Adulting, before you're supposed to become an adult, is hard. I grew up in a really poor household where my mother had to decide if electricity was going to be paid for or would we have food on the table that month. My mom worked her absolute butt off to provide for my siblings and me. I decided I wanted to create a better life for myself and my mom. I have always been enrolled in the charter school system and in schools that were culturally based. Growing up in a smaller school setting meant that I was always held back academically and needed to pursue my education from a broader standpoint. I enrolled in a college-ready high school and ended up finishing all my credits by my junior year despite covid and online learning. It was not easy and I had to make the decisions to do what I had to do. Even though I finished my high school credits early I didn’t stop there and took advantage of having an extra year in high school by taking early college courses to push myself to be the best I can be. Currently, I am trying to find a job because my mom said she wouldn’t be able to support me financially in going to college. Due to the global pandemic, I have been struggling in getting a job. I’ve submitted over a hundred applications and have only heard back from a few if any. While under the pressure of doing scholarships, grants, college assignments, & pursuing a job it’s been overwhelming, to say the least. I have been trying to navigate assignments by doing them early, with the same people in my classes to bounce off ideas and concepts, and overall trying to figure out what it means to stay organized under pressure. I am currently taking early college courses at a community college however I want to discover myself. I am from Hawaiʻi and if I don’t I won’t experience life, see what's out there, learn from others, be on my own! If I was given this opportunity to do so I would go beyond what I know. I would educate myself with all the knowledge college would offer me, make a name for myself, provide for my mom and pay her back for what she has sacrificed for me, and genuinely support myself in this exotically expensive world. Life isn’t easy, but taking it one step at a time, putting my trust in the Lord above, and believing in myself I know I can do it. (1) What does it mean to you to get a college education? To prove to other people that I can do it. To prove to myself that even though I came from nothing I can become something. This world is financially driven and to make a living for yourself out there you need a college degree. Some people are successful without a college degree, however, it is useful to get on job applications and overall beneficial with credentials. This would mean the absolute world to me. I’ve never wanted to accomplish anything more in my life because I know if I could get through college without worrying about my financial situation it would be game-changing. Higher-income is a primary benefit of earning your college degree. But most jobs that require a bachelor's, master's, doctoral or professional degree tend to also provide more benefits. This can include health care, retirement investment, travel, and other perks. These types of benefits are rarely offered for high-school-level jobs. It prepares you, both intellectually and socially, for your career and your adult life. College can open up unexpected opportunities that aren't always there for those who haven't engaged in a higher level of education. In today's economy, employment options are shrinking for people who only have a high school diploma. A large majority of high school graduates work in the service industry, in low-paying jobs that don't offer many opportunities for advancement. College graduates, on the other hand, tend to have skills that qualify them for a broad range of employment in fields that offer more upward mobility. (2) Tell me about a typical day or week in your life outside of school. A typical day outside of school would mean the weekend. On Friday afternoon after doing homework I would catch the bus (it is my only source of transportation) to my church New Hope Oahu for my church's young adult’s ministry called collective around 5. I volunteer there to be the childcare provider along with other individuals. The purpose of our team is to watch the children of the young adults that can’t necessarily go to church without getting a babysitter or someone to watch their kids. One of the leaders would take me home after finishing the service around 10-11. On Saturday I would wrap up on the week's homework, workout, and relax till 2. From then I would catch the bus to church again to serve in the 6th-8th grade youth ministry called Amplify. There I am a visual coordinator and do all the technical graphics that appear on the screen. I genuinely love creating personal connections with the students who attend for either the first time or their 100th time. Then around 8-9ish after breaking down everything my older brother figure who lives relatively close to me, takes me home. That’s when I would take time to myself stretch, read a book, watch a movie, and wind down. On Sunday morning bright and early I would catch the bus to church around 7 am for call time. In the morning I would serve in the 4th-5th grade ministry called Ignite as a helping hand. If they need me on announcements, game time, ministry time, etc. I will do the job. (3) Tell me how you feed your curiosity inside and/or outside of school. How I feed my curiosity is definitely asking more questions. More often than not we’re focused on finding answers rather than thinking about questions, but questions are one of the most powerful tools for engaging your curiosity. Asking questions essentially primes your curiosity, making you alert to new ideas and perspectives that would otherwise be overlooked. Asking questions, even stupid ones, is an easy way to start your curiosity. Another way i pique curiosity is to embrace uncertainty. Things never go according to plan. Rather than stressing and worrying about uncertainty, learn to embrace it. Go with the flow. The better you become with uncertainty and being comfortable with it, the easier it becomes to engage your curiosity amidst the chaos. Replace fear of the unknown with curiosity. By doing so, you’ll be more confident in the face of any situation and your curiosity will take you to places you never thought you’d go. Another way I do it is just conversing with others. Every individual you meet has something to offer and a unique perspective on life that you’ll never experience.That being the case, conversing with others is a great way to learn and understand more about the world. There’s so much to learn from others and you won’t get very far without talking to them.

Hi I am Emalia Horcajo. I have a genuine question. Have you ever been extremely indecisive? Unfortunately, that's been me my whole life. For the longest time throughout the four years of high school and even before that I always had multiple different hobbies, career options, little shifts that had the potential to be a possible choice of work in the future but nothing caught my attention significantly. I decided I wanted to get my educational degree in business due to its diversity and ability to back me up in any career choice I would endeavor on. However, I was still indecisive on which business degree. Until December of 2021. Grand Canyon University has a program called Discover GCU that flies up seniors from across the United States to get the chance to explore and connect with the campus and community. I am a girl from a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean also known as Hawaiʻi, being able to physically experience and grasp the concept of college was a game-changer. While on the Discover trip we split off into the different degree choices like Engineering, Architecture, Communications, Art, Business, etc. While touring the business building and classrooms is when I settled on Marketing and Advertising as my official major in Business because of how much it matches my personality and work ethic. My first significant encounter with possibly using my future business degree was in 10th grade. I had a guy best friend that took a liking to cooking because he was an assistant chef at a local restaurant. His dream was for the guys and me to open a restaurant and make a living for ourselves. We would each uphold a different responsibility and as you could guess mine would be the financial portion. I already obtained the mindset of marketing & advertising before the initial thought of this idea came about. My second encounter with possibly using the degree was in 11th grade. Covid-19 was in well effect at this point and everything was switched virtually. The internet and social media have been taking the world by storm especially an app called 'Tik Tok' where a bunch of teens and adults alike were starting a small business. My support group that just so happens to be my life group from church started making ideas about how we could impact high schoolers in need of Christ. We used social media to announce everything and logistically we impacted quite a few students and also got other leaders involved. My third encounter with using the degree was on the GCU Discover trip I made a group of friends that just so happened to be going into different fields of the business degree. We decided impulsively that if we all attended GCU and stuck together eventually we could start a business with each of our knowledge. In conclusion, I may encounter another opportunity but those are the main reasons I'm fully interested in getting my degree in Business of Advertising and Marketing.