I have found that there is financial adversity in life. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither of them went to college. My identical twin brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. My parents have always included us, children, in business conversations, business planning, floor plan layouts and even let us pick out the facade to a few of their franchisees. My Mom is also a great cook who would invite all types of CEOs, CFO's over for dinner and would make sure to have us kids seated at the table, and join in conversations that allowed us to ask questions. Our favorite question was always "tell us how you got started, what's your story?" What an education this has been! I have watched my parents succeed, and I have also watched them loose it all and go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity and my parents have taught me is to get back up each and every time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. My parents are the champions of this lesson and I appreciate them both for this life skill and life lesson. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished as a Research Analyst for a fund placement, advisory, and investor relations firm that focused on raising institutional capital for select alternative investment managers. I am thankful that my brother and I were the companies first high school hired employees and that they offered us full-time work over the summer months. I truly enjoyed my time at the office working with all adults who exposed me to the investment banking world and allowed me to join in meetings and phone calls. This exposure lit a passion in me for this type of business. This position gave me a vision of what I would like to do as an occupation. A scholarship would mean the world to me. I would love to tell my parents that I have won and I can only imagine their excitement. Having twins, both going to college at the same time, the financial burden on our family is great. A scholarship would lift a piece of this pressure off of us all. Thankful doesn't seem like a strong enough word, I would be more than thankful. In Spanish there is a word "agradecido" it means grateful, thankful, appreciative, obliged, indebted, beholden and that's how I would feel. I imagine this scholarship impacting not just me but my whole family. My future is bright. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to going to college, in the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own investment banking firm business with my twin brother. I live in Puerto Rico, and I would love to be able to give a college scholarship to a high school senior, who's family is in the same situation as mine and bless them with a financial gift that could change the whole trajectory of their family. I thank you for your time in reading my essay and for consideration.

I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished as a Research Analyst for a fund placement, advisory, and investor relations firm that focused on raising institutional capital for select alternative investment managers. I am thankful that my brother and I were the companies first high school hired employees and that they offered us full-time work over the summer months. I truly enjoyed my time at the office working with all adults who exposed me to the investment banking world and allowed me to join in meetings and phone calls. This exposure lit a passion in me for this type of business. This position gave me a vision of what I would like to do as an occupation. A tip that I heard over and over was don't chase a stock, and have patience. Another key tip that I have taken to heart, comes from collaboration. When I started trading stocks with my brother and father, we divided the work efficiently to figure out what to buy for the greatest success. This is also true with the people around me in school. From completing a group project to starting a website teaching people about the emerging decentralized finance world, working with others has been an important part of my development. I plan on learning more from the people around me and how to build others up along with myself. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I am a first-generation college student and for that I am proud. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own investment banking firm with my twin brother.

Hello, my name is Cruz Reyes. Adversity is a word that I and my family have passed through on so many different levels. To start I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked at as a pair. You are often not seen as an individual, and you are born into knowing how to perform, grow, and learn as a team. Teamwork or collaboration for me is a given. It comes as a natural reaction in all situations. However, the challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. I have overcome this obstacle by pouring myself into my schoolwork, sports, hobbies, and others. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests or friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. I consider myself blessed to have a best friend always by my side. But as we move forward closer to graduation, attending different colleges, being separated for the first time in our lives, I feel excitement for this new change. I look forward to how we will both grow as individuals and I'm excited for our next chapters in life. When my family moved to Puerto Rico I was going into the 4th grade. I learned in Puerto Rico, my family and I were looked upon as American (Gringos) regardless of my heritage. I had to overcome this obstacle by educating my peers about the challenges of being Puerto Rican and living in the states. I had to explain that regardless of my American accent in speaking Spanish my blood ran with Puerto Rican pride and culture. I had to explain to my new Puerto Rican friends that with the friends in the states I had to teach them of our Puerto Rican pride, heritage, culture, Caribbean life, and traditions. I found myself teaching the friends in Puerto Rico American traditions such as traditional foods and games on certain holidays that were not as celebrated in Puerto Rico. Overall, this adversity of living in both worlds and the pride for both the United States and Puerto Rico has made me who I am today. I have also found that there is financial adversity in life as well. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither of them went to college. My brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother. I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community in Puerto Rico. That for me will be a true success. Thank You for your time.

Hello, my name is Cruz. I am blessed to have grown up on the island of Puerto Rico. I love to play golf for my high school varsity team and outside of school as well. Playing on the high school varsity team, this sport has given me the opportunity to see gorgeous golf courses and to enjoy nature all while playing the game. Our team traveled the island and played at amazing courses and I am thankful for that opportunity. It also gave me the opportunity to meet other students from other schools, and I realized that golf is also great for networking. Not only is golf a great hobby, but it has also been a way for my brothers, father, and me to connect. We go to the driving range and hit balls and we try to play a game once or twice a month. I love it. The issue is-it is expensive. I would play more but the expense does hold me back. I am thankful for making my varsity school team each year while in high school. With that team membership, I was given the ability to play at an amazing course. Let's just say they know my name in the pro shop and I use my membership wisely and played often. I was also given the opportunity to jump into tournaments and play when a group was short a player. I have met businessmen by doing this and have had amazing conversations. By doing this I realized I truly have an interest in business and plan to study business and entrepreneurship. My biggest lesson learned from playing golf is when you fail at a shot, those truly bombed shots, I've learned that I can use my failures as opportunities to learn something new. I make sure that when I fail it doesn’t take me away from my goals and that I move forward with a positive mindset. This lesson is just not in golf. I have taken this lesson and worked it into my life skills. I know that if I fail, fall short, slip up, it opens a door for me to see what went wrong and to readjust accordingly. This works in my personal life as well. If I find myself in a hole, whether in academics or with my friends, I use the opportunity to see where I’m struggling and then pull myself back up to do better. I have noticed many intelligent people say you will always fail one way or another, but it’s getting back up where the real learning begins. I pride myself on getting back up and becoming even stronger. As my twin brother and I move forward closer to graduation, we are first-generation college students and for that, I am proud. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother. I thank you for your time and consideration.

