When it comes to community service, all I hope is that I can eventually donate some of my money and time into the local church that has become like a second home to me. I've been helping out at my local church for years as an usher. Helping out with the donation baskets and sometimes even assisting with decorating the church before a major event, such as weddings, celebrations or mass. While I no longer help there as much due to my schedule, I still help out whenever I can, mainly helping alongside my mom with decorating the mass with flowers. Of course, before any donation can be made, the completion of my college degree must come first, which is game programming and development. My first goals are to be able to create my own games from scratch, as well being able to create my own game company. After that, I'll start paying back everyone who has given me the motivation to continue my passions. It does help out that a lot of people in my life are quite supportive of my new dream and goals, especially my parents. Their backing of me will help out in the long run. As for why I want to help out others and my church, to simply put, I'm a person who really likes to help others. For that reason, supporting my local church seems like a given. They have taught me such helpful advice over the years, this advice has led me to live an honest life. Without their teaching, I'm not sure if I would be where I am now.

My name is Eduardo Olmos, I'm a first-generation Hispanic Student, currently pursuing a Game Programming and Development degree. After my first career as a police officer prospect didn't go anywhere, I was back to square one. I actually graduated with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, but I soon realized that police work just wasn't for me. For over a year after college, I was career jumping all over the place, trying to find a career that would best suit my talent. I first tried out becoming an insurance salesman, but that didn't work out due to my frustrations with my organization. During that same time, I was also pursuing becoming a professional wrestler in training, but that didn't work out due to money problems and because traveling to one location to another was feasible. My last job before returning to college was being a tech supervisor at a retail store. While fine at first, I started to loathe the job when my higher up started raining down my neck constantly about selling products with policies. Pretty soon, I started getting anxious about returning to work because of that person. During my last week working at that store, I felt lost, didn't know exactly what to do with my life. After looking at myself in the mirror, I thought to myself, "If I only pursue a career for the money, then it's not a career I should pursue." I needed to find a career that would suit both of my needs, financially and personally. I remembered a personal hobby of mine, video games, I've been into video games since I was 4 years old. After talking with my parents over my new pursue, I returned to college in order to become a game programmer. I've already passed college once before, so I know I have the ability to do it again. Since I'm taking loans, I'm doing whatever it takes in order to not end up with a huge amount of debt when my college days are over. I have a part-time job, doing side gigs on the side to make some extra money, as well as applying to as many scholarships that I can find. My last go around, I was smart enough to not end up in debt, but still, every little counts so I'm taking extra precautions. A personal goal of mine is being able to give back to the community that has given me so much, in particular, a local church of mine that I consider like a second home. The volunteers over there have given me so much wisdom and advice, before and after I became an usher to the church. I was an usher for the church for nearly a decade, helping out with the baskets for donations and making sure all the money was accounted for. While it's a role I no longer do due to my busy schedule, I still consider the workers at the church like family. Of course, my main goals career wise is to make my own video games all by myself, as well as opening up my very own game company. I have a creative mind and I'm constantly writing down game ideas and characters. This career is definitely the one I want to stay in, it's a career that explores my creative side, something that I've always wanted to explore ever since I was little. Nonetheless, despite my setbacks, I'm very grateful for the opportunities I've been given by my family and peers, I want to make everyone proud by accomplishing my dreams and goals.

The most influential person in my life is my mother. She always tried to make any situation better, despite our financial situation when we lived in California. My parents worked really hard to give me the best opportunities I can have, since they didn't have many opportunities to create a career when they lived in Mexico. I've taken this opportunity by taking my education seriously. My mom has taught me good values, such as treating others like how you want to be treated. Teaching me how to conduct myself around others while in school, work, or at a family gathering. She's taught me how to Speak Spanish, since I'll admit, it took me a while before I was able to have a simple conversation with any Spanish speaking person in my family. Nonetheless, I've taken these tips and have molded my own path to success. My mother told me to follow a career that best fits my personal hobbies, a career that I wouldn't get bored of. That is the reason why I chose a career in game programming and development. I've always loved playing video games ever since I was 4 years old. Now, I want to create my own game projects, to create my own stories and characters. I've always had a creative mind since I was a kid, a mindset my mother told me to explore as I got older. I'll admit and say that I didn't have other career options in mind. At first, I completed a degree in criminal justice, but that career didn't work out as I lost the passion I had for that career. Afterwards, I tried career jumping through many different types of jobs. I was an insurance salesman, tech supervisor, and even a profession wrestler in training. However, for one reason or another, these careers didn't pan out right. I could have given up at my last job, when I was a tech supervisor, I was so demotivated that I couldn't really think straight anymore. However, after having some long conversations with my mother. I make the choice of returning to college. My journey hasn't been the easiest, but as long as I have my family by my side, I think I'll manage. Of course, most of this motivation has to be directed towards my mother. Who has taught me that I can accomplish anything as long as I put my mind into it.

I've always believed in treating others on how you want to be treated, which is the reason why I'm always polite to everyone. At a young age, I had the privilege to be around kind folk, those who gave me great advice and were looking out for me. If there is one person who's impacted my life through her kindness, that person would be my mother. She has always taught me good values, that way, I didn't lead myself to a dark path when I got older. She isn't the only person who has given me great advice in the past, but she was the first person to really teach me great values of conducting myself around others. Everything I do, when it comes to my education, is to pay back to my family. To give back to them for keeping me in good health for all these years. I'm lucky to have such great people in my family, especially my parents. The values I've been taught and changed me quite a bit. Whenever I make a decision, I try to be morally right. I never really enjoyed the idea of cutting corners or trying to ahead of the pack through unethical means. I'm a religious person, so I try to use my religious beliefs as well when it comes to making my choices. Their values also taught me to never give up on my aspirations, even when things seem out of control. I'll admit that my career goals and ideals have changed quite a bit since my first go around in college. However, this second chance was inspired by my aspirations of repaying the kindness that everyone has given me and taking the opportunity to create a new career path for myself. Luckily, my parents were quite supportive of my decision to return to college, in particular, my mother told me that should I ever find myself in financial distress. That they will assist me whenever they can. Of course, I'll try to make sure that I can pay for college all on my own, but it doesn't hurt to hear that my family is also backing up on paying back for college. It's the motivation of paying back everyone who has helped me in the past to pass through college and get my career starting on a hot streak. Hopefully, that dream of paying back everyone isn't too far off.

To me, success can be measured differently by everyone. For one person, success means how much money you have. For others, it means how much luxury items you have, such as expensive cars, fancy houses, nice jewelry and a lavish lifestyle. For me, success is better defined as feeling as though you are happy with the work and personal life you have at the moment. There are many people in the world who are loaded with money, and yet, still feel unfulfilled. There's a reason why there are people, rich or poor, who end up taking their lives. There are some people who happy with their current state of life, even if they aren't rich or a family. It's up to that person what they define as success and failure. My success in my journey is creating my own company, ones the creates video games and other projects. I'm a creative person, which is the reason why I want to join this industry. I've always been interested in playing video games ever since I was 4 years old, now, I want to create my own video games and create my own characters and stories. For personal success, I want to have a family, with a wife and child. For me, it doesn't matter how big or small the family will be, as long as I have these two types of people in my life, I'll be content. Success for me also looks like being able to live independently, without needing assistance from other family members. While I love everyone in my family, I would prefer not having to rely on them forever. This means of course, planning, lots of planning. Having a part time job, creating projects on the side, completing my online classes, creating schedules for the week, applying to many scholarships, etc. There's a lot of work I need to do to create that success of mine, but that's the best part, the journey of getting there. For me, if your success is so easy to reach, that isn't really a type of success I want. I want my success to be achievable but also difficult to reach. I like a good challenge, so creating my own game company will definitely be a challenge. But it's a challenge I'm looking forward too. I have other aspirations as well, but my current ones are just completing my degree, creating my first game projects, and seeing where I go from there. You can't account for everything that may happen in your journey, but as long you plan ahead, you should reach your goal eventually. There are some people whose success takes longer than usual, but that's alright, success will take time. Those who rush themselves to achieve success early, may find themselves back to square one, or even worse. While my idea of success isn't the norm, I liked to think to myself and I'm setting myself up to realistic goals and planning out ahead of time. Perhaps my definition of success will change in the near future, but that's ultimately up to me to decide.

