I sat in my car, turned on the engine, and drove home with tears running down my cheek. We all have a vision of how we wish our life to play out. We make plans to serve in the military, get a college degree, buy our parents a house, and work to protect all those around us. But when our future is out of our hands, those plans seem to terminate in a blink of an eye. On September 5, 2017, I was informed by one of my classmates that the White house had made their decision concerning Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. After the last bell rang, my friend Luis said to me, “You know they cancelled it? They took away DACA.” I went to my car and sat. Afraid, I searched the news on my phone still hopeful that he had lied but he hadn’t. I started my car and drove. As the landscape rushed past outside, memories and thoughts started rushing inside my mind and tears glazed over my eyes. I was driving a car. DACA had given me that opportunity. The simple opportunity of obtaining a driver’s license, something taken for granted but for me was a big accomplishment, was going to be taken less than a year after I had first receive it. I was driving my first car, which had also been my dad’s first car. In our birth country we could have never owned one. This was one of the many firsts I wished to accomplish. I dreamt of being commissioned into the Navy as an officer, to serve the country that had given me so much, to be the first in my family to get a college degree, and to help my parents buy their first home. Without DACA those chances became near impossible, no license, no protection from deportation, and no work permit. The idea of giving up on everything isn’t hard to come by in occasions such as this one. However, I focused on one word, “near.” My dreams were “near” impossible. There was a possibility, no matter how small, that things might still work out. I could have accepted defeat and sat waiting for the day when I would have to leave behind everything I knew. Instead, I chose to use this challenge to motivate myself. I moved forward giving my tasks and responsibilities all of the energy and commitment I had always given them because I am still myself and no government policy could take that from me. I am still determined to be a protector and one day work in law enforcement. I am still determined to make my family proud and provide them with a comfortable life in payment for what they sacrificed for me. I am still loyal to this country, and I still strive to serve those in my life who look to me for guidance and leadership. Challenges test our will and they continue to do so throughout our lives. We can’t focus on what we have lost. Positivity led me to persevere. Years later I can say that I made the right choice by not letting the removal of DACA limit what I did. I have nothing to regret because I learned that I can make what I want of my future no matter what I have. Everything has worked out so far, even as the uncertainty continues. I am so much closer to my goals because I did not falter despite of these setbacks.

I sat in my car, turned on the engine, and drove home with tears running down my cheek. We all have a vision of how we wish our life to play out. We make plans to serve in the military, get a college degree, buy our parents a house, and work to protect all those around us. But when our future is out of our hands, those plans seem to terminate in a blink of an eye. On September 5, 2017, I was informed by one of my classmates that the White house had made their decision concerning Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. They canceled it. I went to my car and sat. Afraid, I searched the news on my phone still hopeful that he had lied but he hadn’t. I started my car and drove. Memories and thoughts started rushing inside my mind and tears glazed over my eyes. I was driving a car. DACA had given me that opportunity. The simple opportunity of obtaining a driver’s license, something taken for granted but for me was a big accomplishment, was going to be taken less than a year after I had first receive it. I was driving my first car, which had also been my dad’s first car. In our birth country we could have never owned one. Owning a car was one of the many firsts I wished to accomplish. I dreamt of being commissioned into the Navy as an officer, to serve the country that had given me so much, to be the first in my family to get a college degree, and to help my parents buy their first home. Without DACA those chances became near impossible, no license, no protection from deportation, and no work permit. The idea of giving up on everything isn’t hard to come by in occasions such as this one, but I focused on one word, “near.” My dreams were “near” impossible. There was a possibility, no matter how small, that things could still work out. I could have accepted defeat and sat waiting for the day when I would have to leave everything I knew behind. Instead, I chose to use this challenge to motivate myself. I moved forward giving my tasks and responsibilities all of the energy and commitment I had always given them because no government policy could take that from me. I am still determined to be a protector and one day work in law enforcement. I am still determined to make my family proud and provide them with a comfortable life in payment for what they sacrificed for me. I am still loyal to this country, and I still strive to serve those in my life who look to me for guidance and leadership. Challenges test our will and they continue to do so throughout our lives. We can’t focus on what we have lost. Positivity led me to persevere.

I sat in my car, turned on the engine, and drove home with tears running down my cheek. We all have a vision of how we wish our life to play out. We make plans to serve in the military, get a college degree, buy our parents a house, and work to protect all those around us. But when our future is out of our hands, those plans seem to terminate in a blink of an eye. On September 5, 2017, I was informed by one of my classmates that the White house had made their decision concerning Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. They were cancelling it. I went to my car and sat. Afraid, I searched the news on my phone still hopeful that he had lied but he hadn’t. I started my car and drove. Memories and thoughts started rushing inside my mind and tears glazed over my eyes. I was driving a car. DACA had given me that opportunity. The simple opportunity of obtaining a driver’s license, something taken for granted but for me was a big accomplishment, was going to be taken less than a year after I had first receive it. I was driving my first car, which had also been my dad’s first car. In our birth country we could have never owned one. Owning a car was one of the many firsts I wished to accomplish. I dreamt of being commissioned into the Navy as an officer, to serve the country that had given me so much, to be the first in my family to get a college degree, and to help my parents buy their first home. Without DACA those chances became near impossible. The idea of giving up on everything isn’t hard to come by in occasions such as this one, but I focused on one word, “near.” My dreams were “near” impossible. There was a possibility, no matter how small, that things could still work out. I could have accepted defeat and sat waiting for the day when I would have to leave everything I knew behind. Instead, I chose to use this challenge to motivate myself. I moved forward giving my tasks and responsibilities all of the energy and commitment I had always given them because no government policy could take that from me. I didn’t neglect my school work, I continued to participation in my school’s theatre productions, and I continued to lead my cadets in JROTC. I am still determined to be a protector and one day work in law enforcement. I am still determined to make my family proud and provide them with a comfortable life in payment for what they sacrificed for me. I am still loyal to this country, and I still strive to serve those in my life who look to me for guidance and leadership. Challenges test our will and they continue to do so throughout our lives. We can’t focus on what we have lost. Positivity led me to persevere.

