My name is Diego Patino. I’m a Mexican-American 17 year old from Chicago, Illinois. Since I was younger, I was taught by my parents what is wrong and right, what kind of person I should be, what kind of life I should strive to have. They guided me through my childhood and supported me throughout high school, helping me get accepted into prestigious universities. I was taught based on traditional Mexican values instilled by my immigrant parents, who were taught the same by their parents in Mexico. Without a doubt, the best lesson they ever gave me was to keep pursuing an education, and to become the best version of myself possible. I say that this is their best lesson because they inherently understood that they themselves couldn’t teach me everything, since they themselves didn’t know everything. But rather, they encouraged me to know more - to be more - than I thought possible. This encouragement helped me fall in love with the concept of learning, whether it was math, science, or social studies. But it was social studies specifically that I always loved the most. Since my first history class in elementary school, I have been fascinated by the study of events, people, and the world! When I was younger, I just thought that social studies was “cool”, and that was it. I didn’t really understand its importance though until I reached high school. While in high school, I took Advanced Placement Human Geography, World Studies, US History, and Government and Politics. I explored each topic with more detail and focus more than any other class previously. Going so in depth into these topics gave me a better understanding of the world, and made me realize just how important it was to understand events that happened in the past and that were still going on, in order to prevent catastrophic events from happening again. But no class made this more clear to me than AP Government and Politics. I can confidently say that this class had the biggest impact on my life. Learning about the founding of the United States and the original intent of the Founding Fathers opened my eyes to what my country could be if we truly followed our ideals. I became aware of the importance of democracy and civil rights for a diverse population like ours, and how important it was to make sure democracy and our inalienable rights were never destroyed. This class helped me realize my major in college as well; political science. I intend on going to college and understanding our political system and the specifics of our rights, and exactly what entails our social contract with our lawmakers. I want to do this with the intention of becoming an attorney and representing the Mexican-American community of Chicago, making sure that their rights are never infringed upon. This is my way of applying what I’ve learned from my parents, community, social studies classes, AP classes, and eventually college, to the real world. I’m grateful for all that I’ve been able to learn, and I’m ready to use it all to transform my community, and my world, into a better place.

To put it simply, the start of senior year was tough. The constant reminder that there were some people in my life that I probably wouldn't have the chance of seeing ever again broke my heart every time I thought about it. I wasn't ready to start saying goodbye to all of the people I had known for four years. But my emotional struggles were being disregarded because of the mental strain of my classes. To make matters worse, getting rec letters, writing essays, and trying to sound as impressive as possible to colleges was draining me. It all started to build up, and I started to wonder if I would get accepted anywhere, or if I was ready for college in the first place. Then came Thanksgiving break. I had completed all of my college applications by that point, and my family and I were going to Mexico to visit our family. Even though my family was looking forward to the rest and relaxation, I was constantly thinking about my applications and all of the what-ifs that could happen to me. It was to the point that my extended family members straight up asked me what was wrong, since my face revealed my doubts. I didn't have the heart to tell them that I was constantly doubting myself and my ability to succeed, that I didn't know if I was smart enough to go to college. Eventually, we went to go see my great-grandmother, who is still sharp enough to share her wisdom with us. We sat down in her living room and began to tell her about how things were going on back home. Upon hearing that I was going to graduate soon, she asked me what I planned to do. I told her that honestly, I didn't know if I was ready for college. I remember her response pretty clearly. She smiled, and with her old-lady wisdom responded, "I'm not worried about you. You're passionate just like your parents and their parents before them. I know that they'll always be within you". It was a very simple statement, but it has stayed with me for so long because it helped me realize a few things. My family has put in so much hard work to help the next generation become greater. They've instilled these hardworking values in me, and I've exhibited them for all the years that I've been in school, always putting in 100% effort, always giving my all. To doubt myself now would be an insult to myself and my family. Afterall, they truly believe in me, so I should too. It also helped me come to terms with the next part of my life, that being all the friends that I might lose contact with. My great-grandma helped me realize that just like how my family and their lessons are within me, my friends and the memories I have of them will still be within me too. After all of the lessons and hardships that we went through, it would be impossible to forget them, even if I might not see them everyday. As for my goals in the future, I plan on becoming a licensed attorney. It's a difficult path, but my great-grandmother's words will act as a source of encouragement against any obstacle that stands in my way, since I'll know that everything that I do on the journey will be with those who are closest to me, and in their memory. I'm grateful for them, and I'm ready to step into the next part of my life with absolutely zero doubts.