I am a low-income, first-generation Mexican American student with a deep-rooted passion for construction management. I am also a bilingual student (English/Spanish) who grew up in a Spanish-speaking household in a rural community in Colorado. Individuals with similar backgrounds to mine are underrepresented in STEM. My long-term goal is to become a Project Manager. I have always felt like, due to my ethnicity and who I am, I felt like people didn't believe in me. Slowly, I became more prideful and started feeling like representation for Hispanics in STEM is extremely important. Women are equally just as underrepresented, and I hope to be a role model for other girls aspiring to work in a STEM field. I have always felt like people believe I can't do what a man can do just because I'm a woman. I want to prove everyone wrong and show them that I am just as capable and can do my job well. I have two younger sisters, and I know they look up to me. and I want them to know that you can achieve your goals and you shouldn't be scared to. I didn't grow up in a well-off family, nor did I come from a school-oriented family. Being away from home has been hard, I feel alone and sometimes unmotivated. It's hard being on your own once you go to college, you don't know the area and the people. It can be stressful and take a toll on your mental health. My parents weren’t able to get a higher education, and I am the oldest, which means I don't have anyone to rely on for tips on how to survive college. It's hard trying to navigate it all, especially all on your own. Although I just started my college education, I am sure it will only get harder on the workload. I don't want that to stop me, though; I am determined to achieve my goals to make my family and myself proud. My parents have always taught me to work hard for my dreams and never give up. They weren't able to have the same resources I have, and they have given me everything to be able to reach my goals, and I can't wait to give back to them. Although this is a scary change for me, being on my own, I want to make it worth it and give it my absolute all. I want to be able to push through those fears and put my effort into studying and graduating.

I am a low-income, first-generation, Mexican American student with a deep-rooted passion for Biochemistry. I am also a bilingual student (English/Spanish) who grew up in a Spanish-speaking household in a rural community in Colorado. I believe individuals with similar backgrounds to mine are underrepresented in STEM. My long-term goal is to become a Pharmacist. I have always felt like due to my ethnicity and who I am, I felt like people didn't believe in me. Slowly I began to be more prideful and I started feeling like representation for Hispanics in STEM is extremely important. It means so much to me knowing that I will be the first in my family to go to University and graduate. Not only that but I am proud that I will be the first in my family to hopefully achieve a PhD. It truly is a dream and I am determined to make it a reality. Growing up in a Spanish-speaking household in a rural community in Colorado, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by individuals like me in accessing quality healthcare due to language barriers. I always saw my parents struggle to communicate with workers just to receive care. Health should be taken seriously, it is super important and everyone must be able to receive proper care without having to struggle to receive a human necessity. This experience has fueled my ambition to become a Pharmacist and provide bilingual services to my community. I am determined to break barriers and make a difference as one of the 5% of Hispanic women in Pharmaceuticals. My goal is not only to achieve personal success but also to advocate for accessible healthcare and STEM education for low-income, rural, and immigrant families. Having grown up in a community where healthcare accessibility is a pressing issue, I am committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, can receive the care they deserve. I grew up in a community where the majority of the population are immigrants and accessible health care for them is extremely difficult. Moreover, since most of the community members are primarily Spanish speakers, communicating is important and health-related. I have always been taught that family comes first and living in my town I have met so many people who struggle a lot and could use the help of having health care become more accessible. By pursuing my dreams in Biochemistry and Pharmacy, I aim to empower my community and make a lasting impact on those who struggle to access essential healthcare services. I also want to empower not just Hispanics in STEM but also Hispanic Women. We are often looked down upon because we are women but I want to prove that even though I am a woman I can still pursue a career in STEM. It is extremely important to me that I can be a role model to girls who are interested in STEM but are too scared to take that leap.My journey is driven by the belief that everyone deserves proper care, and I am dedicated to making this belief a reality.

I am a low-income, first-generation, Mexican American student with a deep-rooted passion for Biochemistry. I am also a bilingual student (English/Spanish) who grew up in a Spanish-speaking household in a rural community in Colorado. I believe individuals with similar backgrounds to mine are underrepresented in STEM. My long-term goal is to become a Pharmacist. I have always felt like due to my ethnicity and who I am, I felt like people didn't believe in me. Slowly I began to be more prideful and I started feeling like representation for Hispanics in STEM is extremely important. It means so much to me knowing that I will be the first in my family to go to University and graduate. Not only that but I am proud that I will be the first in my family to hopefully achieve a PhD. It truly is a dream and I am determined to make it a reality. Growing up in a Spanish-speaking household in a rural community in Colorado, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by individuals like me in accessing quality healthcare due to language barriers. I always saw my parents struggle to communicate with workers just to receive care. Health should be taken seriously, it is super important and everyone must be able to receive proper care without having to struggle to receive a human necessity. This experience has fueled my ambition to become a Pharmacist and provide bilingual services to my community. I am determined to break barriers and make a difference as one of the 5% of Hispanic women in Pharmaceuticals. My goal is not only to achieve personal success but also to advocate for accessible healthcare and STEM education for low-income, rural, and immigrant families. Having grown up in a community where healthcare accessibility is a pressing issue, I am committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, can receive the care they deserve. I grew up in a community where the majority of the population are immigrants and accessible health care for them is extremely difficult. Moreover, since most of the community members are primarily Spanish speakers, communicating is important and health-related. I have always been taught that family comes first and living in my town I have met so many people who struggle a lot and could use the help of having health care become more accessible. By pursuing my dreams in Biochemistry and Pharmacy, I aim to empower my community and make a lasting impact on those who struggle to access essential healthcare services. I also want to empower not just Hispanics in STEM but also Hispanic Women. We are often looked down upon because we are women but I want to prove that even though I am a woman I can still pursue a career in STEM. It is extremely important to me that I can be a role model to girls who are interested in STEM but are too scared to take that leap. My journey is driven by the belief that everyone deserves proper care, and I am dedicated to making this belief a reality.

