“No quieren jugar conmigo” My words were nearly intelligible but my face was capable of expressing all the feelings regarding my displacement. My tears ran down my face, mudding my vision but not my demands, as I stared up towards my parents demanding a comment. I come from an immigrant family. Both of my parents immigrated from Mexico to the US, with my birth taking place shortly after, barely giving them a chance to immerse themselves into American culture including the English language. I grew up beside my parents knowing nothing else than what they presented to me, with my curiosity leading me to questions that they could not provide answers to. I became aware of existing differences and my restrictions on communicating, as soon as I started interacting with other children. I did not understand why they would not include me in their activities, and my inability to comprehend forced me to place the blame on myself. This mentality continued until I started kindergarten, where I was given the opportunity to start learning. For the first time, I was given the power to seek my own knowledge. I was determined to learn anything and everything, with a personal fascination with English, due to my previous communication restraints. I was motivated to learn and finally communicate with other students, and just thinking about starting friendships was sufficient to get my learning process started. While a kindergarten experience may not initially seem the most significant, the innocence reflected through my childhood experience has made reflections on these past academic and social challenges, even more valuable. By the second grade, I became an advanced English learner by California state standards and thrived in other subjects. I discovered a passion for not only learning and communicating but for scientific research, and have now made a commitment to continue this research for the benefit of my Hispanic community. I hope that pursuing a career in medicine and specializing in women's reproductive health will help break communication barriers that have produced setbacks or unwanted blame, similar to the blame I placed on myself growing up. Besides the spark of academic motivation that has remained relevant, I also learned to value my cultural differences. While this does not propose the idea that I did not value them before, the challenge has opened my eyes to a whelm of struggle that has consequently produced empowerment. While my efforts were individually based, it is overwhelming to think about the number of Hispanics who have been able of overcoming such struggles through the power of education. I understand that my capability to speak English did not define my character and if given the opportunity to go back in time and complete a given task, I would go back, kneel down, and ensure tiny Dolores that life was going to get better. That she would get the opportunity to develop multiple friendships and the opportunity to pursuit her own education revolving around her personal interests regardless of circumstances.

The images shown below are of my Nigerian Dwarf goat, Bindi! Bindi was added to our family last June, amid the current global pandemic. Her presence in my life has definitely eased these times of crisis, as she has spread joy beyond my family, as she makes appearances on my Instagram stories (@doloress.alm), and has recently started her own account (@bindi.the.goat) in hopes of spreading joy to new lives. She will be bred this fall and her breeding brings me excitement, as I have plans of starting my own small business, where I will make soap for sensitive skin.