This picture depicts how my senior year went. It illustrates me, alone surrounded by millions of yellow flowers. I represent the typical high school senior, burdened by the pressure of assignments and personal issues, signified by the mustard flowers.

Intriguingly, quartine has enabled the expansion of my interests in engaging in entrepreneurship. It is ironic how a pandemic flourished my hobby of baking into a prosperous baking business. One would think that a pandemic would stunt the progress of small businesses because fewer people are willing to purchase homemade products out of fear. However, with progress, challenges arise as well, similar to pandora's box. I have faced adversity in the journey towards the success of my business because customers don't always fancy the price of one's quality goods. This is an issue because it pressures me, the seller, to doubt the worth of what I am offering to my clients. Furthermore, I have not let this stop the advancement of my business because targeting an adequate audience is a learning experience. Adversity can promote positivity on many occasions, which has happened through my personal observations. I have embraced my hobby of baking and created an impression of blissfulness in many people. I thoroughly believe that positivity is produced when one associates themselves with an action that benefits both the consumer and producer. I express my graciousness by baking goods while my clients have a smile on their faces.

As a young female growing up in the United States with a Hispanic background, one will endure difficulties. Such struggles include racism, gender inequality, and having two identities. My name is Fatima Dominguez; I am 17 years old and am the daughter of two Mexican parents. Growing up, my parents constantly reminded me that they failed to achieve higher education. They instilled in me the qualities of a dedicated, determined, and persevered person. They did this by exposing me to the harsh reality of hard work and the hours of labor it took for them to give me the life I am currently living. To this day, I notice how my only working parent wakes up at 6 am and gets home past 8 pm every day. My father is my inspiration to want and do better. Throughout my education, I have dealt with the pressure of surpassing my parents’ expectations, over time evolving into my goals. As a Latinx female born in America, I have learned little about my cultural background. I fail to fit into the standards of what a Mexican daughter or American individual should be. I struggle daily with the mindset of underrepresenting my Mexican heritage and not being the daughter my parents want. I struggle daily to reach American standards of acting or fitting into specific stereotypes. I am challenged every day with the fear of being judged for my skin color, how I present myself, and more. I am challenged by gender inequality because our world still fails to express equal opportunities for all. As a teenager and student, I face the consistent pressure of competing with myself and other alumni. But, through all of this, I succeed and push forth to expose my potential. I am a senior in high school graduating this year, class of 2021. I have been accepted to multiple universities, some competitive and some not so competitive. I am to select a school that may determine what my future will hold in terms of goals and finances. I now endure the difficulty of making the right decision in choosing the college that will best support me as a student. I now face the pressure of deciding what career I will pursue. I have chosen a career in nutrition and dietetics because of personal experiences. During quarantine, I mentally and physically lost track of myself and disengaged from nourishing my body. I damaged my mental and physical health by developing a partial eating disorder. The way I looked at my body image and the lack of fueling myself; impacted my mental health and relationships. Going through this struggle has influenced my interest in the world of foods, nutrition, and dietetics. Pondering the infinite food-related lifestyles humans have created I strive to answer my unknowledgeable question: ¨What healthy lifestyle would suit me in my journey to discover the importance of nutrition?¨ Although, I imagine a future of helping by spreading awareness about these life-affecting concepts. To be truthful, I have not received many scholarships and have lacked in finding scholarships that fit my criteria. I will be financing my college education with money from my parents and loans, like federal state loans. I am hoping this scholarship will alleviate my college tuition cost. This scholarship will positively impact me if received, but it will not determine the decision I make in regards to the school of higher education I choose.

As a young female growing up in the United States with a Hispanic background, one will endure difficulties. Such struggles include racism, gender inequality, and having two identities. My name is Fatima Dominguez; I am 17 years old and am the daughter of two Mexican parents. Growing up, my parents constantly reminded me that they failed to achieve higher education. They instilled in me the qualities of a dedicated, determined, and persevered person. They did this by exposing me to the harsh reality of hard work and the hours of labor it took for them to give me the life I am currently living. To this day, I notice how my only working parent wakes up at 6 am and gets home past 8 pm every day. My father is my inspiration to want and do better. Throughout my education, I have dealt with the pressure of surpassing my parents’ expectations, over time evolving into my goals. As a Latinx female born in America, I have learned little about my cultural background. I fail to fit into the standards of what a Mexican daughter or American individual should be. I struggle daily with the mindset of underrepresenting my Mexican heritage and not being the daughter my parents want. I struggle daily to reach American standards of acting or fitting into specific stereotypes. I am challenged every day with the fear of being judged for my skin color, how I present myself, and more. I am challenged by gender inequality because our world still fails to express equal opportunities for all. As a teenager and student, I face the consistent pressure of competing with myself and other alumni. But, through all of this, I succeed and push forth to expose my potential. I am a senior in high school graduating this year, class of 2021. I have been accepted to multiple universities, some competitive and some not so competitive. I am to select a school that may determine what my future will hold in terms of goals and finances. I now endure the difficulty of making the right decision in choosing the college that will best support me as a student. I now face the pressure of deciding what career I will pursue. I have chosen a career in nutrition and dietetics because of personal experiences. During quarantine, I mentally and physically lost track of myself and disengaged from nourishing my body. I damaged my mental and physical health by developing a partial eating disorder. The way I looked at my body image and the lack of fueling myself; impacted my mental health and relationships. Going through this struggle has influenced my interest in the world of foods, nutrition, and dietetics. Pondering the infinite food-related lifestyles humans have created I strive to answer my unknowledgeable question: ¨What healthy lifestyle would suit me in my journey to discover the importance of nutrition?¨ Although, I imagine a future of helping by spreading awareness about these life-affecting concepts.

During quarantine, I mentally and physically lost track of myself and disengaged from nourishing my body. My lack of eating led me to develop a mental and physical illness. I developed a partial eating disorder and have been on the path of recuperation. The way I looked at my body image and the lack of fueling myself was negatively impacting my mental health and relationships. It confiscated my ability to cook for myself, be active, and trust. My parents feared that I was too focused on foods only deemed healthy and if I kept moving in that direction I would deprive my body of necessary nutrients. However, this has not impacted me to the point where I have given up on my education. I would never let anything get in the way of learning, as it is one of my highest priorities. Going through this struggle has influenced my interest in the world of foods, nutrition, and dietetics. I am eager to understand this concept further and learn to embrace this situation as a lesson rather than a burden. The major I will be pursuing is nutrition and dietetics. This major can lead to two main career paths one involving foods and nutrition and the other involving dietetics. Under each path there are a variety of careers, most are connected to our mental health and well-being. This is because proper nutrition has a lot to deal with one's mental health and ability to have a stable life. Pondering the infinite food-related lifestyles humans have created, I strive to answer my unknowledgeable question: ¨What healthy lifestyle would suit me on my journey to discover the importance of nutrition in regards to mental health? Although, I imagine a future of helping young teens with similar issues enhance their comprehension on this mental illness. Spreading awareness will expand the knowledge people have on the topics of nutrition, mental illnesses, and health.