If there is one movie I could watch for the rest of my life, that movie would be the 1985 film Death of a Salesman, based on the 1949 play. The reason why I chose this film is because I can resonate with the main character and his personal struggles. The main character of the story is a man named Willy, he is a 63-year-old struggling traveling salesman who is struggling financially and mentally. One of the major conflicts in the story is that Willy is unwilling to listen to others, creating a false fantasy to hide the ugly truth. He’s scared of the fact that his affair may have caused his son’s future to be in limbo, ruining his son's motivation to go to summer school after failing to graduate from high school. He is given plenty of opportunities to correct his mistakes, such as given a do-nothing job after being fired from his previous job due to his outburst. However, Willy puts his pride first and declines the job, even insulting his neighbor, despite not having to give him a job in the first place. Willy also sets up unrealistic expectations upon his son, even believing that his son will follow in his footsteps and become a salesman. Despite the fact that his son has repeatably told him that he isn't interested in following his father's footsteps. Willy's behavior of listening only to his false fantasy and not to his family and friends has caused him to make mistake after mistake. For example, his boss gave him the advice of taking a leave of absence to rest his mind, however, instead of taking this advice, he lashes out at his boss. Because of this outburst, he's fired. His wife, while caring and supportive of Willy, often agrees with his statements and ideas, even if they are incredibly unrealistic. Most of the conflict that happens in the story wouldn't have happen had Willy talked with others about his current affairs and listened to his loved ones, instead of continuing on this self-destructive mindset. In the end, Willy’s stubbornness in not letting go of this false fantasy proves to be his downfall. In an attempt to get his son some life insurance money to open up his own business, Willy crashes his car, as his family looks on in horror, killing himself in the process. In the end, Willy's funeral is attended by few, only his close friends and family are at his funeral. His two sons argue about their father's ideals and goals, while his wife mourns him and makes the final payment on the house. Willy's story is interesting to me because there are people out there who feel as though they can't admit when they are losing grip with reality. Instead of asking for help and speaking with loved ones, Willy created a false fantasy in his mind, listening to this fantasy of his instead of his family. Had he listened, we would've survived the events of the story. Willy didn't want to admit when he was in the wrong, lashing out at his boss and insulting his neighbor. Despite the fact that both were simply looking out for Willy. He wanted to chase the American Dream, but he never realized that this dream can't happen, if one is unable to get a grip with reality. Willy's mindset and awful behavior caused his downward spiral, that spiral that can happen to anyone if they are left uncheck and unsupervised.

Although I don't have much experience with mental health influencing my career aspirations, it did take an eventual toll on me when I had just completed my first degree at the University of Texas Arlington. The degree I majored in at UTA was criminal justice, my career aspiration at the moment was to be a police officer, with the hope of furthering my career down the line. I even had dreams of eventually joining the FBI. Unfortunately, after a couple months of my graduation, I came to the realization that I had chosen the wrong career. In the end, I told myself and my parents that I wasn't going to pursue my criminal justice career anymore. At that moment and for the tail end of 2022 and the majority of 2023, I was lost. I was career jumping all over the place, trying to find a career that would satisfy me both personally and financially. Some of the careers I chose were insurance salesman, tech supervisor and even professional wrestler in training. However, each career aspiration went up in smokes, for one reason or another. During my last job, as a tech supervisor in a local retail store, I was unhappy and unmotivated. I had lost the passion that drove me to success, all I wanted in that moment was an answer to my dilemma. It was only after looking myself in the mirror and questioning my choices after college, is when I finally made the smart decision of returning to college to pursue a different career. Because I didn't want to keep jumping back and forth with college and work, I needed to pick a career that I know will be the one. I listed possible career choices that suited my taste. In the end, I decided to join a game programming and development program at SNHU. While it wasn't the easiest choice to make, I realized that I had to go back to school to pursue a different career, since I wasn't happy with my current career at the time. I now know this is the career I want to spend all my time on, I've always been interested in video games, ever since I was 4 years old. Of course, creating video games is another story, but it will allow me to exercise my creative mind and create fascinating stories and characters. Hopefully down the line, I'll be able to create my own company to expand my career into different areas. While my journey hasn't been easy, I'm glad I returned to college.

My current goal for the future is to first finish my education, as well making sure that I don't end up with a huge amount of debt. Since I'm currently working part time, working on some side projects to get money, as well as applying to as many scholarships as possible. I personally believe that my education's financial will be stable for the time being. However, my goals after college are quite simple. Since the major I currently in is game programming and development, my first goal is to create my own game all on my own. Ever since I was little, I've always been interested in video games, especially since playing video games has gotten me through many tough times. Of course, I'm still checking out programs and tips that are helping out with my dream, such as practicing my drawing skills and composing skills. Since I want to make the game all by myself, I need to be able to make music and create art assets. While these classes will eventually teach me these skills, it's better for me to also check out these necessary skills outside of class. The major hardships of trying to make a game all by yourself is that you are on a tight budget, you can't purchase a large crew to help you out. And buying models for your game projects can cost you hundreds of dollars, something that I can't afford. Therefore, I have to make everything from scratch. It won't be easy, but I know that I have the passion and determination to create my very own game all by myself. After I create a couple of video games, I want to eventually create a company. One that will allow me to venture out to different areas of gaming, such as making short films and commercials. I've always had a creative mind but need the financial backing in order to create these projects. In the end, money is everything, from my future to my education, which is the reason why I'm applying to as many scholarships as I can. As well as taking extra steps in saving as much money as I can. Luckly, my family is also supportive of my dreams, and have told me in the past that they will help me out with money problems should they arrive. Hopefully, that won't have to be the case, but you can't plan out everything that can possibly happen.

The biggest adversity I had to overcome was finding a new goal in mind. After completing college, a couple of years ago, I had a goal in mind. To join the police force and hopefully, move up the ladder within that career. However, things didn't go as plan and I lost that passion for joining the police force, soon, I was back to square one. After failing in that career, I was kind of lost for late 2022 to mid 2023. I was jumping through different jobs, trying to see what stick and perhaps finding my passion. The type of career I went through varied, such as insurance salesman, tech supervisor, and even a professional wrestler in training. However, for one reason or another, these careers didn't click for me. I was wasting so much time and money onto these failed careers, that pretty soon, I kept going back to square one over and over again. That type of loophole starts to take its toll on you, especially when you had everything planned out. Only for things not to work out like it should've been. Before quitting my last job, I had to look myself in the mirror and figure out a type of career that I wouldn't get bored of, as well as a career I wasn't only interested in because of the money. After looking through some of my personal hobbies, I went with video games, or rather, becoming a game programmer. I've always been interested in video games, ever since I've played them at the age of 4. After talking with my parents, I decided to return to college to join a game programming and development program, as well taking a part time job in order to help pay for college. And as of right now, that is where I am today. Truthfully, it could've been a whole lot worse, I could've stayed in a dead-end job, where all of my passion would've died. Instead, I decided to return to college in order to get the education I need for my new career. What have I learned from all of this, is that your first career may not be the career for you. But that's ok, as long as you don't give up, you can eventually find that career that will light a spark within you. It took me about year in order to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Hopefully, people can read my story and figure out that trial and error can contributed towards finding your real goals and dreams.