I am blessed to have grown up on the island of Puerto Rico. I love to play golf for my high school varsity team and outside of school as well. This sport has given me the opportunity to see gorgeous golf courses and to enjoy nature all while playing a game. Not only is golf a great hobby, but it has also been a way for my brothers, father, and me to connect. We go to the driving range and hit balls and we try to play a game once or twice a month. I love it. The issue is-it is expensive. I would play more but the expense does hold me back. I am thankful for making my varsity school team each year while in high school. With that team membership, I was able to play at an amazing course. I would like to say I used that team membership wisely and played often. My mother raised me with an appreciation of everyday beauty. A true daily stop and smell the roses, sea air, walk in the grass barefoot mentality. Each day I take a ride on my bike through our neighborhood that happens to be on the beach coast. Having access to the beach daily, I appreciate its beauty, calming sound ability, swimming in the sea, and fishing. Fishing is another hobby of mine. Living by the ocean, I can go and drop a line in the sea. Fishing is a great way to relax. You have to be patient. My friends and I often spend afternoons or Saturday afternoons fishing. I also see the importance of taking care of our resources. Beach clean-up is second nature for me, If you see something pick it up and dispose of it properly. We have to do better as a society in caring for our resources. I have also volunteered with Sociedad Chelonia de Puerto Rico, a research and conservation program for Leatherback Sea Turtles. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I will be the first generation to attend college and for that I am proud. I have not lived in an area that has four seasons in years. I await the opportunity to feel and see the change in nature. I hope to see snow and go sledding. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. Thank you for your time.

Hello, my name is Cruz. I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked upon as a pair. You are often not seen as an individual, and you are born into knowing how to perform, grow, and learn as a team. The challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. With this pressure, my twin brother struggles with anxiety. I have watched and supported him for years in his journey. He has come so far by working with a therapist and learning different techniques. I have also watched him help our friends and share his knowledge. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests or friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. I consider myself blessed to have a best friend always by my side. Together we encourage others to seek help when it is needed. We want others to understand that there is nothing to be ashamed of and by seeking help you will feel better. Life is sometimes hard, but it will be ok. We have a plaque hanging on our wall in our home it says "Pray, Wait, Trust." Over the years, our family has used this saying an uncountable number of times. I feel an important factor in mental health awareness is to let others know they are never alone and to simply speak up and out when you are struggling. Peers and family members will be so proud of you for making this step. I have also learned that when a family member or friend is seeking help; if it is out of your realm to assist, GO ASK FOR HELP. Just do something. It's ok for you as the helper to get assistance in this task. I feel a lot of issues in our world stem from mental health issues. From addiction, PTSD, grief, etc.all these issues play into mental health. My mother raised us with compassion for the homeless, and street drug addicts. She would always say "no one woke up and said this is what they aspire to be. Be compassionate." I feel communities struggle to find the correct resources for those in need. I truly hope and feel that as I grow into a young man this stigma of embarrassment or shame of mental health will be diminished. I honestly feel like as a human race we need to show kindness to others as well. You truly have no idea what another is struggling with, we need to be patient, kind, and nonjudgmental. As my brother and I move forward closer to graduation, we are first-generation college students and for that, I am proud. We will be attending different colleges, separated for the first time in our lives, however, I feel excitement for this new change. I look forward to how we will both grow as individuals and I'm excited for our next chapters in life. I have peace of mind knowing that although we will be apart, and our lives are changing drastically, I know my brother is working hard at staying well and under the loving care of his therapist. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. I know I will be one to encourage others to seek help when it is needed. I have seen first hand the benefits of this. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself, to continue to be there for others, and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother. The future can be bright, we just need to look at it with the right positive vision. "Pray, Trust, Wait. " Thank You for your time.

My name is Cruz. I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked upon as a pair. You are often not seen as an individual, and you are born into knowing how to perform, grow, and learn as a team. The challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. With this pressure, my twin brother struggles with anxiety. I have watched and supported him for years in his journey. He has come so far by working with a therapist and learning different techniques. I have also watched him help our friends and share his knowledge. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests or friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. I consider myself blessed to have a best friend always by my side. Together we encourage others to seek help when it is needed. We want others to understand that there is nothing to be ashamed of and by seeking help you will feel better. Life is hard, but it will be ok. I feel an important factor in mental health awareness is to let others know they are never alone and to simply speak up and out when you are struggling. Peers and family members will be so proud of you for making this step. As my brother and I move forward closer to graduation, we are first-generation college students and for that, I am proud. We will be attending different colleges, separated for the first time in our lives, however, I feel excitement for this new change. I look forward to how we will both grow as individuals and I'm excited for our next chapters in life. I have peace of mind knowing that although we will be apart, and our lives are changing drastically, I know my brother is well and under the loving care of his therapist. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. I know I will be one to encourage others to seek help when it is needed. I have seen first hand the benefits of this. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself, to continue to be there for others, and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother. Thank You for your time.

My name is Cruz. I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked upon as a pair. You are often not seen as an individual, and you are born into knowing how to perform, grow, and learn as a team. The challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. With this pressure, my twin brother struggles with anxiety. I have watched and supported him for years in his journey. He has come so far by working with a therapist and learning different techniques. I have also watched him help our friends and share his knowledge. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests or friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. I consider myself blessed to have a best friend always by my side. Together, we encourage others to seek help when it is needed. We want others to understand that there is nothing to be ashamed of and by seeking help you will feel better. We are fortunate to have each other to talk to, and sometimes just talking it out makes a world of difference. Life is hard, but it will be ok. I feel an important factor in mental health awareness is to let others know they are never alone and to simply speak up and out when you are struggling. Peers and family members will be so proud of you for making this step. As my brother and I move forward closer to graduation, attending different colleges, being separated for the first time in our lives, I feel excitement for this new change. I look forward to how we will both grow as individuals and I'm excited for our next chapters in life. I have peace of mind knowing that although we will be apart, and our lives are changing drastically, I know my brother is well and under the loving care of his therapist, and I know he knows deep in his knowing that we're always there for him. ALWAYS. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. I know I will be one to encourage others to seek help when it is needed. I have seen first hand the benefits of this. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself, to continue to be there for others, and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother. Thank You for your time.