“Hablo Español,” I speak Spanish. This is a phrase often followed by great amount of relief by the person I am addressing. Volunteering at events like Open House, Race for the Cure, MS Walk, and the Air Force Air Show, which are attended by people of all different backgrounds, I came across a problem, a language barrier. Little Rock, the city in which I live, has a population of over twelve-thousand Hispanics, as described by the US Census Bureau. Most of them can not speak English, and despite of this few attempts are made to provide assistance for them at events around the city. Being bilingual in English and Spanish I consider it my responsibility to ensure the inclusion of everyone no matter what language they can or can’t speak. Not speaking English can be frustrating and embarrassing especially when met with inpatient people who look down at those who can’t. Learning a new language is difficult and time consuming. My parents have experienced this first hand and I've seen others be discouraged in the same way. This is why I ensure no one feels inferior because of a language barrier when I can help. Some people try their best to piece together phrases in English when they first approach me, but I immediately let them know I can speak to them in Spanish. The gratitude they express lets me know that even the smallest gesture of comprehension and compassion can help someone feel welcomed in an unfamiliar environment. I want to bring this comfort to my profession. As an EMT I will encounter people in challenging situations and knowing that I can relate to many different people will make my work more impactful.

Beginning my journey as a NJROTC cadet my freshman year, I admired my upperclassmen mentors and wished to be like them. However, I did not see myself capable of holding a leadership position in the unit. When I reached my senior year, after many lessons learned, I proudly earned the role of Commanding Officer. NJROTC presented me with the toughest challenges of my high school years, from managing over 100 cadets to learning to make on spot decisions. I am grateful for who I have become because of the program. I am grateful for the opportunities I had to improve the unit and inspire other cadets. At first I was afraid of being at the front of the room. I did not have confidence in myself. I joined the program just wanting to blend in. I thought I would just sit at the back of the room or stand at the back of the platoon and not draw any attention to myself. I did everything I was asked and learned all the skills I was taught. Soon after, I started getting asked to conduct the lesson of the day or to march the class. One of the first lessons I learned was that leadership begins with followership and that is what I was doing. By learning to be a follower I had forged my path into becoming much more. I practiced for hours everyday. I would get to school earlier and would stay after school. I took up any opportunity to gain experience and overcome my fears. I learned how to speak publically. I learned to motivate people to work together. The leaders that came before me taught me everything I needed to succeed and placed a lot of responsibility in me. The trust they had in me and the encouragement from my instructors helped me become a leader. I learned to believe in myself and believe that with hard work anything is possible. One of the biggest impacts of being Commanding Officer of NJROTC was inspiring and mentoring younger cadets. As an officer my goal was to find ways to improve the unit. I learned to find out what people’s needs were. I made it my priority to listen to the concerns of cadets. I also knew from experience the large influence upperclassmen could have in motivating potential leaders. I was able to reassure cadets that doubted themselves with advice. I helped them understand anything they were having trouble learning.

Beginning my journey as a NJROTC cadet my freshman year, I admired my upperclassmen mentors and wished to be like them. However, I did not see myself capable of holding a leadership position in the unit. When I reached my senior year, after many lessons learned, I proudly earned the role of Commanding Officer. NJROTC presented me with the toughest challenges of my high school years, from managing over 100 cadets to learning to make on spot decisions. I am grateful for who I have become because of the program. I am grateful for the opportunities I had to improve the unit and inspire other cadets. At first I was afraid of being at the front of the room. I did not have confidence in myself. I joined the program just wanting to blend in. I thought I would just sit at the back of the room or stand at the back of the platoon and not draw any attention to myself. I did everything I was asked and learned all the skills I was taught. Soon after, I started getting asked to conduct the lesson of the day or to march the class. One of the first lessons I learned was that leadership begins with followership and that is what I was doing. By learning to be a follower I had forged my path into becoming much more. I learned how to speak publically. I learned to motivate people to work together. The leaders that came before me taught me everything I needed to succeed and placed a lot of responsibility in me. The trust they had in me and the encouragement from my instructors helped me become a leader. I learned to believe in myself and believe that with hard work anything is possible. One of the biggest impacts of being Commanding Officer of NJROTC was inspiring and mentoring younger cadets. As an officer my goal was to find ways to improve the unit. This led me to find out what people’s needs were. I made it my priority to listen to the concerns of cadets. I also knew from experience the large influence upperclassmen could have in motivating potential leaders. I was able to reassure cadets that doubted themselves with advice. I helped them understand anything they were having trouble learning. As I seek a degree in Economics and Government with the goal of working for a federal law enforcement agency, my experience as CO will help me be able to connect with people in order to help in investigations and interrogations. Furthermore, I seek to one day lead an investigation team, and I know that with self-confidence and determination I will be prepared for the job. My goal is to work against Organized crime. Young people are highly susceptible to such organizations. They are intimidated, blackmailed, and corrupted, until they are left with no choice but to join. They are victims that then end up as criminals. It is a cruel cycle that needs to be stopped. This is the impact I want to make. I want to be able to change the lives of young people and anyone who is in danger. I want to help them make their own path.