During my first go in college, I had a difficult time balancing both work and school. There were times in where my classes were conflicting with work, so I would have to call in and tell my manager about the situation. I didn't enjoy the fact that I would have to constantly call in or rush myself in order to get done before the deadline. Of course, sometimes the deadline would change, causing me to have to redo my schedule all over again. This was during the pandemic, in where all of my classes were mainly online. During that time, I had to be on my laptop for a couple of minutes, listening to lectures and responding to my teacher. While I didn't mind learning online, it wasn't easy having to change from an in person to a purely online class. Now, since returning to college, I have gained more experience on how to value my time. Because I have less resources than my first time going to college, it was vital for me to have a part time job. Luckily, there was a job that was nearby, meaning that I didn't have to travel far and save me time and money. The college I also picked was made with finance and schedule purposes in mind. I wanted a school that wasn't expensive, but also one that was purely online. That way, I don't have to travel that much and just focus on getting my degree through online means. SNHU also had a really interesting schedule format, that every assignment's due date is set in stone. Meaning that I don't have to worry about an assignment's due date being change and having to double up on my study and homework time. In short, the experience I have balancing work and school has given me the opportunity to test my time-management skills. I now know that it's possible to be both working and be in school, it just requires the skills to balancing both out effectively. The reason I wasn't able to balance work that well at first was because I wasn't used to balancing out work with school. Now, with more experience on me, I'm able to control both aspects of my life without having to sacrifice anything in between. Of course, there will be days in where something will come up, outside of work or school. That is why it's important for me to use that time to communicate with my bosses or teachers on what's going on, that way, they aren't left in the dark.

My current financial situation is saving as much money as possible to support my education. Financing an education isn't cheap, as most people can tell you. There are people who end up in so much debt that it's ridiculous. Since I don't want to end up on that same boat, I took extra steps in making sure that I wouldn't end up with a huge amount of debt at the end of my journey. Such as applying to as many scholarships as possible, entering all of those that I'm eligible for and making sure that I put out the best possible work I can bring. Taking a part time job on the side in order to get more money. So far, I've really enjoyed this work, its easy work, but at the moment, all I need is easy work. Lastly, I've currently done other side gigs in order to get money, such as selling goods online. As someone who was taught at a young age to take care of my money and to use it wisely, I'm taking extra steps to ensure that I can pay back all the loans I've been given. Of course, I make sure that the school I went to wasn't going to cost me a leg or arm, I didn't want to pick a school that was going to charge me large sums of money each semester. The school I chose in the end, SNHU, ended up giving me the program I was looking for, as well as the financial situation I was looking for. The classes aren't as expensive as I thought, giving me more time to save money and plan out ahead. Planning ahead is something that is very important while you are in school, as well as the workplace. It's better to be five steps ahead than to be left behind in the dirt. Of course, this scholarship will help out my journey of paying back for the loans I need to pay out. The reason why these scholarships will help me out, is so that I don't have to worry too much about finance and just focus on being the best student I can be. I really want to become a game programmer, as it feels both needs. The need to fill my creative void, as well as assisting my family through any financial hardships. This scholarship could be an extra step in ensuring my future.

While I enjoy the people around me, such as my friends and family. One of my personal passions is learning more about the world. I try to stay up to date with the local news and events, seeing what's going on in the world. Of course, learning everything about the world with the news can only take you so far. One of my personal goals is to travel the world, see new people, cultures and environments. So far, I've really only explored certain cities in California and Texas, as well as certain cities in Mexico, mainly for family visits. However, I want to explore more states in the US, as well as more parts of Mexico. I wouldn't mind visiting Canada, as I've always wanted to go there for a personal vacation. I personally believe that traveling can expands one knowledge of the many cultures that make up our world. If one stays in one place for the rest of their life, they'll be able to truly experience the wonders this world has to offer. I've taken classes in the past, learning about communication between groups of people from different cultures, as well as having the pleasure of talking with people from all over the world through work and school. However, I also want to experience their culture for myself. I'm always hungry for learning new knowledge, no matter if it's learning about new people or new locations, exploring the world is a dream of mine. Of course, this can't be possible without the support of my family. Traveling isn't cheap, I can just ask my parents about that. However, they support my aspirations of traveling to new areas I haven't been to. All they ask is that I be safe and making sure I'm prepared for travel. That's another aspect of traveling that most people overlook, the sense of independence when you travel the world on your own. You are in charge of packing your stuff, traveling to location to location, as well as being the person who must plan out ahead of time. While it isn't the easiest thing to do, for those looking for independence, traveling is definitely one of the ways to leave the birds' nest. Hopefully, down the line, when I have more time and money. I'll be able to make my passion into a reality, there so many places I want to visit. But of course, I must be patient and plan ahead, otherwise, that dream can be a long way ahead.

My method of making a positive impact on the world is giving back to those who have helped me on my journey. I'm the first person in my family to go to college, something that I hold to myself in high regard. My family is proud of my educational achievements, and they believe that I can accomplish anything I want if I put my mind into it. I want to make them proud by being able to assist them whenever they have problems, such as financial problems. If they need money fast, I want to be the person to provide them with the money they need to live a healthy life. But it's not just my family I want to give back to, but also my local church. The church near my home is like a second house to me. I spent so many weekends praying, speaking with the volunteers, and talking with the father. For most of life since moving to Texas, I've volunteered as an usher, taking out the basket for donations to the church. While it was a small role, I felt accomplished in helping out the church, no matter how small the task was. I only really stopped being an usher when the pandemic hit. Afterwards, due to my schedule, I've only really been able to help out with decorations. Usually, whenever there's an event going on like mass or a celebration, we need volunteers to help out. Some of these tasks are cleaning the floors, discarding the old flowers and replacing them with new ones, setting up banners, putting up small decorations in front of the podium, etc. Because religion plays a major part in my life, I've always wanted to give back to the community and my local church. They've given me so many memories and wisdom, that I want to share some of my success in the near future. Which is why if I become finically stable, I will donate a large portion of money to the church. That way, they can use that money to fix any problems the church has, such as renovations. As you can see, I enjoy helping out others, as much being helped whenever I'm down or need words of encouragement. I never forget the kindness people give to me when they listen to my problems. That is why I want to repay a lot of people when I'm more successful later down in life, so make sure that people's act of kindness didn't go unnoticed.

While there are many Nintendo games that I have fond memories, the one game that I go back to every once in a while is Mario Patry 7. Since it was one of the first games I played back when I first got into gaming, it holds a special place in my heart. The other reason why it holds a lot of memories to me is that it's the one game that I played with at family parties and celebrations. I hold fond memories of playing this game with cousins, uncles and aunts. Some of whom, are unfortunately no longer with us. Because of that, this game is sometimes one of the lasting memories I have of them. I usually have a soft spot for games that played a major part of my early childhood, and Mario Party 7 is definitely one of my favorite games on the GameCube. Not just for its gameplay, but also because it's a game that I can go back on and relive fond memories of my past. While all of the Mario Party games are some of my favorite party games out there, Mario Party 7 is my favorite of the bunch, hands down.

Ever since I was little, I always enjoyed being involved with my community. Especially since this is the community that has raised me for the majority of my life. At first, I only helped out at the local food bank. Assisting the organization by giving out food or by pushing the shopping carts to people's car. I helped at the food bank for a couple of years, I only stopped helping when the pandemic started getting back. Nowadays, I can't volunteer as much due to my work and other projects I have going on, but I still try to help out within my community through other means. During my middle school years, I used to help out at the local library, usually just putting books and movies back in their shelf and assisting customers if they had any questions. I stopped helping out after a while, due to school reasons. While I rarely now go to the library, since I mainly went there just for printing purposes. I really enjoyed the people who were there helping me out. Mainly, the receptionist and the library's manager. Perhaps my biggest contribution to the community that I have done is my time spent helping out at the local church. Ever since I've moved to that community, I worked as an usher. Helping out the church by collection donations to the church. I was an usher for many years, for almost a decade even. Just like the food bank, I really only stopped helping out the church when the pandemic was at its worst. Afterwards, I mainly help out the church by assisting my mother who is also a volunteer at the church. I help her out by helping with the decorations for the church. Usually, there are events going on throughout the church, such as weddings, celebrations, or mass. So we have to tidy around before these major events take place, such as replacing the flowers and sweeping the church's floor. I enjoy my time helping out the church since religion is a major aspect of my life, it's given me the motivation to continue my dreams and pursue other ventures. My biggest hope is that when I get financially stable enough to donate a large score of money, that I wouldn't mind giving a big donation to the church. As a way to thank the church for being a second home to me.