I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked upon as a pair. The challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. With this pressure, my twin brother struggles with anxiety. I have watched and supported him for years in his journey. He has come so far by working with a therapist and learning different techniques. I have also watched him help our friends and share his knowledge. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests or friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. Together we encourage others to seek help when it is needed. We want others to understand that there is nothing to be ashamed of and by seeking help you will feel better. Life is hard, but it will be ok. The pandemic has really thrown many high schoolers for a loop. I feel an important factor in mental health awareness is to let others know they are never alone and to simply speak up when they are struggling. Peers and family members will be so proud of you for making this step. I have peace of mind knowing that my brother is well under the loving care of his therapist. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. I know I will be one to encourage others to seek help when it is needed. Thank You for your time.

My name is Cruz. I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked upon as a pair. You are often not seen as an individual, and you are born into knowing how to perform, grow, and learn as a team. Teamwork or collaboration for me is a given. It comes as a natural reaction in all situations. However, the challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. With this pressure, my twin brother struggles with anxiety. I have watched and supported him for years in his journey. He has come so far by working with a therapist and learning different techniques. I have also watched him help our friends and share his knowledge. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests or friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. I consider myself blessed to have a best friend always by my side. Together we encourage others to seek help when it is needed. We want others to understand that there is nothing to be ashamed of and by seeking help you will feel better. Life is hard, but it will be ok. The pandemic has really thrown many high schoolers for a loop. Our high school years have not been like anyone else's of the past. For example, let's look at my school in Puerto Rico. It started in 2020 with lockdowns, online school, entire island curfews for everyone for almost a year, mandatory mask mandates, sports canceled, summer programs, community service projects, internships all canceled. 2021 was back to online school for the entire year, continued canceled sports, and mask mandates. Finally, this school year we are back to school. We have had to go online multiple times for outbreaks, masks are still mandated throughout the island and everywhere you go, weekly testing for sports, and testing after all school breaks to return to school. I have noticed I miss seeing others' smiles. Reflecting on this, it has been hard. However, it has also been ok. I feel an important factor in mental health awareness is to let others know they are never alone and to simply speak up and out when you are struggling. Peers and family members will be so proud of you for making this step. As my brother and I move forward closer to graduation, attending different colleges, being separated for the first time in our lives, I feel excitement for this new change. I look forward to how we will both grow as individuals and I'm excited for our next chapters in life. I have peace of mind knowing that although we will be apart, and our lives are changing drastically, I know my brother is well and under the loving care of his therapist. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. I know I will be one to encourage others to seek help when it is needed. I have seen first hand the benefits of this. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself, to continue to be there for others, and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother. Thank You for your time.

My name is Cruz. I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked upon as a pair. You are often not seen as an individual, and you are born into knowing how to perform, grow, and learn as a team. Teamwork or collaboration for me is a given. It comes as a natural reaction in all situations. However, the challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. With this pressure, my twin brother struggles with anxiety. I have watched and supported him for years in his journey. He has come so far by working with a therapist and learning different techniques. I have also watched him help our friends and share his knowledge. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests or friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. I consider myself blessed to have a best friend always by my side. Together we encourage others to seek help when it is needed. We want others to understand that there is nothing to be ashamed of and by seeking help you will feel better. Life is hard, but it will be ok. The pandemic has really thrown many high schoolers for a loop. Our high school years have not been like anyone else's of the past. For example, let's look at my school in Puerto Rico. It started in 2020 with lockdowns, online school, entire island curfews for everyone for almost a year, mandatory mask mandates, sports canceled, summer programs, community service projects, internships all canceled. 2021 was back to online school for the entire year, continued canceled sports, and mask mandates. Finally, this school year we are back to school. We have had to go online multiple times for outbreaks, masks are still mandated throughout the island and everywhere you go, weekly testing for sports, and testing after all school breaks to return to school. I have noticed I miss seeing others' smiles. Reflecting on this, it has been hard. However, it has also been ok. I feel an important factor in mental health awareness is to let others know they are never alone and to simply speak up and out when you are struggling. Peers and family members will be so proud of you for making this step. As my brother and I move forward closer to graduation, attending different colleges, being separated for the first time in our lives, I feel excitement for this new change. I look forward to how we will both grow as individuals and I'm excited for our next chapters in life. I have peace of mind knowing that although we will be apart, and our lives are changing drastically, I know my brother is well and under the loving care of his therapist. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. I know I will be one to encourage others to seek help when it is needed. I have seen first hand the benefits of this. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself, to continue to be there for others, and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother. Thank You for your time.

