when I have my office for work. I think about this dream space that will belong to me in the future. I know the only way I can accomplish this is by getting through school and starting a career. Another fantasy that motivates me to study is imagining myself going through Ikea, eating a cinnamon bun, and buying the furniture for my dream apartment. I go through my work routine in this dream apartment having an iced coffee and snack next to me as I do my work in my dream office. My desk will be filled with office supplies, and a big and small calender to mark meetings, deadlines, and events. I will have a wax warmer to fill the room with relaxing smells and a big office chair that I can sit comfortably in without experiencing back pains. I will also have a big bookshelf in my office to hold both books of pleasure and books of business. The idea of being financially independent enough to afford and accomplish my dream apartment motivates me to study now so I can have what I want in my future. This fantasy of possibilities gives me the drive I need to put in the work even on my hardest days.

I will go to The University of North Carolina Charlotte and earn a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice to better understand the background of the inner workings of America's criminal justice system. After earning my Bachelor's degree, I will earn a post-degree certificate in paralegal studies for criminal law. I believe paralegals are just as important as the lawyers who represent clients in a criminal case. Paralegals do all the work to build and prepare the case to help represent their attorney's clients. Lawyers and attorneys represent clients, but paralegals work behind the scenes to put cases together, helping those who need a strong case in a criminal trial. With my skills in research and organization and my love for criminal law, I know I would excel in this career path. As a Hispanic American woman, I want to help other minority groups who feel underrepresented or mistreated in the criminal justice system. Most often, it is minorities who are mistreated by the system. I would excel in helping clients who have been wronged or mistreated by the system.I want to be a Paralegal who can be personally hands-on with their cases and find solutions. Helping families who are usually ignored in the legal system would help bring the issue of imbalance forward and promote change for minority groups within the criminal justice system. I want to start to pursue my dream career as soon as I graduate with my degree. I know I would not be able to do this if I was burdened with student loan debt. I am 8,000 dollars away from graduating debt-free. I will continue to apply for scholarships and save from my jobs to reach my goal of graduating debt-free and pursuing my dream career straight after graduation.

Right now, if I recieved 1,000 dollars I would send that check straight to the University of North Carolina Charlotte. My goal is to graduate debt-free from college. I am currently 8,000 dollars away from my goal. UNCC and FAFSA have generously offered almost 13,000 dollars in scholarships and grants. Unfortunately, I will not be able to cover the rest of the cost unless I take out student loans. I do not want to take out student loans. I do not want debt to stop me from being able to pressure my dream career and accomplish my goals after graduation. I will continue to apply for as many scholarships as I am eligible for. I also work a part-time job to save money and have plans to apply for another job in the summer months. I will work hard now to apply for scholarships and save my earnings than have to put a pause on my goals and dreams because of student loan debt.

In my senior year of high school, I chose to take economics and personal finance. We follow the RamseySolutions course for high school students. Before taking this class, the main pieces of advice all the adults in my life instilled in me were to save my money and do not take on any debt. Going through the RamseySolutions course, I learned how to create and maintain a budget, the best ways to save and invest my money, and how to build wealth. The Ramseysolutions course gave me the best advice to become a financially independent adult and a financially intelligent student. I learned the right process for choosing a college and funding my college education. Ramseysolutions confirmed what the trusted adults in my life advised me. Debt is a weight that will tie you down and put a stop to pursuing your dreams. The majority of adults who take on student debt take almost 40 years to pay them off. The majority of those adults wish they had taken a different path or come up with different funding for their education. Many adults admit that they stay in jobs that do not give them fulfillment and put off their dreams to pay off their loans. The trusted adults in my life have shared their own personal experiences of being burdened by debt. My grandparents have no savings for retirement because they have had to continue to payments on loans that are still not paid off. My mother just recently paid off her credit card debt that she has had since 2000. My best friend's parents only recently finished paying off all their own student loan debt only to go back into debt with her payments. I do not want to have the same experience. I want to have the chance to go after all the opportunities for my dream career. When I graduate from the University of North Carolina Charlotte, I want to graduate knowing I can begin to pursue my dream career and not rush into work to start paying back my debt. Immediately after graduation, I want to open a retirement fund, savings, account, and emergency fund. I want to use my paycheck to support myself and begin to save for my dreams such as traveling and donating to causes I am passionate about. To be able to go to UNCC debt-free, I need 8,000 dollars. To avoid taking out student loans and later dowing in debt, I have been applying to every scholarship I am eligible for. I also work a part-time job and put money from my paychecks into a savings account to have money for college. I also have plans to get another part-time job to be able to save even more. I will work hard now to pick up shifts and apply to scholarships rather than put a pause later in life to pay off student loan debt.

