This scholarship can help me fulfill my dreams as a graphic designer. As someone that graduated this year, I’ve been struggling to find guidance in terms of having a career. No matter where I was going to apply, I was receiving rejection after rejection. However, I didn’t give up. My mom always tells me when one door closes, another opens. Meaning that I’ll find the right opportunity for me. I’ll find a graphic design position one day. However, I’ve been focusing on my mental health, especially since I was battling seasonal depression back in January. Things went spiraling when I was coping with it. I was applying to a lot of full time jobs before I was leaving my after school job, then I’ve fallen ill in the middle of February. This caused my mental health to deplete while I was catching up on work and school. However, I still managed to keep going to implementing breaks and coping skills to help me. Having those coping mechanisms benefitted me as a person where I’ve been expressing myself of my true identity. I used to have a mentality where I set my priorities towards my family instead of myself to make sure that they’re taken care of. However, it would lead me being burned out completely for putting a lot of energy and effort. Now, I’m about to be 23, and I learned so much through my journey. I’ve been using my graphic design skills to explain what Autism look like in me. A couple months ago, I did a passion project that talks about my journey from my childhood all throughout adulthood. At first, I was hesitant to talk about my diagnosis because I was worried about being judged by my peers. I remember someone I knew asked me a question of why I was placed into a special education setting. I let her know that it was due to my disability. At the end, she told me that she asked that question because I looked “normal”. That quote still haunts me till this day. But, it shows how Autism is a spectrum, and it affects people differently. I may require minimal support when I’m doing school and work compared to somebody on the spectrum that requires an exceptional amount of support. This gives a conversation about the stigma about Autism, especially for those that are in level 1 or 2.

Growing up, I was exposed to Nintendo through my older sister. She would play from the original Super Mario Bros to Super Mario Bros 3. However, there was a particular game that led me into gaming as a hobby. That was Super Mario World. Every Summer, my parents would bring out the Super Nintendo to my living room for my sister and I to play. I would play non stop where I never gave up on completing levels. My favorite levels from that was usually the Overworld ones that requires Yoshi. There were times where I would ask for help from my sister since I was a toddler at the time. Yet, I practiced all the time until I got the hang of it as I got older. Now that I’m 22, I still enjoy the game on my Nintendo Switch where I play and guide with my nephews. I just play Super Mario World to attempt to speed run each level with my nephews. Video Games always been a coping mechanism for me, especially if I need to take a break from socializing. It also clears my mind whenever I’m going through a form of stress whether from school or personal life.

I love learning about psychology. What inspired me to the type of science was my high school psych teacher I had during my senior year. When I was taking her class, I've been really connected to her curriculum where I can relate to the experiences I had. There was a time when she was lecturing about child psychology, and she placed me in a group to make a timeline on developmental milestones. I put my thoughts on the activity where I used my experiences being an auntie of two boys. Each milestone goes towards the age where they master a certain ability. I mentioned that around 4 to 5 months, they start to babble and say certain words. Then, I said around 6 to 8 months, babies start to crawl. When my teacher saw that, she complimented me when she said, "You been knowing child development, huh?". I responded, "Well, I am an aunt of two boys". It inspired me to pursue a minor in Child Development or Psychology when I was transferring to Cal State Dominguez Hills. The school didn't have Child Development as a minor, but I declared a minor in Psychology. So far, I noticed how studying Psych can be beneficial in the art field. I've been working on art projects while implementing psychology. Currently, I'm working on an original Autism Acceptance coloring book based on my experience being on the spectrum. I was very reserved when it comes to talking about my disability. However, in 11th grade, I was more comfortable talking about my story. My story advocated for other disabled students at my high school about my struggles being an Autistic young woman. I've always kept moving forward when I was learning more about Psychology which gave me an opportunity for other disabled students.

