Love's Enduring Promise A light summer breeze permeated the atmosphere; the afternoon carried with it the smell of blossoming trees. I could hear the excited laughter of my classmates echoing as a distant sound in the playground of kindergarten. Suddenly, something captivated my attention. My eyes widen as I look ahead: Jan leaned from side to side with his arms outstretched at a straight angle, and luminous rays contoured his figure forming an intricate physical design. "Soy un avión!" said lively Hector, who in a blink of an eye ran past us, imitating the sound of an engine in his characteristic enthusiasm. Our performance as airplanes was a bit dramatic, this newfound artistic fervor betokened long hours spent in theater rehearsals. As a little girl, I admired beautiful details all around me. My artistic enthusiasm was unveiled in the art of painting, translating this unique beauty into a canvas, with a couple of brushes and paint tubes; it inspired me to convey ideas through diverse scenarios, one of which I was about to experience. Luminous rays reflecting on water create an apparent dazzling sea of gold. Crossing a vivid blue Atlantic Ocean, after a long journey, my family and I arrived at our new home: southern Brazil. Characteristic green fields adorned with lilies made it seem like that beautiful scene when Anne, traveling in a buggy with Matthew across Avonlea, set her eyes on Green Gables. Classic books were my constant companion, they embellished our reality into a lovely story, inspiring me to be that character who overcomes life's hardships and losses. We moved to Brazil to take care of my grandmother who was fighting cancer. After long hours in chemotherapy sessions, and a whirlwind of emotions, sharing precious moments with her, she peacefully passed away. Our simple house was located in a neighborhood where opportunities are lacking, I studied on my phone when I did not have resources available. My parents constantly supported my education - working extra hours to afford my living costs. It was not long before I realized what my afternoons spent in the library and my love for studying could provide: a better life. My curiosity developed into a longing to learn more about my surroundings. Science enabled me to describe the laws of our universe, from orbital mechanics to the properties of the smallest entities of matter. In high school, mentored by my math teacher, Julio, I learned to love Astrophysics. Galaxies, black holes, and nebulas left me enraptured by the beauty of creation and our fine-tuned universe. Education has shaped the way I see the world enabling me to engage with others empathetically. I believe true education is grounded in God and his Word, and the pursuit of knowledge by science flourishes in an environment that honors Christ. As a child, books helped me deal with the most difficult of circumstances; as I grew older many blessings came along with them. I am passionate about transforming my community with education - as one of the pillars of social change - enabling them to dream again having the hope of better days so that they too can change their stories. To me, books resemble the journey of our lives: each new chapter carries with it exciting adventures with precious lessons to be carried along. I am hopeful and excited for what the next few pages of my story hold.

A light summer breeze permeated the atmosphere, the afternoon carried with it the smell of blossoming trees. I could hear the excited laughter of my classmates echoing as a distant sound in the playground of kindergarten. Suddenly, something captivated my attention. My eyes widen as I look ahead: Jan leaned from side to side with his arms outstretched at a straight angle, luminous rays contoured his figure forming an intricate physical design. "Soy un avión!" said lively Hector, who in a blink of an eye ran past us, imitating the sound of an engine in his characteristic enthusiasm. Our performance as airplanes was a bit dramatic, this newfound artistic fervor betokened long hours spent in theatre rehearsals. The school bell signaled the beginning of classes. A simple song played sweetly above arpeggiated chords began to resonate, and I instantly recognized the melody: Für Elise by Ludwing Beethoven. Each note accompanied in perfect synchrony the painter's hand bringing to life a masterpiece: Starry Night by Van Gogh. Growing up in Barcelona enabled me to admire details all around me. My artistic enthusiasm was unveiled in the art of painting, translating this unique beauty into a canvas, with a couple of brushes and paint tubes; it inspired me to convey ideas through diverse scenarios, one of which, I was about to experience. Luminous rays reflecting on water create an apparent dazzling sea of gold. Crossing a vivid blue Atlantic Ocean, after a long journey, my family and I arrived at our new home: southern Brazil. Characteristic green fields adorned with lilies made it seem like that beautiful scene when Anne, traveling in a buggy with Matthew across Avonlea, set her eyes on Green Gables. Classic books were my constant companion, they embellished our reality into a lovely story, inspiring me to be that character who overcomes life's hardships and losses. Our reality was different than a story. We moved to Brazil to take care of my grandmother who was fighting cancer. After long hours in chemotherapy sessions, and a whirlwind of emotions, sharing precious moments with her, she peacefully passed away. Our simple house was located in a neighborhood where opportunities are lacking: a good education is limited to the upper class. Many times I studied on my phone when I did not have resources available. My parents constantly supported my education - working extra hours to afford my living costs. It was not long before I realized what my afternoons spent in the library and my love for studying could provide: a better life. My curiosity developed into a longing to learn more about my surroundings. Science enabled me to describe the laws of our universe, from orbital mechanics to the properties of the smallest entities of matter. In high school, mentored by my math teacher, Julio, I learned to love Astrophysics. Galaxies, black holes, and nebulas left me enraptured by the beauty of creation and our fine-tunned universe. Education transformed my life in ways my imagination could not have envisioned. As a child, books helped me deal with the most difficult of circumstances; as I grew older many blessings came along with them. I am passionate about transforming my community with education - as one of the pillars of social change - enabling them to dream again having the hope of better days so that they too can change their stories. To me, books resemble the journey of our lives: each new chapter carries with it exciting adventures with precious lessons to be carried along. I am hopeful and excited for what the next few pages of my story hold.