I had just graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington, with a bachelor's in criminal justice. After two years, I had finally finished the degree I needed to kickstart my career in the police force. However, because I wasn't old enough at the time to join the police force, I went on patrols and did some volunteer work with the police, in order to get a better feel on the work I'm getting myself into. After a while however, I felt as though this career wasn't for me. It was a hard decision, but in the end, I decided not to pursue my criminal justice career anymore. I was back to square one, at first, I looked for other career opportunities outside of school. Such as insurance salesman and tech supervisor for a local rental store, however, none of these jobs sticked. At my last job, I was at my lowest point when it came to my motivation and determination to succeed. I didn't know what to do and I had just decided to pursue a full-time job until I figured out what to do next. Around the last week of the job, I thought about the type of career I really wanted. Something I knew that I would enjoy working in, not just for the money, but also something that I'm really passionate about. I didn't want to go back to square one again, not after the amount of money and time I spent on these failed career paths. I looked at a certain hobby of mine that had brought me much joy over the years, video games. After discussing these plans with my family, I then decided to return to college in order to pursue a game programming and development degree. I've always loved playing video games, ever since I was 4 years old. Now, I don't only want to play video games, but I also want to create them, to create my own stories and let my creative mind go wild. I'm more than ever motivated to accomplish my new dream. That motivation that drove me to finish my first degree, will be the same determination that will bring me to obtain my second degree. Looking back at it now, my story isn't as bad as other people's struggle with mental health, but I believe that my story needed to be shared in order for people to understand that sometimes, your first career choice isn't going to be the one that sticks. Mentally, I wasn't at my best in that point of my life, but I'm glad that I regained my motivation to succeed. When you feel as though your career is at a standstill, it can really affect you mentally, the stress of uncertainty. The feeling of failure, it eats up inside you. Of course, you just need to find the right career for you in order to get out of this slump. Now, with the support of my family, this new dream of mine is something I really want to accomplish as soon as I can.

My mental health was at its worse when I graduated college at the University of Texas Arlington. I just had completed my degree in criminal justice, hoping to become a police officer. However, after a couple months of patrolling with some police on the force, as well as volunteering in a program that allows us to work closely with the police. I soon figured out that police work wasn't for me, so I decided not to pursue that line of work anymore. After that, I felt lost, I jumped from job to job, hoping something would stick. From insurance salesman to supervisor, I went into every single job wishing it was the job I really wanted, but it wasn't. After a while, I ended up working at a retail store as a tech supervisor, but I was unhappy. I only entered into the job in order to do something. After a while, I felt unmotivated and tired, the amount of money and time I had placed onto different career paths, all for nothing. I realized the slump I was getting myself into, if I had not gotten myself straighten out, who knows what could've happened. Afterwards, I looked up possible career paths that suited my personality and hobbies. Pretty soon, I decided to return to college and join a game programming and development program at the SNHU. It wasn't an easy choice to make, as I was nervous to returning to college after being gone for over a year. However, I realized that the jobs I was doing at the moment, weren't bringing any happiness. However, I know that my personal hobby of playing videos games has always gotten me through hard times. Therefore, I wanted to dedicate my career to becoming a game programmer. I will admit that my mental health wasn't the worst compared to most people at that point in my life, but I knew that I was going through a rough patch. Thankfully, I'm more than motivated to accomplish my dream and allow my creative mind to thrive.

I was taught at an early age that having a good financial plan is a skill to success. That blowing all your money on unnecessary things is a quite way to run out of money. I was taught about being smart with your money and investing on important things, such as education. Currently, I have a part time job and pursing other financial options in order to pay back for my college education. Ever little helps, so any scholarships that can assist with this situation is greatly appreciated. Additionally, I'm growing an online business of selling used goods online, something that not only is assisting in paying back my loans, but also something I wouldn't mind expanding over for years to come in the near future. My current dream is becoming a game developer, I'm currently at SNHU in their game programming and development program. I'm thankful that the college is as affordable as it can be, of course, I still have to pay back. As for how my dream will have a positive effect on society, hopefully, my games will bring joy and enjoyment to those who play it. My wish is that the games I create can cause a generation of future students to also pursue game programming and development. One of my dreams is that if I become quite successful, to open up my own game company. Giving other people the opportunity to work in the game industry, as well as giving them a place where they feel like family and that they are valued like everyone else. Believe me when I say I'm someone who has a lot of projects on his mind, from making video games to videos, I want to expand my passion to many personal projects. Of course, that can only be possible with financial backing, as I have to work at my part time job in order to afford equipment needed. As well as needing to buy online books and programs in order to continue my education and projects. After my first go around at college, I'm motivated to continue a passion of mine. I've always loved video games, ever since I was 4 years old. Now, I want to turn that hobby of mine into a career. Hopefully, down the line, I'll be able to accomplish that dream and make enough money so that my family don't have to worry about money problems ever again.

Anytime I feel down or lost, I usually pray as a sign of relieving myself. I always pray as a way to calm myself down when things get rough. Even though I'm not as religious as say my parents, I will say that their Catholic beliefs have certainly rubbed off on me. The church has always given me valuable advice over the years, as I used to talk to the members of the church weekly whenever I would assist them while being an usher. They taught me that my personal beliefs should never be undermined due to peer pressure, or that under the Lord's eyes, we are all equal. I would certainly say that many personal traits of mine were influenced by the church. The way I properly treat others and show respect to people of all ages were because I was taught that at an early age by the nuns and fathers of the church. I personally believe that my religious beliefs have led me to live a normal and clean life. I knew many kids around my age, that were getting into drugs, criminal activity and other bad habits. Soon, many of them either were expelled from school or were arrested for their actions and now have criminal records. As for how my faith will be a guiding force in the future, simply put, I will make sure to never lose sight of my faith, even when I gain success. There are some people in the world who lose sight of who they are once they reach their goals. However, the church has taught me to be the same person I am now, no matter how much money is in my pockets. I use my faith as a method of motivation, whenever I feel as though I'm in a stump, such as having difficulties in class. I pray to God, as a method to calm myself down and try to refocus. To some people, this may seem silly, but to me, it really has helped out with any anxiety issues. In any case, the church is like a second home to me, because I've spent so much time in that church, I feel quite safe when I'm around the house of God. I wouldn't mind that down the line, should I gain some financial success, that I would donate a large portion of money to fix for repairs. That way, I can repay the church for the good it has given me.

While I believe that socioeconomic adversity hasn't played any major role in my life in a negative way, at the very least, my family's financial struggle early on were quite tough for my family. Before moving to Texas, my family lived in California for a majority of their life. Over there, they lived paycheck by paycheck, barely able to scrape by within the apartment they lived in. From an early age, my parents taught me the importance of my education, especially since I would be the first person in my family to go to college. As the most that anyone had ever gotten was passing high school, which would be my oldest sister. Those moments in that apartment taught me one thing, to value the things you have in your life. The relationships you have with your family, as well as planning out your future is very important, even at a very young age. At an early age, I wanted to pursue a career that will allow my family to no longer fear about financial issues. Of course, education itself isn't very cheap, so I'm working hard to support myself and not having to rely too much on loans or getting heavy into debt. I'm a very organized person, mainly because of my parents' early struggles on trying to raise me. I always make sure I keep a tight budget, always making sure that I have the essentials needed for class such as schoolbooks, as well as planning out my future plans and dreams. At first, I wanted to go into criminal justice, since I just wanted a standard job that I thought I would be good at. However, I soon realized that working with the police force just wasn't for me. After bouncing from job to job, I needed a new career to focus on. I then remembered a personal belief of mine, that if I only pursued a job for the money, then it's not a career pursing after. I need a career that I knew was achievable, as well as a career that would bring me both joy and monetary success. Then it hit me, what's a personal hobby of mine that I enjoy, playing video games, but I've always wanted to create video games as well. After speaking about it with my family, they were fully supportive on my choice. For me, that was the biggest support I needed in my life at that moment, my family's approval. The positive impact I want to make is to be there for my family, to support them in their time of need. As well as being able to donate more around my community, with cash donations. I always wanted to give more back to the community that has raised me, should my career become a success, I would gladly give back to those who supported me since the very beginning.