My dog, Tokiyo has always been my ride or die ever since childhood. I grew up with her ever since my older sister and her ex-boyfriend rescued the dog. Originally, the original owner wanted to get rid of her because he was breeding Pitbulls. He was trying to drop her near a highway. My sister's ex knew the owner, and he got upset at him for trying to make that decision. He decided to take Tokiyo, and let my sister have her as a pet. When both of them came home, I was surprised that I finally had a dog. They let her explore the house to know her surroundings and that it is a safe haven for her. I remember seeing her trying to drink water out of a bowl, but she stuck her paw out and splashed a little bit of it. Tokiyo brought me joy when I first met her. Originally, my dad didn't like the idea of having a dog at the house where we have responsibilities for her. Her mom stood up and say we should keep the dog. She wanted me and my sisters to have experience owning a pet, as it has been proven to be beneficial for our mental health. I don't know how my mental health will be if I didn't have Tokiyo in my life. When I was a kid, I felt like I was left out because a bunch of my friends and classmates have pets, but I didn't at first. Tokiyo, I love you so much for being an ultimate best friend to me. You always get excited whenever I come home knowing that I'm alive and safe. You always keep close to me whenever I feel emotional, and I really appreciate you. You're always a special dog.

My tip for everyone to utilize is venting. If you keep bottling up your thoughts, that can lead to your breaking point. I know this from an experience when I was afraid to tell my family what was going on with me. When I was in high school, I was battling anxiety and depression, and it took a toll on me. I was battling it within six months. I hated myself for crying, but I shouldn't shame myself because of that. Crying is a natural emotion to take all of the stress out. Now, that I'm older, I'm no longer afraid of getting out my emotions. The only thing is that I'm struggling to reach out to my friends when I feel emotional. It's mostly when I talk to my family if I'm at a breaking point. Another thing is to utilize therapy if you need a professional to talk to. I understand that therapy isn't for everyone, but it gave me tips whenever I'm overwhelmed. I tried everything that help me cope with anxiety and depression, but it didn't work until I had a breakdown at school. I told my counselor that the "me time" tip didn't work for me, and I needed professional help. I'm glad I chose therapy as an option. If I didn't choose therapy, I don't know what I'll be in life. It's been three years ever since I was recovering from my battle, and I've been utilizing my tools such as taking breaks. However, I don't mind talking to a therapist to do a check-in at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The good thing is that the health center there is easily accessible and available for me. I became stronger and I was able to myself again. I always thank myself and my family for giving me the support that I needed. The last tip is to utilize mediation apps. A lot of people use Headspace and Calm, but the downfall is that free users can't access the rest of the app. When I was using them, I was very disappointed that I can't listen to sleep music or sleep stories. However, I recommend Insight Timer where it's completely free and offers hundreds of meditations, music, and stories. My overall favorite feature is the binaural beat music. That helps me stay calm whenever I'm working on homework. I love the app and I don't regret it.

My favorite piece is Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. The background behind the piece is really interesting especially when Van Gogh was painting in a mental institution as a coping mechanism. Looking at the color schemes puts me at awe where I feel relaxed while looking at it. You see different shades of blue while being contrasted by shades of yellow to know that the setting take place at night. Every time I see it, I think of Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven playing in my head. I can visualize how the wind patterns are moving to make it feel like you’re inside the piece itself. That piece led me to buy certain supplies or merchandise that have Starry Night on them. I was taking classes remotely, I bought a mini three year planner that has piece on there, but when I was using it, it was hard for me to put down multiple due dates based on my classes. Because of that, I had to buy a bigger planner to help me be better organized. I did kept the mini planner where I can use it for future use.

