Since I was a little girl I wanted to help people but I truly didn't understand what the meaning of helping someone meant. Now after completing years in the mental field at college, I can say I have learned so much from class and real-life stories. It is a fulfilling career choice that can have profound impacts on the lives of individuals, families and communities. One factor that has influenced my decision to become a mental health therapist is that I have always been deeply passionate about helping others. Witnessing the struggles and challenges that people face in their lives has ignited within me a desire to make a difference and provide support. I can help a diverse group of individuals navigate everyday challenges and empower them to lead happier and healthier lives. Having a career in therapy will always bring diverse situations into your hands, thus having empathy, good communication and critical skills is a must. Another factor that has influenced my decision is the understanding of the societal impact of mental health. Mental health concerns affect individuals across all walks of life, transcending gender, race, age, and socioeconomic backgrounds. By working in the field of mental health I hope to contribute to the reduction of stigma surrounding mental health issues and promote a more compassionate and understanding society. I aim to advocate for mental health awareness, educate communities about the importance of seeking help, and actively work toward dismantling barriers that prevent individuals from accessing mental health services. When I first came to the US, I was a young teen looking for help to manage my everyday stressors and I was unable to get help due to language barriers. Now that I fully speak two languages I can help those in need that come from other parts of the world looking for mental health help. Lastly, this field offers continuous opportunities for personal and professional growth. As a therapist, I would embark on a lifelong journey and provide the most effective care for my future clients. Many believe that clinical social workers can't make a difference in people's lives because we earn less than other clinicians and some believe we have less education. Is my duty to show the world that we can make a difference and create positive change. This is a calling that aligns with my values, strengths, and aspirations to create an empathetic and resilient world.

We live in a world where constant fights are being fought. Disagreements can turn into wars, division, and hatred. Zombie by the Cranberries is an eye-opening song that hits you with real-life world problems. This song speaks truth by giving a message of how wars and violence hurt many families every day by wars, weapons, guns, and bombs. As a mother, it breaks my heart to see how children lose their parents and everything they have due to wars, greet, and violence. This song has been following me throughout my childhood, my mother used to put it when I was a little girl. During that time I didn't understand the lyrics but now that I am a young adult I can recite the entire song in my head. The song was written to protest the Warrington Bombings in England during the 1993. Every word has a meaning to me and it makes me want to stand up for others that are living in despair around the world. One of my favorite parts of the lyrics are "But you see, it's not me/ It's not my family. In your head, in your head, they are fighting. With their tanks and their bombs. And their bombs and their guns/ In your head, in your head, they are crying" These lyrics are truly captivating by explaining that even if is not happening to us, is happening to someone else. Another family could be hurting right now due to these violent crimes and acts. As we have recently seen in the news how plenty of children and people as a whole a dying in the US due to gun violence thus, this song brings truly an important message. Stop violence, hate, wars, and lets come together!

From the moment I laid my eyes on my son, I knew that I would become a completed different person than I was before. I understood that there would be barriers that I would have to push down, responsibilities that I would have, time, finances to cover. I understood that love could push all these barriers down and I would be able to pursue my dreams to become a clinical social worker. I didn't understand the exhausting part of being a parent, the long nights staying awake to feed my son, the early morning waking up to make breakfast, having assignments, presentations ready, and being ready to go to work. Every little minute that I spent with my son teaches me to value the love of a parent and how important it is for a child to grow up filled with love, nurture, a home, food, education, have positive attachments, medical coverage, and financial stability. My journey with education has been very exhausting, expensive, but most importantly it has enlightenment me with so much knowledge. Earning my Associates's degree, Bachelors's degree in Psychology, and currently doing my Masters's degree in social work has taught me how big the world is, how much information there is in a classroom that can change the lives of many people. I am able to recall different policies that can help families have a better future, I am able to understand the development of a child, the different research methods done by many educators that have helped grant help to minority groups in the U.S and around the world. One of my favorite parts of being a student and a parent is that I am able to use my knowledge in real-time by teaching my son life skills that can help him solve problems in the present and later on in life. The importance of understanding your emotions, having guidance, education, love can truly impact the life of a child and increase positive growth. It is not easy being a single parent and having to bring home income to care for your child and cover the cost of education thus, it is truly important to finish my degree to be able to support my family, to make sure my sons future is secure and able to help other families like mine, have resources to succeed. I cannot way for the day when I am able to hold my Master's of Social Work Degree, to have passed my ASWB exam, and obtain my LCSW license. This would truly be a dream come true to be able to say that I made it and I was able to push any obstacle down. Most importantly to be able to look at my son's face and tell him " I did it, baby, mommy did it".

To me, my family is "happiness". Learning every day how to cope with any obstacles that come my way gives me joy because I can learn from my mistakes and keep going. Having a chair in a classroom makes me happy, knowing that I can have education and earn knowledge makes me very happy. Waking up every morning in a home where love feels the air, where there is no limit to being whoever I want to be makes me happy. Having my son close to me in the mornings, afternoons and nights give me joy. Knowing that a little human is looking up to me and wants to be just like mommy makes me understand how important my place in the world is. As a student, mother, sister, coworker, I have learned how important it is to share happiness with others. One example is, driving to the closes deli to get breakfast and paying for Mr. Erick's coffee, egg, ham, and cheese sandwich, which brings me joy. Saving plastic bottles for my friend Sara in a plastic bin, until the bin is filled makes me happy. Sharing knowledge with others about the injustice that minority groups every day have to face fills me up with hope because I can use my education to help others succeed in life. From the time we are born to the time we part of this world, we try to fill ourselves with feelings of happiness but often failed to succeed because happiness is not only about what you want or dream. Is about how you can plant the seeds and teach others to succeed and cope with obstacles, to grow with you or without you for a better tomorrow.

My favorite book would be " The Great Gatsby" by F.Scott Fitzgerald This book is a masterpiece that shows how two souls are in love and Jay Gatsby wants to win back his first love Daisy. Every page is full of detail regarding the past and present of Gatsby and Daisy thus it gave me a background story of their complicated life and struggles to be together. I was able to feel the honesty, struggles, and temptations of the characters. Most importantly I was able to understand how empty and hollow Gatsby felt without Daisy almost as if he had no purpose in life because his universe was the woman he loved, Daisy. I was able to understand how wealth can change people over time making them feel empty, powerful, and less kind towards others. This book is very intense in the sense of the heartache that Gatsby and Daisy have, due to the years of been separated and the unhappy marriage Daisy has. As a reader, I was immersed in the glamorous life of a rich man and woman living in the West and East Egg of Long Island, finding myself lost in the many parties Gatsby made to attract Daisy. My favorite part is the end because even though is a tragic love affair, I was left speechless to know that Gatsby and Daisy would never be together and that pain runs in every reader's mind to know that you cannot hold the love of your life close to you. This book taught me that love is never perfect, glamour and wealth tend to distract you from the truth. No one knows if you will see that perfect someone ever again, just like Gatsby was never able to stay with his golden girl Daisy.