As a college student who is pursing game programming and development, Minecraft has always fascinated me by its popularity and strong fanbase. For me, Minecraft is the prime example that a good game doesn't need to have Triple-A graphics, rather, the game needs to be enjoyable and be able to give the player a lasting impact. Although I haven't played Minecraft as much as I would want to, it's a game that gives you creative control, something that can give the player hours upon hours of enjoyment. The creative team of Minecraft has made a game that has stood within the test of time, despite how old the game is, it's still a game that people talk about to this game. You have games that are popular for a while, but pretty soon lose their fire within a short time span. Minecraft, while it has had its popularity go up and down, still contains a fanbase that still going strong to this day. I only hope that one day, I too can create a game that can stand the test of time, a game that people can play for years on end. In short, Minecraft showcases everyone that the best games aren't the ones that are the best looking, rather, the games that make people play the game again and again, without ever getting bored.

Personal Journey: The biggest challenge has been money problems, rather the lack of money in my case. I understand that college isn't cheap. So saving money is a top priority for me. Especially since my second go around, I won't have as many financial offers as before. So now I really have to be smart with my money. Role Models: My family, in particular, my parents, as they have always motivated me to try harder and better than the last. Luckly, they've been very supportive about my new career choice. Something that really helps out during class study. Overcoming Obstacles: The biggest obstacle I've overcome is that your first career choice may not be the one that you really wanted. And that's okay, over the past year, I've gone to many different career choices, such as insurance salesman and supervisor, but none of these jobs sticked. I soon realized that the career I really wanted, must be one that I'm not just pursing for the money. Legacy of Jose Prado: Jose Prado believed that education could make a difference, and I agree with that statement. Sure, college isn't for everyone, however, it can open up new possibilities. I personally believe family supporting their loved one's education is a big factor if they succeed or not. That motivation can drive anyone passed any obstacle put in their way. Jose Prado, from what I've read, is a good man, would've loved to have met him in person. Your Philanthropic Vision: Should I ever establish a scholarship, that scholarship would be based around people who have turned their hobbies into careers. For example, in my case, I enjoyed playing video games so much that now I want to create them. Start up my own business and become a game developer. If someone can make a hobby into a career, then more power to them. A career that you can enjoy outside of the money, is a career that is worthing getting into. The Power of Education: Education can open up own career ideas that you didn't think were possible to achieve. For me, I was looking for a new degree and fit through my passions and a career that I wasn't only in it for the money. After searching for hours, I finally figured out the career for me. Game programming and development, I've always loved playing video games, now, I want to create my own video games and start a business. That way, I can financially support my family and they can retire in peace.

I'll be honest and say that my journey to where I am today wasn't an easy one. At first, the skills I developed before my career change was examination. Mainly because the job I originally wanted was criminal justice. As of now, I'm currently pursuing a career in game programming and development, with hopes of making my own games and being able to support my family through this career. However, the skills needed in order to make a game all by myself is many and quite time-consuming. From 3d modeling, composer, background artist, coding, at first, I was simply going to watch tutorial videos and be done with it. But I soon realized that doing these will take much longer than I wanted. After having a long discussion with my parents, I decided to return to college to pursue my new career. As for how this passion and newfound purpose help those around me, simply put, I want to help others financially when in times of need. I know that my father, as much as he works, will eventually have to retire one of these days. I don't want to see my father in a retirement home, so I wish to support him and make sure that my parents never have to face a financial issue again. And what better than pursuing a career that has been a big hobby of mine, video games. At first, I simply wanted to play video games ever since I was 4. However, after looking at my career after the failure of my criminal justice prospects, I realized that I needed to pursue a career that would bring me both financial success and a sense of enjoyment. The most important part in all of this is that my family is supportive of my choice, and they did state they will help me should I come across any problems. After what happened with my first career, I still grateful that they have my back for this new career. Of course, I will still be learning how to do all of the necessary skills needed to make my own video games while still attending class. As a way to get ahead of the game and get a good idea on what type of games I want to make. I know that the journey will be hard and difficult, but as long as I got my family by my side. I know that this dream can become a reality.

During my first semester at UTA, I was unsure of my future. The major that I chose was criminal justice. To be honest, I only chose the job since it was a standard job that offered opportunities to advance. I didn't really have a plan during my last year of high school, so I chose the career that seemed at the time, an easy job that aligned with my interests. However, after graduation, I had some patrols with some members of the police force, as well as COP program that allowed me to get a better idea of how my job would work. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that this type of career wasn't for me, and I ended up not pursing a job in the police force anymore. After that, I felt stuck, I didn't know what to do next. I tried other career options, from insurance salesman, supervisor, and even professional wrestler in training, but nothing seemed to stick. There's was always a problem with each career choice that caused me to no longer pursue that career. The ideal career of mine is one that will not get boring, a career that I will still be passionate about for years to come. During the last weeks of my last job, I decided to look at my passions, what brought me joy, that is when it hit me, video games. I always enjoyed playing video games since I was 4, and to this day I have a massive video game collection. After discussing with the topic with my parents, I decided that I wanted to be a video game developer. At first, I tried learning everything through tutorials, as being a one-man crew, I had to learn everything about making a video game from scratch. However, I soon learned that it was going to take a while in order for a true progress to happen in my projects. Therefore, I made the decision to return to college in order to pursue a degree in video game programming and development. That way, I can get the basic fundamentals on how to create a video game, with professionals who can give me great advice. Of course, that meant now that I had to get a part time job, find a good program, plan out an idea on the type of video games I want to develop, etc. After that decision, I was passionate about fulfilling my dreams, a career that will actually bring me a sense of accomplishment. I know it's a type of career I won't get bored off, as video games has gotten me through some tough times. Hopefully, in the near future, I'll be able to create my own video games all on my own.

As a first-generation college student, I often like to look back at my past and see the amount of work I put into my classes to get where I am today. As a student, I always wanted to put my best foot forward, no matter if it was inside or outside of school. Which is the reason why at an early age, I decided to volunteer at the food bank, so I can use my time to assist less fortunate folks. I remember that I would try to help out every month, as the food drive was only once a month and sometimes, they would be low on volunteers. I helped at the food bank so many years, from my middle school years, all the way to the tail end of my high school senior year. It wasn't until the pandemic started that I couldn't assist at the food bank anymore. Whenever I'm helping others, no matter what situation, I feel as though my contribution to the work will inspire others to do the same. Believe me when I say that I want to help others, so that others will do the same. I inspire to influence others in a positive way, to be a good example for my nieces. Nowadays, while I don't volunteer anymore due to my work and school, I still try to help out my community through other means. Mainly through donations to charities that are around the area, I try to donate at every charity I come across around my area, sometimes it's the red cross, other times it's for the local church. Although I know that the amount I donate isn't life changing, it's going to a good cause. And that's all that matters to me. Speaking about the church, I've been an usher at my local church for years, it was only until recently when I stopped being an usher due to conflicting schedules. I now usually help out the church my assisting my mother in getting ready for key events happening at the church, such as weddings, celebrations or mass. Although it's only a small part, helping out the church is something I'm always wanting to do. The local church is like a second home to me, so I try to help out the church staff as much as I can. Even after college, I'll still be helping around like always, hopefully, I'll be able to make bigger contributions to my community down the line.