To describe my college experience, the songs I can think of are: - Dance with a Stranger by Yanni - Scars to Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara - Beautiful Boy by John Lennon - Metamorphosis by Zero Project - Life's Incredible Again by Michael Giacchino The name of the playlist will be named Scrambled up till Dawn by Ani Kun

I’m diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at the age of four. It is a form of Autism that affects my social and communication skills. While I was in school, I was pulled out of class where I’m in a one-on-one setting when I am learning new concepts. It happened until second grade when I was placed into a special education class with a small group. At the time, I didn’t know why I was in the class, and I worried that my classmates were the only ones I could talk to. As soon as I transitioned to third grade, I was placed in a better setting where my class has more students to make it better for me. I’ve become more knowledgeable by maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher and got multiple recommendations to be in a general education class for certain subjects. One time, I ask my mom about the disability I have, and she wasn’t afraid to speak about it. It inspired me to show resilience in my education. I’m an aspiring graphic designer where I enjoy making cartoon and anime characters. I’ve been involved in my graphic design skills for multiple projects such as making Instagram posts for Scale LA Foundation. I sketched out design ideas to promote entrepreneurship in youth while implementing mental health because a lot of youth struggle with mental health. I’m currently working towards a bachelor’s degree in Design while minoring in Psychology where I want to make art relate to psychology. Originally, I planned to minor in Child Development because I’m an aunt of two nephews. I’ve seen both grow throughout their life where I make sure that they’re well taken care of while having a bond together. Both of my nephews are more like little brothers to me. Child Development is beneficial where I can research what happens if a child missed a certain milestone and how it can be improved. I’m currently exploring where I see myself working as a graphic designer, but what inspired me is looking at Pixar Animation Studios. Post-secondary education can help me with my career goals where I gain new skills that will refine them. I'm determined to receive feedback from my potential clients to see any suggestions I can change my artwork. When I was younger, my drawing skills were rusty because I wasn't taking initiative to practice drawing every day. When I was in high school, my graphic design teacher suggest that practice body proportions along with exploring different styles from cartoons and anime. My graphic design teacher really inspired me to continue my art passion. I followed his advice and I noticed how my art skills have improved. Being on the Autism Spectrum doesn't go away like an illness. It stays with me as a part of who I am. My disability doesn't stop me from pursuing my dreams. My disability also leads to me to study psychology as well where I can make my art be implemented with psychology. I was discovering that there's an art therapist career where it helps people cope or vent based on their emotions.

Before I started college, I was going through both Anxiety and Depression. It happened during my Winter break when I got sick due to overindulging myself. That lead me to panic where I felt bad about myself for the bad habit I made. It led me to isolate myself by barely eating and sleeping. My mom immediately noticed me withdrawing from certain activities, and she offered me to do things to make me happy. However, some things didn’t work for me. Every night, I was constantly crying just to fall asleep, and I tried multiple hobbies to make me distracted. They didn’t work for me. I immediately told my mom that I needed help to get what was going on with me. I told my doctor about my situation, and I was diagnosed with adjustment disorder. She referred me to seek counseling or therapy to help manage my anxiety and depression. The next day, I returned to school, and I talked to my counselor about getting for my mental health. She discouraged me at first where I needed “me time”. I tried that, and it wasn’t for me. It was like that till the point where I had an anxiety attack at school and talked to my counselor again about what happened. I mentioned that the “me time” didn’t work for me, and I needed professional help. She talked to me about available therapists that can help me at my school, and I took the offer. When I got therapy, I gained new skills to help me cope, and I noticed a big difference in how I’m managing my mental health. If I didn’t take the offer of getting help, I don’t know how deep the hole would be for me to get out.

Generosity means being awarded relief when helping out someone. Just recently, I offered to help pay my sister's Grad Nite ticket because she'll be graduating high school pretty soon. She got worried that she wasn't able to get it done, but I did the right thing to help her. I want to help her more especially her being adjusted to transitioning from high school to college. However, paying to help someone isn't the only way to be generous. I helped my family with cleaning my and my sister's room before we started decorating. My older sister just moved into her apartment where she put most of her stuff in there. It was a huge adjustment for me where I officially have a place to work on homework. I go from my living room to the backyard to work on my stuff. However, it's different where I'm used to being my older sister and my nephews. I'm very close to both of my nephews ever since their births. I made sure that they were well taken care of. They're like little brothers to me where they asked me to play them since I'm home around the evening. I see myself as a generous person who I help for a cause. This trait is a part of who I am as a person. I'll continue to be one, especially towards my academic journey at CSUDH. I have a lot of patience towards my professors because some of them aren't really tech-savvy, but I help them out of how they can connect audio to share their screen on Zoom.