I know how community service changes lives. My mom and I got our home through the Habitat for Humanity program. Many volunteers would come at seven in the morning to help construct our house. Because of community service, we now have a beautiful home to live in. I will never forget the first time we walked into our new home, and my mom burst into tears of joy. Our experience with Habitat for Humanity taught me the impact of community service and made me want to give back to my community. I want to help have a positive impact on someone else's life. During my summers and school breaks, I volunteer at Blessing Received Each Appointed Day (B.R.E.A.D) Incorporated in Gastonia, NC. B.R.E.A.D Incorporated is a Christian-based organization that gives groceries to the homeless and low-income families. I go into the office at seven in the morning and begin organizing the food shelves and preparing boxes full of food. We begin to give out the boxes at nine in the morning and continue until noon. I do many jobs for the organization, such as preparing the food boxes, working in the front office helping people sign up to receive food, and making bags full of chips and snacks to hand out. I speak both English and Spanish fluently, so when families who only spoke Spanish came in, I would help guide them through the process I love to hear those stories, and about the impact I have made on those around me, just like the impact, the Habitat for Humanity volunteers made on my family. The volunteers who helped construct our house changed our lives. I have the amazing opportunity through B.R.E.A.D Incorporated to make an impact on other families. I also have the opportunity to give back to a wonderful community. My goal is that I will go to a 4-year university and earn a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice to better understand the background of the inner workings of America's criminal justice system. After earning my Bachelor's degree, I will earn a post-degree certificate in paralegal studies for criminal law. I believe paralegals are just as important as the lawyers who represent clients in a criminal case. As a Hispanic American woman, I want to help other minority groups who feel underrepresented or mistreated in the criminal justice system. Most often, it is minorities who are mistreated by the system. I would excel in helping clients who have been wronged or mistreated by the system. I want to be a Paralegal who can be personally hands-on with their cases and find solutions. My contributions to the legal field could help balance the imbalance that exists within our legal system. Helping families who are usually ignored in the legal system would help bring the issue of imbalance forward and promote change for minority groups within the criminal justice system. I want to start working toward my dream career as soon as possible. I can by graduating college debt-free.

I know how community service changes lives. My mom and I got our home through the Habitat for Humanity program. Many volunteers would come at seven in the morning to help construct our house. Because of community service, we now have a beautiful home to live in. Our experience with Habitat for Humanity taught me the impact of community service and made me want to give back to my community. I want to help have a positive impact on someone else's life. During my summers and school breaks, I volunteer at Blessing Received Each Appointed Day (B.R.E.A.D) Incorporated in Gastonia, NC. B.R.E.A.D Incorporated is a Christian-based organization that gives groceries to the homeless and low-income families. I go into the office at seven in the morning and begin organizing the food shelves and preparing boxes full of food. We begin to give out the boxes at nine in the morning and continue until noon. I do many jobs for the organization, such as preparing the food boxes, working in the front office helping people sign up to receive food, and making bags full of chips and snacks to hand out. I speak both English and Spanish fluently, so when families who only spoke Spanish came in, I would help guide them through the process. The people we help tell us how B.R.E.A.D has impacted their lives. I love to hear those stories, and about the impact, I have made on those around me, just like the impact, the Habitat for Humanity volunteers made on my family. The volunteers who helped construct our house changed our lives. I have the amazing opportunity through B.R.E.A.D Incorporated to make an impact on other families. I also have the opportunity to give back to a wonderful community.

The most helpful piece of financial advice I have ever received was during my senior year of high school. I chose to take the economics and personal finance class taught with the RamseySolutions course for high school students. Ramsey Solutions teaches high school students how to create a budget, how to open a savings account, and how to build wealth. Taking this course during my senior year of high school was the perfect time in my life to get financial advice before starting college and eventually becoming a financially independent adult. I was able to learn money-saving advice and I got the best advice that every adult in my life was able to confirm, do not take on debt. Debt is a weight on all of your dreams. People with debt have had to put off getting married, traveling, starting a family, and all the plans in their life because of their debt. Most people in debt have also forced themselves to stay in jobs that do not give them fulfillment and not pursue their dream careers in order to pay off their debt. Every adult in my life in one way was burdened by debt from car payments, credit card payments, or student loans. Every adult admitted that they put off or never accomplished what they truly wanted to do because of debt. I do not want this outcome for myself. I want to be able to accomplish all my goals. When I receive my first paycheck, I want to be able to keep it for myself. I continue to apply for scholarships so I will be able to pay the last $ 8,000 dollars of tuition and go to college without worrying that I will be paying back student loans.

The biggest problem facing the world right now is how we all treat eachother especially within the justice system. People have tendency to stereotype and pin people based on past experiences, race,gender, and sexual orientation. There are people on death row and children in federal prison who arn't suppose to be there just because people turned them away, not willing to give them a second chance or opportunity to tell their true story. Society needs to learn about these people. Schools should teaches these cases, police departments should also learn about these cases, and the court should think of these cases when heading into new ones. These cases teach bigger lessons that all people should know, to give and honest chance. Giving an honest chance is also one step forward to fixing other problems facin the worls such as war, poverty, and hunger.