When at the age of 14 I found out I was pregnant I thought and felt as if my world along with my dreams had vanished forever. At this young age, I made the most important decision of my life when decided to move in with my father here to the United States and with his help and my stepmother's help, raise my son. I knew that moving here would allow me to try and continue to pursue my own dreams while giving my son a better chance to also accomplish all of his goals and dreams in the future. But this also meant leaving behind a whole life back in El Salvador and also some of the most important people for me, my mother and my siblings. Being a single, teenage mother in a new country while learning a new language was not easy; however, I wanted to stay strong and push through to show my son that no obstacle is too big if you really want something. In my case, I always knew I wanted to be in the medical field and help people. Especially those in my community who are oftentimes misunderstood and or underrepresented. That is why I took my first chance as soon as I could and started taking "academy" classes in high school because I thought this would give me a faster and easier path to becoming a nurse. That was not the case, I encountered so many adversities my way that made me question if this is what I really wanted, or if it would be worth the sacrifice and hard work afterall. During high school, I was able to take a Medical Assistant course and I then passed the exam to be certified. I hoped to get a job with this certification after graduating high school but because of my immigration status I was not able to and this quickly expired after 2 years. Then, when I finally got my immigration status on the works it was too late to renew this certification and that is when I decided to go back to school and pursue nursing. Being, the sole provider for my son meant I could only do school part-time and work full-time. It is for this reason that it has taken me almost 3 years to complete all of my nursing prerequisites and to finally apply and be accepted into a nursing program; which I am beyond excited to start this upcoming Fall. Every single choice I make I focus on what this would mean for my son’s future, because I want him to grow up and be able to accomplish any and every goal he has for himself with as little adversities as possible. I do not want him to have to choose to leave his most beloved people or have a better, brighter future. I focus on making sure I do my best to show him important values like perseverance and courage to work hard for what you want.

Making a difference in a patient’s life is one of my goals in life. I have wanted to become a nurse for as long I can remember. Working at our local hospital has given me the chance to work more closely with the patients and clinical staff which has helped my passion for helping others become more intense. I have a clear set of goals now and I know exactly where I want to be in life. I am certain that staying focused and working hard is going to help me achieve those goals. Growing up in El Salvador with my mother and two siblings I always wondered “what else is out there?” “How far can I really go?”. I know there were sometimes when my mother struggled to provide for my siblings and me; however, she always pushed through, and she showed me how to be resilient despite all the challenges that might come my way. My mother taught me that if you work hard and stay true to yourself, good things will come your way you as long as you have faith. Nevertheless, staying faithful, resilient, and aspiring for big goals has not always been easy for me especially in the past few years. Because having my son at 15, right after leaving my mother and siblings to move to another country with the father I only knew through pictures and phone calls was not easy. This was the darkest, most confusing, and challenging time of my life. Nonetheless, thanks to my high school teachers and other people that I continue to meet every day, I have been able to come out of that darkness while setting new goals and accomplishing them day by day. I try every single day on becoming the best version of myself. Another goal in my life is making my son and my parents immensely proud of what I have and will accomplish. Being the first one on both sides of my family to attend college is already a great achievement. Though, I want to make sure my son recognizes that no obstacle or challenge is too big to overcome, and no dream is too big pursuit. Because this girl who was once the talk of the town as well as the one who everyone had lost hope in, will continue to stay resilient and faithful to achieve many and all goals.