I would use it to pay for my spring intersession and summer classes. I'm balancing a major in design and a minor in psychology. Ever since I took a child psychology class, it inspired me to continue my minor. Currently, I'm in a scholars program where my counselors guide me to see classes I need to take in order to graduate in two years. The classes I plan to take are Psychopharmacology, Advanced Composition (Fulfill Graduation Exam), and Cognitive Psychology. Each of those classes is nearly $1000 to take.

I always make sure that my family is okay. Currently, I’m taking classes in afternoon everyday to help my mom out with my nephews. I help out where I made sure that they’re fed as they get up. This is because my oldest one goes to school at a later time. For my friends, I reach out to them to see how they’re doing. A lot of my friends are in different universities while living in dorms. It has a an adjustment for me, but I make sure what school life is like them. I’ve been texting them either IMessage or Discord where we always send videos or memes to have a good laugh. During the pandemic, it was hard to hang out with my friends due to the restrictions. However, it got better where the restrictions were more lenient and I was able to hang out again. This is due to me giving love to both my family and friends by communication. Communication is an important skill to utilize especially when someone is long distanced. I’ve been more close with my family especially me transitioning a new change where my sister and I are sharing a room. I was helping out with my sister by watching my nephews while she moving her stuff to put in for her new house. I’ve connected with my nephews by the time they were babies. My personality with them have a bond with them where I’m a gentle soul, yet a playful aunt. I do that a step up where I raised them more like little brothers to me. I play with them with toys or video games on my Xbox to be entertained with supervision.

I'm looking forward to the 2021 MacBook Pros. I like how convenient MacBooks can be especially for aspiring artists like myself. I want to upgrade my HP Stream laptop because it's super slow and it's only two years old. Every time I'm attending Zoom conferences, the laptop crashes. After I borrowed a loaner MacBook from my school to use until I graduate from CSUDH. I'm planning on buying after I get my bachelor's and work. The MacBooks are more portable to carry around for school. They're beneficial because their features are easy to navigate compared to Windows. Windows setups are more complex and take longer to find a way to change a setting.

A piece I did is a recreation of Elastigirl with a mohawk. Based on a movie, Incredibles 2, she mentioned that she used to have one. I drew the original one during my junior year in high school. When I was drawing that one, I had trouble with body proportions to be in anime style. I was using Adobe Photoshop to color the original one. However, I wasn't drawing every day due to being busy with homework. Later on, I had a new art teacher because the previous teacher left to take care of his family. My teacher showed his work to my classmates where I was in awe. After class, I showed him my artwork for feedback. He likes my drawings and told me to try different styles to expand my art skills. I took his advice, and I noticed an improvement in terms of body proportions. However, for my senior year, I took honors graphic design to draw something every day. Until my teacher told me that I shouldn't just make one art piece every day; I should draw 3 to 4 drawings to get the hang of it. My teacher inspired me to get into graphic design as a career. I always enjoy drawing Pixar and anime characters because their body proportions are more exaggerated than real people. I always see myself working at Disney Pixar Animation Studios using my graphic design skills for upcoming movies that they're creating. More specifically, I'm passionate about working more on the franchise, Incredibles where I can make an origins story for each villain.

To help someone struggling with mental health, you need to listen to someone's struggles. A lot of people who battle mental health don't have people who do that. Some people shrug it off and explain they went through it and felt better. Battling mental health affects people differently. I always ask questions to my friends when they're dealing with it, but I'm always there with them. Be careful of how you're talking to someone with mental health issues. I learned about that when I found out that one of my friend's brothers passed away due to depression. My friend mentioned that there was a time where he tried to reach out to his parents about his brother trying to harm himself. His parents ignored it while his mom blamed his brother for grabbing attention and lacking his use of coping skills. Never say that to someone who needs help with their mental health. When I heard the news, I was furious. No one deserves to be treated like that when they're dealing with their battles. My friends reach out to me while dealing with mental health, I made sure to support them. I went through anxiety and depression in my senior year in high school when I didn't know what to do. At the same time, a few of my friends were dealing with mental health as well. I talked to them to come up with strategies to help all of us cope with our battles. One of them was reaching out to a counselor or therapist based on our needs. Please know that mental health is no joke at all.