As someone who didn't face any real mental health problems until recently, I didn't know that stress and having issues at work, school or at home can affect you. Especially when you're lost on what you want to do with your life. I graduated from the University of Texas At Arlington in 2022, with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. I was excited about my new career, after all the time and effort I put into my degree, I was ready to work in my field of choice. However, after spending a couple of months with the police force and going into a couple of practice tryouts, I figured out that working with the police force wasn't the career I wanted. Now looking for a new career, I spent most of late 2022 and early to mid-2023 looking for a new career path. I was a supervisor, insurance salesman, and professional wrestler in training, however, nothing stuck. After a while, I became quite dull in how I looked at my current career options. I wanted a job that I didn't hate nor a job that I only joined for money reasons. I always told myself that if the only reason why I'm going into the job is for the money, then it's not a career I want. I spent days in my room, looking at myself in the mirror and questioning my career over and over again. I wanted an answer, but I couldn't find one for the longest time. During my last job, I felt washed, I felt unmotivated and didn't belong. However, before one of my shifts, I was looking over a university that I was interested in attending for a while. I was interested in the school due to its game programming and development program, after a long discussion with my parents, they were fully supportive of my return to college and my new pursuit of becoming a video game developer. I was always interested in video games, it's been a hobby of mine for the longest time. I thought to myself, this career will both provide for me financially and personally, as this career is something I want to do. Now with a new career on my horizon, I'm more motivated than ever to accomplish my new career by finishing my degree and pursuing my career to new heights. The lesson I learned from all of this was that my mental health was really bad at one point this year, I didn't know what I wanted to do and I spent so much time in my room sulling over the fact that my degree didn't bring me any enjoyment. Now, with my new degree in mind, I'm more than motivated to do whatever it takes to accomplish my new career as fast as I can. I advocate for mental health by telling others in my inner circle about how important it is to tell others about problems you have having and discuss with others to get advice. My new career path was given to me by loved ones, who advised me to pursue a career that will bring me joy, playing video games has always brought a smile on me. So I decided to pursue becoming a game programmer since it was always a career I had on the back of my mind, but put away because I wanted a more standard job.

Since my return to college, I'm getting back to the flow of online classes. During the height of the pandemic, almost all of my classes were purely online. The only classes that were in person were my math classes. I never really had pure online classes in high school, so it was quite the change for me when I got my first online classes. They weren't as bad as I thought there are many aspects of online learning that I prefer over in-person classes. The teachers are far quicker when responding to issues that I have over an assignment or I'm confused about a project. Usually, it takes a while for me to contact the teacher whenever I have my in-person classes, now, whenever I contact my professor online, it gives me the chance to fully explain my issues and I'm able to check back with the info at a later time. Another aspect I enjoy with online learning is that with e-books, I can look for certain phrases and words to take better notes. With regular books, I have to look over which pages have the topics I'm looking for and find the statements that I need to take note of. With e-books, the studying aspect became much easier. There are also tutors and an online library database that can help out with certain projects that require sources, these extra resources help out whenever I have major projects coming up and I need some more information for an assignment. In short, the transition to online learning wasn't that difficult, at one point, all of my classes were strictly online. I enjoy the aspect of online learning because of the amount of freedom it gives you. Currently, my classes are asynchronous, meaning that my schoolwork is given to me at the beginning of the week and has to be done at a certain date. No classes or lectures are given, just messages and tutors if needed are available. I enjoy this aspect of online learning because it gives me more freedom in my schedule. It allows me to work a part-time job, it allows me to work on personal projects, and it also allows me to give myself some well-needed rest time. The are a few cons will online learning, mainly the fact that I spent so much time on the laptop, my eyes started to strain a bit. Because of this, I started printing out my notes over time, that way, whenever I have to study my notes, I don't have to spend hours looking at a screen. Besides that, there isn't much issue I have with online learning.

There are many books I have read in the past that I would enjoy sharing with family and friends. However, if there was one book I would read to others, that book would happen to be Animal Farm. The idea of gaining power to overcome to revolt or overcome a greater power, only to become as bad or even worse than the people before you is an idea I believe many can relate to. We always want to evaluate our status and our material wealth. When we finally achieve those goods, for some people, they change for the worse. I believe another reason why I love Animal Farm is a single quote that has stayed with me since I first read the book, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Equality is something that for most people, it's a simple topic, everyone is equal no matter what. However, some believe that all deserve equality, but at the same time, others deserve a little more benefits than others. I'm currently taking a class that is all about equality, speaking with classmates who come from all different backgrounds. It's always interesting learning about topics of equality when speaking with others, and I believe that my experience in reading Animal Farm and books that have similar points heavily sway the way I look at race. Everyone is equal, no matter what background you come from. And that those in power should respect the rights of everyone, and that they shouldn't be taken away from anybody. I recall during high school, I was tasked with selecting a book of my choice to make an essay that covered a serious topic. In my case, I wanted to discuss my essay on the book Animal Farm and why it's important for people to experience reading the book just once in their life. It tells an important tale of those who revolt against those whom they have deemed as power hungry, those who abuse them and don't treat them with care. After finally overcoming a corrupt higher power, there are those within that same group that become corrupt themselves. Eventually, they lead the new group into a worse future than before, ultimately showing that power shouldn't be used to hinder others. Eventually, the only thing you're accomplishing is creating a bad future for many.

My creative passion has always been all over the place. There are days when I feel like creating something, and then there are times when I just want to brainstorm ideas but not act on them. My creative passion is to create video games, something that I'm currently pursuing in college as I'm typing this out. After about a year of job hopping and searching, I finally decided that my hobby of liking video games was enough for me to decide to make this hobby of mine my career. While my passion isn't going to light up the world on fire, I do hope that in the near future, my journey in discovering my dreams will inspire others to pursue careers in hobbies that they enjoy. As for the second part, an extra 24 hours in the day would help by giving me more time to work on my projects. Currently, I'm working on skills to create my own video game, but of course, the amount of time dedicated to learning all the necessary tools needed to create a game all by yourself is long and difficult. From creating music to learning how to edit videos, to learning how to make models and game assets, to programming, the journey to making my own video game is long and difficult. Of course, I have other tasks needed by me in a day, so some extra hours would help out in giving me more time with my project. I feel as though I'm most creative when I'm all alone and have time to myself, I think of ideas that come out of my head and I try to draw them out on paper. It could be a script, a drawing, a musical piece or a game project idea. However, I feel as though another place where I feel creative is when I'm with family and friends, since telling my loved ones about the new career I wanted to pursue, they have been very supportive. Some of them have even given me some ideas on projects, which of course, I have been noting in case I want to act on them later on. It's so strange to think about me going to college in pursuit of making video games, but after discussing with my family, they told me that no matter what career I've chosen, they will give me the support I need to succeed. They give me the fuel to let my creative spirit go wild.

1. Being the first person in my family to obtain a college degree means a whole lot to me. I'm the only person in my family that values having a good education. Although, I understand that for some people, getting an education is a lot harder due to money problems. Which is why I'm always pursuing ways to save money to pay back for college. Luckily, my family is always with me in my dreams and is there to assist me should I have some trouble when it comes to school. I'm forever thankful to my family that they are so supportive of my dreams and goals, I couldn't ask for a better family. 2. For my pursuit in college, I'm currently going for a Game Programming and Development Degree, my current goal is to make my own video games and start my own small company in the future. Before this, I was a little uncertain about my future, as I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I was job hopping for the past year and couldn't find any job that stuck with me. After a bit of self-reflection, I decided to pursue a college degree in a hobby that I enjoy, playing video games. I said to myself, "Why not make this hobby of mine the career that I want to pursue?" Even while I'm in college and getting my degree, I'm still working on skills to make my own video game. Such as learning how to model 3D characters, make music, video editing, and programming. It's not easy, but I want to make the game in my vision, it will take time, but it will be so worth it in the end. 3. As for long-term goals, I want to expand my career into different ventures, but my main long term goal is making my own video game studio in the future. Right now, I'm unable to hire anyone to work on my game project. But whenever my games projects start gaining traction and more importantly, profit. I'll be able to hire others to make even more projects come to life. Honestly, before entering college, I didn't have many long-term goals in mind, but now that I'm fired up to make my dream a reality. My goals have been increasing by the day, of course, I need to first focus on getting my degree, before I can start brainstorming more ideas.

