He manages to put on a faint smile, like the weak flame of a melted candle. You can tell the flame is trying to keep burning; and there is just enough light to make you feel safe and warm. As I got older, I started becoming more aware of things, and I became aware of my father’s silent suffering. He wasn’t fortunate enough to pursue a higher education and only finished high school. My sweet and compassionate mother, now working as a part-time seamstress. She came to California at just 14 years old, alone. After finishing her second half of high school in the states, she dreamt of attending college at UCLA and wanted to major in STEM. But she was never able to do so, as the cost of tuition prevented her. She was devastated, and rightfully so. Her sole reason for coming to the US was so she could get a better education, but tuition was ultimately what erased those possibilities. Sometimes, she will softly cry alone, reminiscing about what she could’ve been. And catching glimpses of her vulnerability, it hurts. So much. Yet she smiles whenever she’s around us. I love her smile. However, that smile is her biggest lie. But sometimes, it’s better to tell a lie than the truth. I want to carry on their dreams and become great for them. Although being “great” is subjective, I believe that completing college and refining my education is the first step in that direction. Aside from my parents’ influence on my decision to attend college; growing up as the first-born child has also had a tremendous impact on my life thus far. After my siblings were born, I naturally assumed a leadership role to set a good example for my younger brother and sister. As a first-generation college student, my motivation to become the best version of myself has never been stronger. My intent as a first-gen student is to reach new heights that my family has been unable to before, and so that I can become the best version of myself; not just for me, but for my family. My aspirations to pursue physical therapy were largely influenced by school, personal experiences with pt, and my mother. When I would come home from school, I constantly saw umma prone in bed. Motionless and in chronic pain in her lower and upper extremity. All I could do for her was give her gentle massages and tell her that I was doing good in school. The best news would be the days I would report a good grade to her. The exposure to physical therapy with my own problems due to a sports injury, seeing my mother in such pain, and now working as a physical therapist aide in a clinic, has all played a factor into my decision to pursue physical therapy. I have spent hundreds of hours observing, learning about physical therapy, and working with hundreds of patients, each of whom I can name without their medical charts and describe a positive defining trait about. I positively can conclude that the more I envelope myself into the world of physical therapy, the more certain I am that this is what I was born to do. If there is something I want the most in the world, it’s to see a person smile after their care. And most specifically, my parents’ heartwarming smiles. That, is my motivation.

He manages to put on a faint smile, like the weak flame of a melted candle. You can tell the flame is trying to keep burning; and there is just enough light to make you feel safe and warm. As I got older, I started becoming more aware of things, and I became aware of my father’s silent suffering. He wasn’t fortunate enough to pursue a higher education and only finished high school. My sweet and compassionate mother, now working as a part-time seamstress. She came to California at just 14 years old, alone. After finishing her second half of high school in the states, she dreamt of attending college at UCLA and wanted to major in STEM. But she was never able to do so, as the cost of tuition prevented her. She was devastated and rightfully so. Her sole reason for coming to the US was so that she could get a better education, but tuition was ultimately what erased those possibilities. Sometimes, she will softly cry alone, reminiscing about what she could’ve been. And catching glimpses of her vulnerability, it hurts. So much. Yet she smiles whenever she’s around us. I love her smile. However, that smile is her biggest lie. But sometimes, it’s better to tell a lie than the truth. I want to carry on their dreams and become great for them. Although being “great” is subjective, I believe that going to college and refining my education is the first step in that direction. Aside from my parents’ influence on my decision to attend college; growing up as the first-born child has also had a tremendous impact on my life thus far. After my siblings were born, I naturally assumed a leadership role to set a good example for my younger brother and sister. As a first generation college student, my motivation to become the best version of myself has never been stronger. As I grew up, I developed many new interests, habits, and goals. Currently, I am Student Council president, captain of varsity tennis, as well as the president/founder of the school’s Symphony Club and Pickleball Clubs. I specifically created these clubs to satiate the wants of my peers within my school. My school is not a very big school. In total, there are less than 1000 students enrolled in both middle school and high school. Thanks to this, I have been able to foster a close-knit community within my school and bolster unity. In my spare time, I volunteer at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium and for the City Mayor’s youth council, and dedicate time to tennis practice and school work. My intent as a first-gen student is to reach new heights that my family has been unable to before, and so that I can become the best version of myself; not just for me, but for my family. My aspirations to pursue dentistry—my goal to become a dentist—was largely influenced by school and my father's work. When I visited him as a kid at work and watched what he did, I would stare at the sheer beauty of teeth and would be mesmerized without fail. At school, I got to learn about the roles of teeth and their importance. The more time I spent researching, observing, learning about teeth, the more I began to envelope myself into the world of dentistry. Slowly, I began to notice the unique smiles that are minted by teeth. If there is something I want the most in the world, it’s to see my parents’ heartwarming smiles.