"He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into water springs." Psalm 107:35 In an arid desert, sparse vegetation has its leaves thinned or substituted by thorns, with adapting mechanisms for dryness, animals perish from thirst, but most importantly, people in those regions lack access to drinkable water and end up perishing. This tragic reality is common in developing countries, like Africa, where the climate is harsh and dry. A fountain of water would change the entire landscape, bringing life again to that community. Is it possible to obtain drinkable water in such desolate places? In some cases, yes. There is a project developed in Israel by David Broday and Eran Friedler, where an autonomous moisture collection system produces water from the atmosphere, even in desert regions. I would venture into this area of research, improving the idea and equipment of these engineers, based on scientific theories to improve an existing enterprise. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fQRnM4-4W4 A free water production system capable of providing a constant supply of water, especially to small and isolated communities without the need for an external power source, my project would decrease the necessary cost of the initial investment, making drinking water accessible to everyone. My target audience would be communities that suffer from water stress and scarcity, people below the poverty line, so it would be a venture supported by donations. The project would need financial support from large companies, governmental and/or private bodies, which would be responsible for investing in equipment and needed resources. The production process would be based on university campuses in order to encourage scientific research and increase the number of collaborators in the project. Although, this could potentially decrease productivity, since (Productivity = Product/Hour*Collaborator), the opportunity for scientific development would compensate for a decrease in productivity. Marketing and sales would be managed by students from human relations, marketing, economics, and other related fields, who wish to volunteer at our company - seeking to deepen their knowledge in their respective majors. There are many entrepreneurs researching the process to convert non-drinkable water into drinkable water in the most diverse conditions. One of them is Wateair, which I believe has been one of the leading innovators in the last decade. Wateair, for instance, offers high-quality water, its production process from the atmosphere - methodology, technique, pathways of reactions, use of catalysts, equipment, among others - are the results of its advanced technology. Nonetheless, one of the major flaws of renowned companies producing drinking water, especially those working with the conversion of saltwater into freshwater: is the cost of methodology, which ends up being inconceivable to supply the final product. Therefore, it is clear that a new methodology is needed to lower the production and turn the project feasible. Evidently, a supply of water starting solely from a certain air mass containing minimum levels of humidity, often in ppm or ppb, is a great innovation, which can be accomplished with heavy investment in research alongside the contribution of brilliant scientists. This would satisfactorily meet the needs of the target public. However, populations living below the poverty line are often deprived in other areas such as education and basic health (mainly due to lack of basic sanitation and access to clean water). My company would promote volunteer exchanges for students from affiliated universities, who are interested in helping. Elementary classes in science, literacy, and English would be offered, along with medical care by medical students, which would count towards their mandatory internships. In this manner, we would have an impact not only on the health of our target audience but also on their education and overall well-being, without spending any additional investments. My competitive advantage would not only be the reduced cost of production and a significant improvement in the quality and innovation of the product but also caring for people's lives, showing love and concern for them. LivingWaters. This would be the name of my start-up.

A light summer breeze permeated the atmosphere and the afternoon carried with it the smell of blossoming trees. I could hear the excited laughter of my classmates, in the playground of kindergarten, echoing as a distant sound. Suddenly, something captivated my attention. My eyes widen as I look ahead - Jan leaned from side to side with his arms outstretched at a straight angle to each other, luminous rays contoured his figure forming an intricate physical design. "Soy un avión!" said lively Hector, who in a blink of an eye ran past us, with his characteristic enthusiasm. Our performance as airplanes in a war was a bit dramatic, this newfound artistic fervor betokened the long hours spent in theatre rehearsals. The school bell signaled the beginning of classes. A simple song played sweetly above arpeggiated chords began to resonate. I instantly recognized the melody of Für Elise by Ludwing Beethoven. Each note accompanied in perfect synchrony the painter's hand, creating a magnificent spectrum of colors, combined with different textures, and geometric figures, guided in precision and beauty, bringing to life a masterpiece: Starry Night by Van Gogh. Growing up in Barcelona enabled me to admire the beauty of life and the details all around me. My artistic enthusiasm was unveiled in the art of painting, translating this unique beauty into a canvas, with a couple of brushes and paint tubes. As I grew older, I realized: practice makes perfect. Among many failed attempts, my technique was getting better, and although I was exhausted and discouraged with my past failures, it taught me how to express my feelings through the art of painting, with perseverance. My reward? A marvelous fraction of time and space was captured on canvas. I take a sip of coffee as I admire the beauty around me.

I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. My mind was searching for answers in the midst of a whirlwind of thoughts. ‘What am I going to do?’ I whisper under my breath. As a little girl, that was one of the first times I felt scared being around my friend Ashley. She had, suddenly, locked us into the playing room in a burst of emotions, afraid I would leave her alone for the rest of the afternoon. Her genuine care and ecstatic love left me confused as to what led her to act so differently at times than other girls our age. My mother explained to me, but only years later I would understand the meaning of those words that described her enthusiastic emotions: Down Syndrome. Whilst I grew older my inquiry about our differences led me to further study these special conditions. I found Ruby’s story on the internet, she was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Stromme Syndrome, notwithstanding, she was able to walk with the help of a service dog, and communicate. Her courage to overcome challenges, and her kind and joyful personality, enabled me to look at life from a simple perspective, filled with gratitude for what God has given me. Ruby inspired my desire to become a teacher in the future and serve in my community in outreach ministries with children. To me, generosity is an outward expression of a heart filled with love and gratitude. Ashley and Ruby's generosity - in the smallest of details - like a smile and a friendly hug, has made my life and our community a better place, and I hope to carry their legacy with me wherever I go - starting with small, yet powerful acts of love.