The main reason why I love math is that it's challenging. I'll admit, that math isn't my strong suit, my best subjects are usually reading and social studies. However, when it comes to math, it's the subject that requires me to put my best foot forward. It requires me to challenge myself to pay close attention to every single step and memorize formulas by heart. Yes, there have been times when I'm lost, but the best feeling for me in this subject is when I finally realize the method to a problem I've been stuck on. Other classes usually don't challenge me as much, I usually pass them and be done with it. Math classes, however, have always challenged me. I love a good challenge, something to test my abilities as a learner. While math isn't necessarily the subject that my major is based on, I do use math in my everyday life. I believe the reason why Math isn't most people's favorite is because of the difficulty, sometimes math seems almost impossible to understand. Of course, with enough effort and perseverance, math can become an easier subject to understand. Believe me when I say that I had to study a lot for most of my math classes, but it was rewarding nonetheless.

I'll be honest, mental health is a topic I don't have much experience in talking about or going through. I've met more people in my life who've discussed the topic with me than I needed to. But still, I understand it's a serious issue that needs to be discussed, especially with those who are severely struggling with mental health issues like being stressed out, isolated or even scared to go out. Whenever I'm stressed out both physically and mentally, I perform various activities to help calm me down. Yoga, meditation, reading, or simply having nice conversations with my family has always helped me out. I understand that for some, however, mental health isn't something people are too keen to talk about. While I know that my mental health has never really hindered my beliefs or relationships, it did temporarily affect my career aspirations. When I was in my final year of high school, I didn't know extacly what type of career I wanted. There was some pressure from some of my family members to become a lawyer, although it was a good-paying job, it wasn't the type of career I was too happy to pursue. After a while, I ended up pursuing a career in criminal justice with the hope of becoming a police officer and later working for the FBI. However, a few months after I graduated in the summer of 2022, I realized that the career path I chose wasn't the one for me. I then told my parents that pursuing a career in law enforcement wasn't for me and that I was going to pursue other goals instead. At that moment, I'll admit I was scared about my future. I had worked for over 2 years for that degree, all for it to go to waste. Now what? I started pursuing other career options, first I became an insurance salesman, then I became a manager at a retail store, and I even pursued becoming a professional wrestler for about six months. But every time I thought I had something going, there was a looming issue ongoing. Pretty soon, I would always end up going back to square one again and again. I was pretty much stressed out every single day, I felt as though there was added pressure to find a new career path fast. To solve this new added stress, I went back to the drawing board and looked over any hobbies that I thoroughly enjoyed that may give me the answers. After a while, I finally realized the career choice that would provide me with that stasficaition I wanted for so long. Choosing a major in game development wasn't because I wanted to simply make games, but because it's an activity that will fill me both financially and personally. I always enjoyed creating pieces of art, that is an activity I've enjoyed since I was a little kid. I've always told this simple statement to myself, if I'm only pursuing a career for money, then that career isn't going to last.

I have much experience in volunteering work, I've helped out as an usher at my local church. I was a food drive assistant for many years, helping out families by passing out food and also taking out the food to their cars. During my middle school years, I was helping out at my local library, helping out families with picking out books for their kids or providing assistance with the library's computers. While I no longer regularly do volunteer work, I enjoyed my experiences at all of these places and thank all of those people who took time out of their day to thank me for making their day better. For me, that feeling of helping out others will always stick with me no matter what. But how have these experiences in volunteering shaped my core values as a person? Simply put, they've given me the insight that I have it easy. There are people out there in far worse shape than I'm in, they are people who are struggling to get up every day or have trouble providing for themselves or their families. So, I'm grateful for what I have, that I have a loving family, that I have a roof under my head. I shouldn't take anything for granted, so I should be happy that I have all of these resources in my life right now. Finally, my career and life goals have been shaped by my volunteer work in a small way, I enjoy bringing joy to others. Currently, my college major is game programming and development, a major I'm heavily passionate about. Why am I pursuing this career, because I want to bring people together and give them a good time with the art I create. Video games are supposed to bring joy to people, they're supposed to bring people together to have a good time. That is what I want my game projects to be, something that people can play whenever they are feeling down. Maybe a bad day at work, school or in their personal life, I can only hope that by playing my games, I can make sure the day is just a little better. In the same way, I was able to make people's day better by helping out at the food bank, at the church, or even at the library. While it may not seem like much, making anyone's day just a little better is a small goal of mine when I'm pursuing my current career choice. Hopefully, when my first game project comes out, I can make that a reality.

As someone who has always tried to help out his community, one of my favorite activities was to volunteer for the food bank drive. It was always great to see families getting the necessary food they needed to survive since the areas where I would volunteer would mainly be poor neighborhoods. Nonetheless, I've always loved the idea of helping out others who were less fortunate than me, I understand that they're going through some struggles. So helping them out and making their day was something I've always remembered even to this day. Additionally, as a religious person, I often helped out at my local church during masses. Helping out the church by being an usher. It was always great seeing the massive crowds of people come into the church, as well as helping out as much as I could. Outside of church hours, I would assist my mother in helping out with decorations. Mainly, helping her with replacing and adding flowers for church masses. Because many people would bring flowers during masses, we would often have to replace them before they rot. Although I may not be an usher anymore, I still thank the people at the church for all the assistance they've given to me over the years. Lastly, during my middle school years, I was a library assistant. While it may have not been as productive as being an usher or food drive assistant, it was always great helping out customers in looking for books or answering their questions. I would also assist people who had questions about good recommendations in books, mainly learning books for young children. I know that parents are always worried about the development of their children, so I always try to help them find some good books to give to their kids. Overall, I'm very happy with the places I've assisted over the years. For some people, community service is just community service. For me, however, community service shows character, you are assisting others without expecting anything in return. To give some of your valuable time to assist others in need, that right there is what a good person does to their community. To answer the question, I embody selflessness by helping out for so many years and years, as I was an usher for most of my early to late teen years. Not because I wanted to impress anybody, but because I enjoyed helping others, something I still do to this very day.

The biggest struggle I've faced as a first-generation college student is living up to expectations. When you are the first one in your family to go to college, there's a level of success that is expected out of you. When your family believes that you are destined for success, failure doesn't seem like an option. Still, my family has always discussed with me that they are always proud of me, especially because I've always put my best foot forward in any situation. Another challenge for me is financial woe, I'm currently not swimming in cash right now, so every little helps out as I try to earn my degree in game programming and development. I'm someone who takes great steps to ensure my financial situation doesn't end in the red, so I'm making sure I can repay my loans as soon as I can. Of course, with having an upcoming part-time job and applying to every scholarship that applies to me, I've taken extra steps to be the careful person I am. It's always better to be prepared than unprepared. Finally, the social obstacles, the type of career I've chosen, game programming and development isn't the typical career that my family thought I was going to have. My father wanted me to be a lawyer, but I wanted to choose a career path that would satisfy me both financially and personally. I've told myself time and time again if I'm going into a job only for the money, then that career isn't for me. I want to work as a game programmer not only to help out my family but also because it's a career that I know I will personally enjoy. I've always been a huge fan of video games, it's one of the many hobbies that I enjoy that has always brought me joy. Therefore, a career in making video games seems like an easy and good choice for a career path. Luckily, my family is very supportive of my career choice and is backing me up with my college choice. All in all, I believe that everything happens for a reason, I believe that the struggles I've faced up to this point have made me a stronger person both physically and mentally. I know that the career I've chosen will be the career I will stay on for years to come, hopefully, I'll be able to make my family proud of me.