I’m passionate of Cal State Dominguez Hills. My school has fantastic programs in the South Bay. Dominguez Hills has a lot of resource centers for people of color. When I was in community college, it didn’t have that much resource centers at all. Originally, I wanted to go to CSU Long Beach, but I was waitlisted at that school. However, when I was attending workshops from Dominguez Hills, I was leaning towards there than Long Beach. They have a graphic design major and a psychology minor I want. Dominguez Hills give me an opportunity where I feel like belong there.

I got into art ever since I was a kid. I was influenced through watching Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh! and I draw characters from those shows during my free time. Later on, I discovered more as I got older and it leads me to get into graphic design. At first, my drawings were a little funky due to struggling with the body proportions of the characters. However, it improved when I ask my friends for feedback. During my junior year in high school, I got a new graphic design teacher due to the previous one leaving unexpectedly. When I saw the art that he did during his college years, I ask him for feedback on my art after class. He gave me suggestions to explore different styles from various artists instead of just sticking into one. That lead me to practice drawing every day after I come out of school. During my senior year in high school, I joined graphic design honors where my teacher randomly assigns different shows to each student to draw. I got assigned to draw characters from the anime, Cowboy Bebop. I've heard of the show before, and I drew Spike, Vicious, and Edward based on different scenes of random episodes. It encouraged me to watch more classic anime such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Sailor Moon, and Card Captor Sakura. I continued to strive to do anime art as a passion until I found other interests I had in mind. I use my graphic design skills to create a coloring book to help kids with developmental disabilities. That influenced me to do child development as well because I've been diagnosed with Autism ever since I was a toddler. I've used my experience being in special education during my school year until I transitioned to general education in 8th grade. That showed that I was in other students' shoes when I was a kid. Through my art, I draw my original characters while providing facts about the challenges that children with developmental disabilities faced and the reality of their lives. My art skills spread awareness to my elementary school because a lot of children with disabilities are more likely to get bullied than someone who doesn't. Now, I'm currently transferring to Cal State Dominguez Hills as Art: Design Option with a minor in Psychology. It was a big accomplishment where I become resilient where my disability didn't stop me to continue my passions.

Throughout my life, I noticed that my high school graphic design teacher inspired me to continue my passion. When I first met him, I always go to him to ask for feedback to practice my drawing skills. He encourage me to explore new styles instead of leaning towards one style I’m used to. I can relate to him in terms of personal stuff because both of us suffered from anxiety and depression and we both found ways to cope through art. Him as a teacher and mentor lead to me to continue my studies through community college to take general education and art classes to earn my associate’s degree. While doing that, I was figuring what Cal State school I see myself in with a graphic design major. My immediate thought was Cal State Long Beach. I heard a lot of art programs at the school and my teacher is a professor there as well. I noticed when I was taking Art classes at community college, it helped me improve my art skills where I explore different styles besides drawing cartoons and anime characters. Now, I’m transferring to Cal State Dominguez Hills because I was waitlisted at Long Beach and I leaning towards the other one. CSUDH has fantastic art programs especially for graphic design majors. That particular school helps with my needs where I can continue with my passion while exploring new interests. In the future, I always see myself using my graphic design skills while working with a company like Pixar. I imagine working with the staff on a potential villains origins story for the ones that appeared in the Incredibles series. Another thing I see is myself working on an original coloring book while presenting my story of resilience. I was diagnosed with Autism as a toddler and it affects my social and communication skills. My journey while being on the spectrum influenced me to do a coloring book during my senior year in high school. I made multiple pages using FireAlpaca to inform what challenges that kids with developmental disabilities face. I also research facts about kids with developmental disabilities having limited access to resources that they need in the education department. My gift as an artist can guide me in a psychology and art field where I can help kids with disabilities to make art therapeutic for them. However, I’m not sure if I see myself as a Art therapist. I don’t know if I have to get a psychology major to be in that position or not. It’s still a great opportunity for me to explore my art skills in a medical field due to my older sister being a registered nurse. Yet, again, I have a lot of time of think about since I’m starting school for fall.

