Volunteering has definitely been my savior and what has kept my head up over the past few years. I've done several types of volunteering to recognize that what makes me the happiest is seeing the smiles on the people I work to help. Growing up in an abusive household there were many limitations to what I could do and looked for ways on how I could find to let my fear go even if it was for only a brief time. I started doing volunteer work with my school in the honor society and participating in helping runners in the TCS NYC marathon get hydrated or at least have something to put in their mouths. Throughout this whole experience, all I could think about was the smile that the runners had as they swiftly made their way to me to be able to get a grip of the cup yet continue running, many dropped cups or couldn't catch it splashing water or Gatorade all over my shoes. But during that, the last thing I was focusing on was my shoes but more on the happiness it brought me to see this historic race in front of my own eyes. I went home smelling like pure orange Gatorade and no fear or nervousness was present, just the emotion and the rush of feelings I got because I know I was doing something productive and that had helped me feel better for a day. This past year I volunteered again, this time as a finish line volunteer and with my boyfriend where we supported the runners or even help them to their medals if needed. I stood there for 8 hours and it felt like barely any time had passed. Helping people, taking their pictures to commemorate their special moment, or even passing out water bottles, was all a moment to remember. I have also volunteered with elderly people, and food pantries and am looking to volunteer in the ASPCA soon as well! I think that every single thing that I do will leave a mark on me and help me become a better person. There are many people out there that have amazing stories, that can motivate you, move you, and help you realize how to get ahead in life or even see a glimmer of hope in a time of darkness and I truly believe that volunteering and getting to know even a little bit about the people I meet has done that for me.

I was born in Cuenca, Ecuador and was brought to the United States when I was 6 years old. The way I came to this country is very distinct to how other Latin Americans come and I am very lucky that my family was able to get the resources and connections in order for me to come here with a green card. My mom has always been a woman who I admire because of all the things she went through in Ecuador and the amount of dedication she's put into taking care of me and my sister so we don't go through the same things. I feel like one of my main priorities right now is making my mom proud because I know it was not easy for her to have me and I want to become someone who she can say "yes, that's MY daughter" with a big smile. She has always told me that education comes first before anything and I have definitely started showing her that it is what I intend to do. Coming here made me realize that I now have more opportunities than I ever had in Ecuador to become someone successful. I currently want to become an architect and the inspiration to do so was certainly inspired by the city I live in, New York. I remember going to Manhattan was not something that happens often in my family so when we did, both me and my sister would always break our necks to look up at the skyscrapers and we'd be amazed with the architectural designs that people make out of their ingenuity. Ever since then I had a huge desire to become someone capable of making something as great as that. I am currently studying Architectural Drafting and Design and aim to graduate from high school with an AutoCAD and Revit certification. My mom always taught me to be selfless and help others out because there are many people who don't have the resources and opportunities that we have. I have begun focusing on many different things as side-projects and accumulating knowledge in order to use in the future. As much as I want to become successful in that field I want to use my knowledge in order to help other people around the world. I have seen how successful people start non-profits to help out after natural disasters and I aim to do so as well. However in my case, I want to help Venezuela because of the crisis that it's going through because of the government. I've been researching what happened there and how as time progresses, things get worse. Poverty is now at a 96% and documentaries about how people are living breaks my heart. My aim is to open up a non-profit in order to help Venezuela rise up from where it currently is and hopefully help it become the nation that it once was.