My favorite song on brat is "Von Dutch". This album is great in and of itself, but Von Dutch just exudes something that the other songs lack. It is loud, brash, and the perfect amount of bratty. It commits entirely to attitude and makes it, in my opinion, THE symbol of the album. Not to mention it was the lead single of the album: like the opening statement. It wholeheartedly captures Charlie XCX's chaotic energy and brat's club ready tone. When I first heard the song, I just knew that it was going to blow up on social media. It is an anthem that fits right in with that message of confidence. The lyrics spoke to me because when this album came out, I was going through a rough patch in my social life. I felt like I had to walk on eggshells around the friends I had at the time and play into this watered-down version of me just to appeal others. I had realized that no matter what I did, those people were never going to be satisfied. Those people were only jealous of me and wanted to drag me down and make me believe that I was not capable of achieving my goals and they would only bring me bad karma if I kept them around for those goals. The lyrics, "It's okay to admit that you're jealous of me / you're obsessing, just confess it 'cause it's obvious I'm your number one", matched so well with my situation at the time. Von Dutch really took the cake for me, and I will always have a bias for it!

Education is important to me because of everyone before me who never got the same opportunities. Being a first-generation college student, I have credited one thing to why I am in the position I am now: my family. Although my parents only had a high school education, they bent over backwards to make sure I'd have that and much more, so I would never go through the struggles of finding a job or missing out on my dreams. I was the youngest in my family for 16 years. My siblings, as much as I love them, were not the best role models. I couldn't look to them for guidance as they had different ideas of what success is. They never believed that school was something worth fighting for and even if it was, the cards were not in their favor. I was my role model, and my motto was to be a better student today than I was yesterday. I struggled a lot, especially when I didn't have anyone to run to for advice. Homework that should've taken twenty minutes took an hour, and I would find myself staying up all night trying to understand the material in each of my classes. Getting to college was no easy feat, but I did it anyway. After I turned 16, my life changed forever. My dad fell in love, and I was given a baby brother. Suddenly, all of my hard work meant something so much more. I had turned into the role model that I had dreamed of having when I was younger. While he is still young and nowhere near understanding the world, I work towards being someone he can look up to. Once I have kids, things will change, but as of right now, he is my legacy. My journey will pave the way for him, and his future is the biggest reason why getting my education is essential. He will be the first person in our family to say, "My sister went to college and graduated". The generational chain will be broken and a new era in our family will start. This is the change I have wanted to make my entire life. It will begin with me and continue through him, my future kids, and their future kids. One day, I'll help my children fill out their college applications, and they won't have to check "high school diploma", but instead, "bachelor's degree or higher". I cannot wait for the day when I can finally see where my hard work has taken the incoming generations of my family.

My greatest achievement to date is graduating from high school a year early. While this may not seem like the biggest achievement in everyone's eyes, there was a moment in time when I believed I wouldn't have even graduated high school at all. I grew up in an immigrant, low-income household, and from a young age, I knew what separated me from my peers. I was an excellent student who picked things up quickly, even when I wasn't fluent in English. I hit a bump in the road when COVID happened. I lost my motivation and soon, school was the last thing I cared about. I could barely wake up to log into my classes every morning. Before I knew it, I was on the verge of failing out of middle school. This didn't matter to me because I was sure I would not have even made it to the age I am now. The only thing that pulled me out of this dark space was my parents. I could see that my spiral was hurting not just me, but them as well. Something in me changed and I found my motivation again: my parents. How could I throw away their hard work and let this temporary situation ruin the rest of my life? I didn't. Instead, I persevered. I began working with my parents and with their love and dedication, I graduated a year early with two high school diplomas. The look on my parents' faces when I walked that stage is something I'll credit all of my future success to. I would be lying if I said that it wasn't hard. That there weren't days where I wanted to give up. Days where their love just wasn't enough. That being said, I would also be lying if I said that I regret any part of the process, no matter how hard. This experience allowed me to grow as a person and as a daughter. I learned that I am worthy of a good life and more than anything, a fair chance. Since then, I learned what it was to show yourself grace and how far that grace will take you. I am a better person because of this struggle, and my diplomas will remind me that even if things are hard, they aren't impossible. I hope to continue growing and an achievement I am working towards is a dual degree. I know this will not be easy and I have a lot on my plate but whenever I feel defeated, I look at my diplomas and remind myself of this journey. The story behind two pieces of paper is something that will be the reason I will never give up again. Two pieces of paper saved my life, and hopefully, in four years, I'll add two more to the collection.