When my family moved to Puerto Rico I was going into the 4th grade. I learned in Puerto Rico, my family and I were looked upon as American (Gringos) regardless of my heritage. I had to overcome this adversity by educating my peers about the challenges of being Puerto Rican and living in the states. I had to explain that regardless of my American accent in speaking Spanish my blood ran with Puerto Rican pride and culture. I had to teach friends in the states about Puerto Rican pride, heritage, culture, and traditions. I found myself teaching the friends in Puerto Rico, American traditions such as traditional foods, games, etc. Overall, the opportunity to live in both worlds and the pride for both the United States and Puerto Rico have made me who I am today. I have also found that there is financial adversity in life as well. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither of them went to college. My twin brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. My parents have always included us, children, in business conversations, business planning, floor plan layouts, and even let us pick out the facade to a few of their franchisees. My Mom is also a great cook who would invite all types of CEOs, CFO's over for dinner and would make sure to have us kids seated at the table, and join in conversations that allowed us to ask questions. Our favorite question was always "tell us how you got started, what's your story?" What an education this has been! I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity and my parents have taught me is to get back up each and every time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. My parents are the champions of this lesson and I appreciate them both for this life skill and lesson. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished as a Research Analyst for a fund placement, advisory, and investor relations firm that focused on raising institutional capital for select alternative investment managers. I am thankful that my brother and I were the companies first high school hired employees and that they offered us full-time work over the summer months. I truly enjoyed my time at the office working with all adults who exposed me to the investment banking world and allowed me to join in meetings and phone calls. This exposure lit a passion in me for this type of business. This position gave me a vision of what I would like to do as an occupation. Having spent this time in the business sector I see how Mechanism would be a tremendous asset in the world. A key success factor in business comes from collaboration. When I started trading stocks with my brother and father, we divided the work efficiently to figure out what to buy for the greatest success. This is also true with the people around me in school. From completing a group project to starting a website teaching people about the emerging decentralized finance world, working with others has been an important part of my development. I plan on learning more from the people around me and how to build others up along with myself. I don't think others in the world see collaboration as a gift and that is a major problem. I have also watched my parents struggle at times to try to find the right people to assist them in their companies. As an entrepreneur working with a company such as Mechanism, I personally find it amazing! I have a smile on my face just thinking of companies and entrepreneurs coming together. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother.

When my family moved to Puerto Rico I was going into the 4th grade. I learned in Puerto Rico, my family and I were looked upon as American (Gringos) regardless of my heritage. I had to overcome this adversity by educating my peers about the challenges of being Puerto Rican and living in the states. I had to explain that regardless of my American accent in speaking Spanish my blood ran with Puerto Rican pride. I had to explain to my new Puerto Rican friends, that with the friends in the states, I had to teach them about our Puerto Rican pride, heritage, culture, and traditions. I found myself teaching the friends in Puerto Rico American traditions such as traditional foods and games on certain holidays that were not as celebrated in Puerto Rico. Overall, this adversity of living in both worlds and the pride for both the United States and Puerto Rico has made me who I am today. During the latest social justice movements both in the states and in Puerto Rico I found myself passionately explaining to my friends the beauty of these movements, marches, and speeches. The social justice movements that were happening in the states actually sparked movements on the island of Puerto Rico. Many don't realize though Puerto Rico is granted U.S. citizenship in 1917, Puerto Ricans who reside in the island territory aren’t allowed to cast ballots for president, and they’re denied voting representatives in the U.S. House and Senate. We are allowed to serve in all branches of the military but can't vote for the Commander in Chief. Maybe read those two sentences again. Did you know that fact? Overall, the social justice movements in my community and the island of Puerto Rico, have awakened the younger generation of the island to stand up, united, with our voices, and to speak up and out when change needs to take place. We know our journey is more of a marathon than a race however, progress will take place both here on the island of Puerto Rico and in the states. That alone is a beautiful thing.

I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked at as a pair. You are often not seen as an individual, and you are born into knowing how to perform, grow, and learn as a team. Teamwork or collaboration for me is a given. It comes as a natural reaction in all situations. However, the challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. I have overcome this adversity by pouring myself into my schoolwork, sports, hobbies, and others. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests and friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. I consider myself blessed to have a best friend always by my side. My brother and I will be first-generation to go to college. For that I am proud. However, as we move forward closer to graduation, attending different colleges, being separated for the first time in our lives, I feel excitement for this new change. I look forward to how we will both grow as individuals and I'm excited for our next chapters in life. Staying true to oneself is not easy, but you have to be ok with the one that looks back at you in the mirror. I feel you can never go wrong with going with your gut, and if it doesn't work out, that is ok. Get up, brush yourself off, know you gave it your all, and get going. Do the next big thing, try harder, JUST KEEP GOING. Make future you proud of the man/woman you are right now. Thank you for your consideration.

Hello, Have you heard the story about a guy on the island...I am that guy! My name is Cruz Reyes and I live on the island of Puerto Rico. I have two brothers but one looks exactly like me, for I am an identical twin. My brother and I will be the first generation to go to college. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I love all things business and would like to one day have a career in the investment banking world. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Hello, my name is Cruz Reyes and I thank you in advance for reading my essay. Adversity is a word that I and my family have passed through on so many different levels. To start I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked at as a pair. You are often not seen as an individual, and you are born into knowing how to perform, grow, and learn as a team. Teamwork or collaboration for me is a given. It comes as a natural reaction in all situations. However, the challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. I have overcome this adversity by pouring myself into my schoolwork, sports, hobbies, and others. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests or friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. I consider myself blessed to have a best friend always by my side. But as we move forward closer to graduation, attending different colleges, being separated for the first time in our lives, I feel excitement for this new change. I look forward to how we will both grow as individuals and I'm excited for our next chapters in life. I have also found that there is financial adversity in life as well. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither of them went to college. My brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. Through these challenges in adversity, I have found it takes a leader to pass through and overcome these issues. Being a leader is having the mindset to get up and keep going, a work ethic to get the job done and to get it done with excellence. Share your story with others as an encouragement. This is a leader. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother. I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community. That for me will be a true success. Thank You for your time.

Hello, my name is Cruz Reyes and I thank you in advance for reading my essay. Adversity is a word that I and my family have passed through on so many different levels. To start I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked at as a pair. You are often not seen as an individual, and you are born into knowing how to perform, grow, and learn as a team. Teamwork or collaboration for me is a given. It comes as a natural reaction in all situations. However, the challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. I have overcome this adversity by pouring myself into my schoolwork, sports, hobbies, and others. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests or friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. I consider myself blessed to have a best friend always by my side. But as we move forward closer to graduation, attending different colleges, being separated for the first time in our lives, I feel excitement for this new change. I look forward to how we will both grow as individuals and I'm excited for our next chapters in life. When my family moved to Puerto Rico I was going into the 4th grade. I learned in Puerto Rico, my family and I were looked upon as American (Gringos) regardless of my heritage. I had to overcome this adversity by educating my peers about the challenges of being Puerto Rican and living in the states. I had to explain that regardless of my American accent in speaking Spanish my blood ran with Puerto Rican pride and culture. I had to explain to my new Puerto Rican friends, that with the friends in the states, I had to teach them about our Puerto Rican pride, heritage, culture, and traditions. I found myself teaching the friends in Puerto Rico American traditions such as traditional foods and games on certain holidays that were not as celebrated in Puerto Rico. Overall, this adversity of living in both worlds and the pride for both the United States and Puerto Rico has made me who I am today. I have also found that there is financial adversity in life as well. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither of them went to college. My brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother. I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community. That for me will be a true success. Thank You for your time.