Planning out your future can be scary, especially when you don't know exactly what you want to do with your life. My name is Eduardo Olmos, and I'm a student who's returning to college to pursue a career as a game programmer. My current plans are to finish my college education and then pursue a career in game development, perhaps even working with a big-time game company. Of course, there are certain obstacles in that way, mainly the costs of returning to college with limited resources. While having a part-time job, as well as the support of my family, I'm still doing whatever it takes to make sure I'm financially stable in my new career path. Believe me when I say that this career is the career path I want to stay on. After job-hopping over and over again, trying to find a job that fills me with joy, I can finally say I've finally found the career path that would make me happy. Of course, while in school, I will still look for ways to further my career, I'm currently working on a game project as we speak. I hope that I can complete my game project before I finish college. As for how this scholarship will help me, every little helps. I'm a person who takes extra steps to secure my chances of making my dream a reality. And I understand that financially, I need to do whatever it takes to not be stricken by massive debt. Meaning that saving money as much as I can is vital. Currently, I have a part-time job that I will pursue while in college, as well as having family members assist me in case of emergencies. I'm also applying to as many scholarships as I can, that way, my loans aren't going to be as big as they are when I finally finish college. In other words, this scholarship will help make my plan a little easier. Even if I don't win, I enjoy telling my story to other people, telling them that your career choice should be something that can fill you both financially and personally. With the help of this scholarship, that career path could be much easier. But in any case, I hope I'll be able to make my game project all by myself and create projects of art for so many people to see and play for years to come.

Every decision I make in college, the classes I choose and the degree I pursue, all trace back to my family roots. I'm a family man, I put my family first before anything else, so the pursuit of my degree is so that I can provide financial assistance to everyone in my family. Hello, my name is Eduardo Olmos, and the degree I'm pursuing is in Game Programming and Development. Believe me when I say that helping others is something I've always been doing all my life. Ever since I was little, I would help out with the food bank or the local library. Sometimes I would even see some of my family members at these local food drives, I was always happy to see them whenever they passed by. I care about everyone in my family, from my aunts to my cousins, I care about each of them dearly. Pursuing college is a big step for any student, as they are devoting a portion of their life to seeking a degree that would aid them in a career path. For me, Game Programming was an easy choice to make, as video games have always been something I've been very passionate about. It's a degree that would not only assist in my pursuit of making my own video games but would also give me personal satisfaction. Thankfully, it's a career that my family is fully behind, something that brings me much joy. However, that isn't my only passion for pursuing this career choice. My second passion for graduating is to give my family a break, to give them the lives that they deserve. That way, I will pursue a job that will give me personal satisfaction. But a career that could financially assist my family with any needs, like purchasing medicine or surgery. I don't want to see my parents in a retirement home, same with my aunts or uncles when they reach their twilight years. I want to take care of them and make sure they live their last years with tender care and peace. Family is important, being Mexican-American or first-generation doesn't change that, I love my family no matter what. My college degree is the first major step on my career path, and the support my family brings me will make my career path a little easier. Hopefully, within the next couple of years, I can accomplish my personal and family goals.

When it comes to dreams, many will do whatever it takes to make their dream become a reality. Sometimes there are setbacks, whether they be personal, physical or financial struggles that cause our dreams to take a step back. But in the end, the worst thing you can do is to never take that first step. To have a dream and simply toss it away is a disservice to yourself, as you may be throwing away a career that may bring you joy. My name is Eduardo Olmos, and my dream is to pursue a career in game development and programming. I understand that simply having the degree itself doesn't guarantee any job, but it will assist me in the long run. Ever since I was a kid, video games have always been my passion, any type of game, I would play for hours on end. A couple of months ago, around the end of 2022, I was starting to brainstorm a game project, weeks later, I had come up with the idea of making a 3D Fighting game. I simply put the idea in my journal and forgot about it, it wasn't until July that I rediscovered the project I had made. I decided that it was time to get serious about this game idea I had made. I started my game project, downloading the necessary software and watching the tutorials for beginners. While learning these videos offered much guidance, they also made me realize the uphill battle I was facing. Trying to be a self-taught game programmer proved to be quite difficult, being a one-man team with limited resources. Trying to learn all of the necessary skills, such as programming and 3D modeling was time-consuming and difficult. In particular, coding was my biggest issue when it came to building my project. While it was possible to learn 3D modeling, making music and creating art assets on my own, coding was something I had no experience with and trying to watch these tutorials on coding seemed tiresome. I had a decision to make, either go to college and enter into a program that would help me build the necessary skills to make my game project come to life. Or, to learn everything from scratch, albeit, it would take many years since I would work on my game all by myself. In the end, I believe that the program I chose would accomplish my dream of working in the video game industry In short, I believe that college provides much-needed assistance to those who wish to accomplish their dreams. While not needed, a college degree can help make a dream a bit easier, as these classes are designed to give you the knowledge needed to succeed in the field you are pursuing. But remember, a degree can only take you so far. Ultimately, the student controls their destiny, they are the ones who must take the necessary steps to accomplish their dream, no matter how long or difficult the path may seem.

A harsh reality that some high school/college students may face is that they pursue a career that doesn't pan out. All that time and effort you put into your degree, all for it to go to waste. Unfortunately, that became a reality for me last year. My name is Eduardo Olmos, I was pursuing a career in criminal justice less than a year ago. Having graduated from the University of Texas At Arlington last year, I was relieved that all my hard work had finally paid off. After graduation, I was studying and training for the police exams that were fast approaching, ready to take the next step in my new career. Unfortunately, due to some personal issues and some unfortunate events occurring, that career ended before it even started. Now, for the past couple of months, I've been hoping through different jobs/careers, just trying to figure out what to do with my career. There were many careers that I was pursuing for the last couple of months, insurance broker, supervisor, and salesman. Some of these jobs I'm still pursuing somewhat, but only part-time. Ultimately, however, they left me wanting more out of my life. It wasn't until about a month ago that I realized what I wanted to do, making my own videogames from scratch. However, I didn't know where to start, I started to work on my project, but the amount of effort needed for a single person to create a game from scratch is quite difficult. There were videos online, but those videos could only take me so far, soon I realized what I had to do. Returning to college so soon wasn't easy for me, but I realized that if I never allowed myself to pursue my new goal, I would be giving up on myself and my dreams. After all was said and done, I finally decided to return to college this upcoming fall to pursue a BS in Game Programming and Development. To answer what my story has to do with overcoming obstacules in pursuit of education. Simply put, sometimes the first career you choose won't pan out, but it's not the end, you have the opportunity to pursue other careers if you wish to. You simply have to give yourself the chance, otherwise, you're not only giving up on yourself but giving up on a career that could bring you both satisfaction and happiness.

Whenever I'm at school or at home, I try to learn something new through school textbooks or documentaries. As a bookworm, I try to read a book or two at least every month, any genre can do really. Of course, learning something new everyday can be stressful at times, so on the side I like to do some yoga to ease my stress to a minimum. Honestly, I have fun learning in school, ever since I was little I was always eager to learn something new about the world and I had no prior knowledge about. But for me, I reason why I always try to keep a growth mindset is motivation, everything in my life up to this point has been motivated by something, by friends, family and the expectations given to me by adults and peers alike. Whenever I'm feeling down, I always remember about the people who got me here in the first place, they are the reason why I'm even in college to begin with, their support guided me to become the very best student I can be.

I believe that most people want to complete their goals and dreams as early as possible, for me, my motivation isn't when I get there, but if I get there. As someone who is currently in college, I can understand people already wanting to get a job as soon as possible when out of college, the problem of course is that no one's is going to hire someone who just got out of college and has no experience. The idea is that its better to get experience with jobs within your field, like if someone wanted to work a chef, they start out at the bottom and work themselves to the top. Sure, it may feel tiresome and for some, too much work, but when you accomplish those dreams after so much effort being put into your career, the reality of accomplishing your goals becomes more meaningful. So for me, I'm happy where I am, and don't want to rush anything before I'm ready, that is why for me patience is important.