I always feel like I'm not in a good place. I feel like I can never live in the moment but thinking about college makes me feel hopeful. For a long time, I was stuck in a loop of anxiety, stress, and depression. My parents worked so much to give me a better life than theirs but it made me feel so alone so at first I didn't try in school. As I grew up I learned that my parents never even graduated High school so they would always express how proud they were of me. It gave me a drive to do better, so I did, I took honors and AP and eventually got an academic achievement award. As the days went on I felt like school was my key to fighting my problems. I loved the feeling of accomplishing something and getting a good grade on it. I felt like I had a purpose and that I was going to succeed in making my parents proud and be able to give back to them. I feel like I have never been happier, I learned to love learning, and I developed a passion for learning about what's out there for me. I will be going to CSU to major in Biochemistry/pharmaceuticals, I have heard people say it is challenging but you learn more when you challenge yourself. I am willing to give it my all to achieve my dreams. I am Hispanic so I feel like people like me are underrepresented in STEM and I want to prove that although I am a Hispanic woman I am just as capable of being in STEM and succeeding. Not only that, but I am deeply committed to supporting my community, particularly regarding accessible healthcare and STEM education for low-income, rural, and immigrant families. I grew up in a community where the majority of the population are immigrants and accessible health care for them is extremely difficult. Moreover, since most of the community members are primarily Spanish speakers, communicating important health-related information is always difficult and the services available to them in rural areas are often negligible. I want to reach my dreams to therefore be able to give back to my community and help give them a voice when it comes to healthcare. Only 5% of Pharmacists are Hispanic women and I believe that is extremely empowering for me. College now, seems like my time, my time to finally make my dreams happen.

Ever since I was a little girl I've always dreamed of having a Dream House just like Barbie, I didn't grow up with a well-off family so I never had a toy dream house either. My dream house is located in Cancún, which is my family and I's dream vacation place. The house is two stories tall and looks like a Spanish villa, red tile roof, and smooth white stone walls. There's a long driveway surrounded by palm trees leading up to the entrance of the house. Next to both sides of the front door, there are white rose bushes and a large water fountain in the front yard. Once you enter the home there’s a big high-ceiling living room with white couches and a tall white fireplace. Throughout the house, you'll find different types of plants varying with different types of pots that add life to the home. On the right of the living room, you’ll see an open kitchen with a red brick accent wall and plants hanging off the shelves. My family loves parties and family gatherings so there’s a big fridge to contain enough beverages and snacks for gatherings. On the side of the kitchen, there’s a walk-in pantry to put in lots of snacks so I can host gatherings for family and friends. There’s an island bar so my friends can sit, talk and watch while I make them some snacks. The house has white stone stairs leading up to the second floor where all the bedrooms are. There’s a long hallway, and at the very end is the Main bedroom. Once you enter the Main bedroom there are many big windows to let in the natural light. There’s a king-sized bed with white sheets and a white couch in front of it to relax on while watching TV. Of course, there are plants all around the room, vines are hanging down from the shelves to add greenery. Up on the second floor, there are 4 more bedrooms, they all have big windows that naturally light up the room. Two of the rooms have two twin-size beds and the other two have queen beds and their bathroom. I have a very big family so I want to make sure I have enough space for everyone to feel comfortable. Also up on the second floor, there is a big game room where my family can gather around a pool table or a poker table and spend quality time together. Outside, in the backyard, there is an outdoor living room to enjoy the fresh air every morning and relax. There is also a 20-foot pool with a rock waterfall so we can enjoy a nice swim on sunny days. Of course, there is an outdoor kitchen and a big grill. My family loves going outdoors and having picnics so having an outdoor kitchen would be perfect to gather up the family and spend a fun and productive day out in the sun. In the backyard, I also have a big greenhouse full of beautiful plants of all colors and all shades. I like to think I have a green thumb but it's not the greenest. I love plants because they’re very beautiful and calming, taking care of plants brings me a sense of peace and I enjoy it. Being outdoors and admiring the flowers brings a smile to my face and it makes me feel at ease. The house is surrounded by big, tall trees and it makes you feel safe and secure. The privacy they bring makes me feel part of nature and it's very soothing.