Hello, my name is Cruz Reyes and I thank you in advance for reading my essay. Adversity is a word that I and my family have passed through on so many different levels. To start I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked at as a pair. You are often not seen as an individual, and you are born into knowing how to perform, grow, and learn as a team. Teamwork or collaboration for me is a given. It comes as a natural reaction in all situations. However, the challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. I have overcome this adversity by pouring myself into my schoolwork, sports, hobbies, and others. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests or friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. I consider myself blessed to have a best friend always by my side. But as we move forward closer to graduation, attending different colleges, being separated for the first time in our lives, I feel excitement for this new change. I look forward to how we will both grow as individuals and I'm excited for our next chapters in life. When my family moved to Puerto Rico I was going into the 4th grade. I learned in Puerto Rico, my family and I were looked upon as American (Gringos) regardless of my heritage. I had to overcome this adversity by educating my peers about the challenges of being Puerto Rican and living in the states. I had to explain that regardless of my American accent in speaking Spanish my blood ran with Puerto Rican pride and culture. I had to explain to my new Puerto Rican friends that with the friends in the states, I had to teach them about our Puerto Rican pride, heritage, culture, and traditions. I found myself teaching the friends in Puerto Rico American traditions such as traditional foods and games on certain holidays that were not as celebrated in Puerto Rico. Overall, this adversity of living in both worlds and the pride for both the United States and Puerto Rico has made me who I am today. I have also found that there is financial adversity in life as well. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither of them went to college. My brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother. I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community. That for me will be a true success. Thank You for your time.

Hello, my name is Cruz. The quality I find that I value is Persistence. Adversity is a word that I and my family have passed through on so many different levels. To start I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked at as a pair. You are often not seen as an individual, and you are born into knowing how to perform, grow, and learn as a team. Teamwork or collaboration for me is a given. It comes as a natural reaction in all situations. However, the challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. I have overcome this adversity by pouring myself into my schoolwork, sports, hobbies, and others. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests or friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. I consider myself blessed to have a best friend always by my side. But as we move forward closer to graduation, attending different colleges, being separated for the first time in our lives, I feel excitement for this new change. I look forward to how we will both grow as individuals and I'm excited for our next chapters in life. When my family moved to Puerto Rico I was going into the 4th grade. I learned in Puerto Rico, my family and I were looked upon as American (Gringos) regardless of my heritage. I had to overcome this adversity by educating my peers about the challenges of being Puerto Rican and living in the states. I had to explain that regardless of my American accent in speaking Spanish my blood ran with Puerto Rican pride and culture. I had to explain to my new Puerto Rican friends that with the friends in the states I had to teach them of our Puerto Rican pride, heritage, culture, and traditions. I found myself teaching the friends in Puerto Rico American traditions such as traditional foods and games on certain holidays that were not as celebrated in Puerto Rico. Overall, this adversity of living in both worlds and the pride for both the United States and Puerto Rico has made me who I am today. I have also found that there is financial adversity in life as well. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither of them went to college. My brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother. I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community. That for me will be a true success. Thank You for your time.

I am blessed to have grown up on the island of Puerto Rico. I love to play golf for my high school varsity team and outside of school as well. This sport has given me the opportunity to see gorgeous golf courses and to enjoy nature all while playing a game. My mother raised me with an appreciation of everyday beauty. A true daily stop and smell the roses, sea air, walk in the grass barefoot mentality. Each day I take a ride on my bike through our neighborhood that happens to be on the beach coast. Having access to the beach daily, I appreciate its beauty, calming sound ability, fishing, and swimming in the sea. I also see the importance of taking care of our resources. Beach clean-up is second nature for me, If you see something pick it up and dispose of it properly. We have to do better as a society in caring for our resources. I have also volunteered with Sociedad Chelonia de Puerto Rico, a research and conservation program for Leatherback Sea Turtles. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I will be the first generation to attend college and for that I am proud. I have not lived in an area that has four seasons in years. I await the opportunity to feel and see the change in nature. I hope to see snow and go sledding. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation.

I have found that there is financial adversity in life. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither went to college. My twin brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each and every time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. My parents are the champions of this lesson and I appreciate them both for this life skill. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished as a Research Analyst for a fund placement, advisory, and investor relations firm that focused on raising institutional capital for select alternative investment managers. I am thankful that I was the companies first high school-hired employee and that they offered me full-time work over the summer months. I truly enjoyed my time at the office working with all adults who exposed me to the investment banking world and taught me the lesson to keep trying, keep going forward. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own investment banking business with my twin brother. I have a passion and an appreciation of the education I have received so far and I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community in Puerto Rico. That for me will be a true success. Thank you.