When you’re trying to turn in a paper and the professor extended the due date.

There was a time where my younger sister showed me a meme on her phone. It’s a creature from one of the Barbie movies with a statement, “um, we”. This meme makes me laugh at the time because of the expression that the creature was making and it aligns with the statement.

Growing up being on the Autism Spectrum can be difficult for me being more independent. There are times where I have trouble comprehending certain concepts especially when a teacher providing a lecture in school. However, it didn’t stop me from maintaining a 3.0 G.P.A. I was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome when I was 4 years old, but my pediatrician misdiagnosed me as mildly autistic. My mom knew what to do when it comes to raising a child with a disability because she used to work as a teacher’s aide in a special education class. As I grew older, I ask her why I was in a special Ed class and she wasn’t afraid to tell me about my disability. During my middle school years, my teachers noticed that I was more advanced than the other students. They automatically put me in general Ed math, science and social studies to challenge me, but it was just right for me. That experience helped me when I was working a senior project in high school. The project I did is a coloring book about educating the reality about kids with disabilities and the challenges they face as students. This helped me use my art skills since I enjoy doing graphic design as a passion and I want continue that as a career. I created motivational coloring pages to spread positivity; however, I created educational ones where I provided statistics about different types of disabilities. I also provided supplies to special Ed students such as ear plugs, fidget toys, and chair bands. I started to realize after I did that that I want to continue with the coloring book and it influences me to do child development as well. Throughout the pandemic, I was trying to figure out how I can I use my graphic design skills during my career, yet I do see myself helping the disability community.

Back in 2019, I was dealing with anxiety and depression during my senior year in high school. During the holidays, I got sick from accidental overeating and it took a toll on me where it lead to me to eat food less than usual. There were times where I was dealing with negative thoughts where I thought I had food poisoning one time after hung out for a friend’s birthday; however, it was because I forgot to eat at a certain time. Immediately, my mom took me to the emergency room to see what was going on with me and my doctor diagnosed me with Adjustment Disorder, which I can get overwhelming when it comes to changes. That happened before because I’m autistic as well. After I was able to attend school, I talked to my counselor to see if there are any therapists available at the school because my doctor recommended to me. She replied, yes and I filled out the application by myself since I was 18 at the time. Once I got that out of the way, I met my therapist from Antioch University and I talked to her about my struggles. After I do my therapy sessions, there were a lot of things that were bothering me such as one of my friends was used by a former classmate and I felt angry inside, but I couldn’t express it. I talked about it with my therapist and she said it is best to talk to my friend based on what’s going on in her situation and how to handle the situation. I felt better about it because I gave her advice to not have my former classmate take advantage of her because of her disability. Throughout the therapy sessions I did with Antioch University, I noticed that I became more aware for how I maintain my anxiety levels. With this experience, I’ve been taking my time when I’m doing schoolwork online and don’t let small things bother when I’m home. I mainly use Headspace to help me meditate and sleep better especially in changes in schedules.

This is my dog, Tokiyo. She’s an 11 year old Pomeranian Chihuahua. Tokiyo has been part of my childhood back in 2008. Before my family adopted Tokiyo, she’s found as a stray puppy due to an abusive owner. The original owner breeds Pitbulls for a living and the owner’s girlfriend used to love Tokiyo. Ever since they’re raising pitbulls, they wanted to get rid of Tokiyo and tried to put her on a freeway. Thankfully, my older sister’s ex came to rescue and decided to take Tokiyo to give her to my family safe and sound.