I have found that there is financial adversity in life. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither went to college. My twin brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each and every time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. My parents are the champions of this lesson and I appreciate them both for this life skill. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished as a Research Analyst for a fund placement, advisory, and investor relations firm that focused on raising institutional capital for select alternative investment managers. I am thankful that I was the companies first high school-hired employee and that they offered me full-time work over the summer months. I truly enjoyed my time at the office working with all adults who exposed me to the investment banking world and allowed me to join in meetings and phone calls. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own investment banking business with my twin brother. I have a passion and an appreciation of the education I have received so far and I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an

My family moved to Puerto Rico in 2013. Once there, we were looked upon as "gringos" regardless of our heritage. I had to overcome this adversity by educating my peers about the challenges of being Puerto Rican living in the states. Regardless of my American accent in speaking Spanish my blood runs with Puerto Rican pride and culture. I had to teach my new friends about living in the states. Overall, this adversity of living in both worlds and the pride for both the United States and Puerto Rico has made me who I am today. I have also found that there is financial adversity in life as well. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither of them went to college. I will be a first-generation college student and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each and every time and to keep going. My parents are the champions of this lesson and I appreciate them both for this life skill and lesson. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own investment banking business with my twin brother. I have a passion and an appreciation of the education I have received so far and I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community in Puerto Rico. That for me will be a true success. Thank you.

I have found that there is financial adversity in life. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither went to college. My twin brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each and every time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. My parents are the champions of this lesson and I appreciate them both for this life skill. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished as a Research Analyst for a fund placement, advisory, and investor relations firm that focused on raising institutional capital for select alternative investment managers. I am thankful that I was the companies first high school-hired employee and that they offered me full-time work over the summer months. I truly enjoyed my time at the office working with all adults who exposed me to the investment banking world and allowed me to join in meetings and phone calls. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own investment banking business with my twin brother. I have a passion and an appreciation of the education I have received so far and I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community in Puerto Rico. That for me will be a true success. Thank you.

I have found that there is financial adversity in life. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither went to college. My twin brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each and every time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. My parents are the champions of this lesson and I appreciate them both for this life skill. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished as a Research Analyst for a fund placement, advisory, and investor relations firm that focused on raising institutional capital for select alternative investment managers. I am thankful that I was the companies first high school-hired employee and that they offered me full-time work over the summer months. I truly enjoyed my time at the office working with all adults who exposed me to the investment banking world and allowed me to join in meetings and phone calls. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own investment banking business with my twin brother. I have a passion and an appreciation of the education I have received so far and I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community in Puerto Rico. That for me will be a true success. Thank you.

I have found that there is financial adversity in life. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither went to college. My twin brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each and every time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. My parents are the champions of this lesson and I appreciate them both for this life skill. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished as a Research Analyst for a fund placement, advisory, and investor relations firm that focused on raising institutional capital for select alternative investment managers. I am thankful that I was the companies first high school-hired employee and that they offered me full-time work over the summer months. I truly enjoyed my time at the office working with all adults who exposed me to the investment banking world and allowed me to join in meetings and phone calls. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own investment banking business with my twin brother. I have a passion and an appreciation of the education I have received so far and I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community in Puerto Rico. That for me will be a true success.

I have found that there is financial adversity in life. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither went to college. My twin brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each and every time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. My parents are the champions of this lesson and I appreciate them both for this life skill. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished as a Research Analyst for a fund placement, advisory, and investor relations firm that focused on raising institutional capital for select alternative investment managers. I am thankful that I was the companies first high school-hired employee and that they offered me full-time work over the summer months. I truly enjoyed my time at the office working with all adults who exposed me to the investment banking world and allowed me to join in meetings and phone calls. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own investment banking business with my twin brother. I have a passion and an appreciation of the education I have received so far and I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community in Puerto Rico. That for me will be a true success.

I have found that there is financial adversity in life. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither went to college. My twin brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each and every time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. My parents are the champions of this lesson and I appreciate them both for this life skill. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished as a Research Analyst for a fund placement, advisory, and investor relations firm that focused on raising institutional capital for select alternative investment managers. I am thankful that I was the companies first high school-hired employee and that they offered me full-time work over the summer months. I truly enjoyed my time at the office working with all adults who exposed me to the investment banking world and allowed me to join in meetings and phone calls. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own investment banking business with my twin brother. I have a passion and an appreciation of the education I have received so far and I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community in Puerto Rico. That for me will be a true success.

I have found that there is financial adversity in life. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither went to college. My twin brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each and every time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. My parents are the champions of this lesson and I appreciate them both for this life skill. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished as a Research Analyst for a fund placement, advisory, and investor relations firm that focused on raising institutional capital for select alternative investment managers. I am thankful that I was the companies first high school-hired employee and that they offered me full-time work over the summer months. I truly enjoyed my time at the office working with all adults who exposed me to the investment banking world and allowed me to join in meetings and phone calls. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own investment banking business with my twin brother. I have a passion and an appreciation of the education I have received so far and I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community in Puerto Rico. That for me will be a true success.

I have had many different interests and aspirations, but the one I found the deepest connection with is business. I have been exposed to many elements of business because my parents are serial entrepreneurs and include me in their discussions. I’ve learned many concepts and ideas that are crucial in the business world and that makes me a better, more productive person. I’m motivated to put in the extra work in order to achieve my goals, from performance in terms of percentage gain in the stock market to the academic goals I have set for myself. My parents always told me that work ethic would get me a long way but I didn’t understand the importance of this strength until I demonstrated it myself. I had a day in investment banking when a huge project needed to be finished quickly; it was my work ethic that allowed me to focus on getting it done on time. That’s when I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in the industry. One thing I was surprised to learn is that I can use my failures as opportunities to learn something new. I make sure that when I fail it doesn’t take me away from my goals and that I move forward with a positive mindset. For example, I have failed by picking stocks that went down, but that opens a door to see what went wrong and to readjust accordingly. This works in my personal life as well. If I find myself in a hole, whether in academics or with my friends, I use the opportunity to see where I’m struggling and then pull myself back up to do better. You will always fail one way or another, but it’s getting back up where the real learning begins. Thank you.

I am blessed to have grown up on the island of Puerto Rico. I love to play golf for my high school varsity team and outside of school as well. This sport has given me the opportunity to see gorgeous golf courses and to enjoy nature all while playing a game. My mother raised me with an appreciation of everyday beauty. A true daily stop and smell the roses, sea air, walk in the grass barefoot mentality. Each day I take a ride on my bike through our neighborhood that happens to be on the beach coast. Having access to the beach daily, I appreciate its beauty, calming sound ability, fishing, and swimming in the sea. I also see the importance of taking care of our resources. Beach clean-up is second nature for me, If you see something pick it up and dispose of it properly. We have to do better as a society in caring for our resources. I have also volunteered with Sociedad Chelonia de Puerto Rico, a research and conservation program for Leatherback Sea Turtles. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I will be the first generation to attend college and for that I am proud. I have not lived in an area that has four seasons in years. I await the opportunity to feel and see the change in nature. I hope to see snow and go sledding. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. Thank you for your time in reading my essay.

My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither went to college. My twin brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that this financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each and every time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. My parents are the champions of this lesson and I appreciate them both for this life skill. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished as a Research Analyst for a fund placement, advisory, and investor relations firm that focused on raising institutional capital for select alternative investment managers. I am thankful that I was the companies first high school-hired employee and that they offered me full-time work over the summer months. I truly enjoyed my time at the office working with all adults who exposed me to the investment banking world and allowed me to join in meetings and phone calls. This exposure made me want to be an investment banker. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own investment banking business with my twin brother. I have a passion and an appreciation of the education I have received so far and I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community in Puerto Rico. That for me will be a true success.

I have found that there is financial adversity in life. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither went to college. My brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each and every time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. My parents are the champions of this lesson and I appreciate them both for this life skill. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished as a Research Analyst for a fund placement, advisory, and investor relations firm that focused on raising institutional capital for select alternative investment managers. I am thankful that I was the companies first high school-hired employee and that they offered me full-time work over the summer months. I truly enjoyed my time at the office working with all adults who exposed me to the investment banking world and allowed me to join in meetings and phone calls. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own investment banking business with my twin brother. I have a passion and an appreciation of the education I have received so far and I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community in Puerto Rico. That for me will be a true success.

Hello, my name is Cruz Reyes and I thank you in advance for reading my essay. Adversity is a word that I and my family have passed through on so many different levels. To start I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked at as a pair. You are often not seen as an individual, and you are born into knowing how to perform, grow, and learn as a team. Teamwork or collaboration for me is a given. It comes as a natural reaction in all situations. However, the challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. I have overcome this adversity by pouring myself into my schoolwork, sports, hobbies, and others. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests or friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. I consider myself blessed to have a best friend always by my side. But as we move forward closer to graduation, attending different colleges, being separated for the first time in our lives, I feel excitement for this new change. I look forward to how we will both grow as individuals and I'm excited for our next chapters in life. When my family moved to Puerto Rico I was going into the 4th grade. I learned in Puerto Rico, my family and I were looked upon as American (Gringos) regardless of my heritage. I had to overcome this adversity by educating my peers about the challenges of being Puerto Rican and living in the states. I had to explain that regardless of my American accent in speaking Spanish my blood ran with Puerto Rican pride and culture. I had to explain to my new Puerto Rican friends that with the friends in the states I had to teach them of our Puerto Rican pride, heritage, culture, and traditions. I found myself teaching the friends in Puerto Rico American traditions such as traditional foods and games on certain holidays that were not as celebrated in Puerto Rico. Overall, this adversity of living in both worlds and the pride for both the United States and Puerto Rico has made me who I am today. I have also found that there is financial adversity in life as well. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither of them went to college. My brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge in coding. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother. I dream of the day that I can teach business, coding, and seminars as an alumnus to my school and community. That for me will be a true success. Thank You for your time.

Hello, my name is Cruz Reyes and I thank you in advance for reading my essay. Adversity is a word that I and my family have passed through on so many different levels. To start I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked at as a pair. You are often not seen as an individual, and you are born into knowing how to perform, grow, and learn as a team. Teamwork or collaboration for me is a given. It comes as a natural reaction in all situations. However, the challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. I have overcome this adversity by pouring myself into my schoolwork, sports, hobbies, and others. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests or friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. I consider myself blessed to have a best friend always by my side. But as we move forward closer to graduation, attending different colleges, being separated for the first time in our lives, I feel excitement for this new change. I look forward to how we will both grow as individuals and I'm excited for our next chapters in life. When my family moved to Puerto Rico I was going into the 4th grade. I learned in Puerto Rico, my family and I were looked upon as American (Gringos) regardless of my heritage. I had to overcome this adversity by educating my peers about the challenges of being Puerto Rican and living in the states. I had to explain that regardless of my American accent in speaking Spanish my blood ran with Puerto Rican pride and culture. I had to explain to my new Puerto Rican friends that with the friends in the states I had to teach them of our Puerto Rican pride, heritage, culture, and traditions. I found myself teaching the friends in Puerto Rico American traditions such as traditional foods and games on certain holidays that were not as celebrated in Puerto Rico. Overall, this adversity of living in both worlds and the pride for both the United States and Puerto Rico has made me who I am today. I have also found that there is financial adversity in life as well. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither of them went to college. My brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother. I dream of the day that I can teach business coding or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community. That for me will be a true success. Thank You for your time.

Throughout my life, I have had many different interests and aspirations, but the one I found the deepest connection with is business. I have been exposed to many elements of business because my parents are serial entrepreneurs and include me in their discussions. Because of my interest, I’ve learned many concepts and ideas that are crucial in the business world and that make me a better, more productive person. I’m motivated to put in the extra work in order to achieve my goals, from performance in terms of percentage gain in the stock market to the academic goals I have set for myself. My parents always told me that work ethic would get me a long way but I didn’t understand the importance of this strength until I demonstrated it myself. I had a day in investment banking when a huge project needed to be finished quickly; it was my work ethic that allowed me to focus on getting it done on time. That’s when I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in the industry. That moment set the standard for how I would approach my work in the future. Another very important aspect of the business world is collaboration. When I started trading stocks with my brother and father, we divided the work efficiently to figure out what to buy for the greatest success. This is also true with the people around me in school. From completing a group project to starting a website teaching people about the emerging decentralized finance world, working with others has been an important part of my development. I plan on learning more from the people around me and how to build others up along with myself. One thing I was surprised to learn is that I can use my failures as opportunities to learn something new. I make sure that when I fail it doesn’t take me away from my goals and that I move forward with a positive mindset. For example, I have failed by picking stocks that went down, but that opens a door to see what went wrong and to readjust accordingly. This works in my personal life as well. If I find myself in a hole, whether in academics or with my friends, I use the opportunity to see where I’m struggling and then pull myself back up to do better. I have noticed many intelligent people say you will always fail one way or another, but it’s getting back up where the real learning begins. I pride myself on getting back up and becoming even stronger. I think that with everything I’ve learned from my love of business, the most important quality would be my drive to succeed. I can use my talents in the most effective way possible and put in all the time necessary to perform well in whatever I may do. Business has always been an occupation where I can feel my drive increasing the more I learn and create ideas. I want to learn more about how to start a business and also want to start one myself. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at a university tailored toward expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother.

Hello, my name is Cruz Reyes and I thank you in advance for reading my essay. Adversity is a word that I and my family have passed through on so many different levels. To start I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked at as a pair. You are often not seen as an individual, and you are born into knowing how to perform, grow, and learn as a team. Teamwork or collaboration for me is a given. It comes as a natural reaction in all situations. However, the challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. I have overcome this adversity by pouring myself into my schoolwork, sports, hobbies, and others. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests or friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. I consider myself blessed to have a best friend always by my side. But as we move forward closer to high school graduation, attending different colleges, being separated for the first time in our lives, I feel excitement for this new change. I look forward to how we will both grow as individuals and I'm excited for our next chapters in life and the opportunity to further my education. When my family moved to Puerto Rico I was going into the 4th grade. I learned in Puerto Rico, my family and I were looked upon as American (Gringos) regardless of my heritage. I had to overcome this adversity by educating my peers about the challenges of being Puerto Rican and living in the states. I had to explain that regardless of my American accent in speaking Spanish my blood ran with Puerto Rican pride and culture. I had to teach my new Puerto Rican friends that with the friends in the states I had to educate them of our Puerto Rican pride, heritage, culture, and traditions. I found myself teaching the friends in Puerto Rico American traditions such as traditional foods and games played on certain holidays that were not as celebrated in Puerto Rico. Overall, this adversity of living in both worlds and the pride for both the United States and Puerto Rico has made me who I am today. I have also found that there is financial adversity in life as well. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither of them went to college. My brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each and every time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. My parents are the champions of this lesson and I appreciate them both for this life skill and lesson. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished as a Research Analyst for a fund placement, advisory and investor relations firm that focused on raising institutional capital for select alternative investment managers. I am thankful that my brother and I were the companies first high school hired employees and that they offered us full time work over the summer months. I truly enjoyed my time at the office working with all adults who exposed me to the investment banking world and allowed me to join in meetings and phone calls. This exposure lit a passion in me for this type of business. This position gave me vision of what I would like to do as an occupation. I love to play golf for my high school varsity team and outside of school as well. This sport has given me the opportunity to see gorgeous golf courses and to enjoy nature all while playing a game. Working in the investment banking field, I have found that many business discussions happen during the game of golf. I appreciate that I was included in work team tournaments and I see how this sport will also assist me in my career goals. As the saying goes "deals are made on the golf course." I've actually now seen this in action. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own investment banking business with my twin brother. I have a passion and an appreciation of the education I have received so far and I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community in Puerto Rico. That for me will be a true success. Thank you for your time.

Hello, my name is Cruz Reyes and I thank you in advance for reading my essay. Adversity is a word that I and my family have passed through on so many different levels. To start I am an identical twin. Being an identical twin you are always looked at as a pair. You are often not seen as an individual, and you are born into knowing how to perform, grow, and learn as a team. Teamwork or collaboration for me is a given. It comes as a natural reaction in all situations. However, the challenge of being an identical twin is to learn how to be an individual when the world sees you as a pair or as one of the same. I have overcome this adversity by pouring myself into my schoolwork, sports, hobbies, and others. I've had to teach others that my brother and I may have the same interests or friends but we stand as individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. My brother is my best friend. I consider myself blessed to have a best friend always by my side. But as we move forward closer to graduation, attending different colleges, being separated for the first time in our lives, I feel excitement for this new change. I look forward to how we will both grow as individuals and I'm excited for our next chapters in life. When my family moved to Puerto Rico I was going into the 4th grade. I learned in Puerto Rico, my family and I were looked upon as American (Gringos) regardless of my heritage. I had to overcome this adversity by educating my peers about the challenges of being Puerto Rican and living in the states. I had to explain that regardless of my American accent in speaking Spanish my blood ran with Puerto Rican pride and culture. I had to explain to my new Puerto Rican friends that with the friends in the states I had to teach them of our Puerto Rican pride, heritage, culture, and traditions. I found myself teaching the friends in Puerto Rico American traditions such as traditional foods and games on certain holidays that were not as celebrated in Puerto Rico. Overall, this adversity of living in both worlds and the pride for both the United States and Puerto Rico has made me who I am today. I have also found that there is financial adversity in life as well. My parents are serial entrepreneurs. Neither of them went to college. My brother and I will be first-generation college students and for that I am proud. I have watched my parents succeed, and I have watched them go through bankruptcy just three years ago. But the one thing that financial adversity has taught me is to get back up each time and to keep going. I realized that work ethic was truly crucial for success in all aspects of life. I’ve gained many skills through the work I have accomplished. I’d like to expand my knowledge and self-growth at Wake Forest University where I was accepted. I look forward to expanding my field of knowledge and the skills I value. In the long term, I would like to grow as a person with the values I hold true to myself and be successful in my future occupation. In particular, I plan to start my own business with my twin brother. I dream of the day that I can teach business classes or seminars as an alumnus to my school and community. That for me will be a true success. Thank You for your time.