Generational wealth means investing in your quality of life and the future of your loved ones. It can mean building financial resources, but I believe it includes enriching experiences, education, and the foundation to build a life of purpose. All four of my grandparents immigrated to the US looking to create better lives for their children. As victims of persecution for their social class, my maternal grandparents escaped former Yugoslavia and were able to support two children in the US. My paternal grandparents were persecuted for being Jewish and sought asylum in the US to build a safe for my father. Their bravery and concern for future generations inspire me to continue their legacy with my future family. Education is the foundation of generational wealth because it prepares individuals for the working world and builds a strong work ethic. My parents raised me with the philosophy that access to a good education opens doorways to careers and interests while reinforcing the importance of lifelong learning. I believe that it gives individuals a broad perspective of the world, and makes people more likely to seek enriching experiences like volunteering and philanthropy; good works and giving back to others are incredibly important values. The primary purpose of life is to help others and contribute to society. These traits build a rich character in individuals for generations, which contributes to the abstract value of generational wealth. Achieving generational wealth begins with a stable income and a fulfilling line of work. Based on the aforementioned points, I believe medicine is one of the most important fields, it affects every individual's life. Good health is incredibly vital for everyone, and I believe healthcare is a fundamental human right. The medical system needs doctors willing to do charity work, which is what I intend on pursuing. My plan is to major in Public Health, pursue research, earn my bachelor's, go to medical school, and become a practicing physician. I'd like to open my own practice as my career matures. I plan to invest money in my children's futures, whether they be in education or trade school, and teach them my values by example. I am specializing in dermatology because my mother has skin cancer, and I want to help treat individuals that struggle with it. With a family history of breast and skin cancer, I understand how difficult it is to get treatment for these issues. After I collect a reasonable sum of money and can provide for myself and my family, I'd like to leave the business world in medicine and pursue philanthropy and volunteering. My primary goal is to take the skills I will acquire to Doctors Without Borders. My father is a Marine and has seen the worst things war can do to people. As a Catholic, it is my responsibility to give back to the world and to help less fortunate people. The most vulnerable people are subjected to the worst atrocities in war zones; they need equal access to healthcare. While the first step (school) is expensive, I've worked hard to prepare myself. I have several certifications in medicine, and I am a top performer in my classes. Mastering a good work ethic and grit has prepared me to be successful in college, and later on, a career in medicine. I believe these are important milestones to creating generational wealth. Thank you for your consideration.

Dogs have opened my eyes to so much about the world that I was ignorant of before. I had a dog for nine, almost ten years, but she passed away this year. From my complete experience with her, I have learned several valuable lessons. My dog, Lucky, was the most gentle Siberian Husky you could ever imagine. She was full of unconditional love, energy, and personality. As a dog, she was the best companion I could ever have. My family brought her into our lives in 2012, when I was eight years old. I fell in love with her right away, she was my best friend. At night, I would sneak her into my bed and tuck pillows around her to make sure she was comfortable, and we would snuggle all night. Later on, this became my dearest memory of her. As she grew up, she enjoyed exploring nature and traveling. She absolutely loved road trips, even if it was a 45-minute drive up a mountain. Lucky was a bit dramatic and would panic at ever storm, so I'd stay up all night with her to comfort her. But over the course of her whole life, she was a constant source of comfort for me. Lucky was an interesting dog; she loved to hold hands with people and cuddle. Her constant physical contact was relieving for me because I always knew someone would be there for me. She stayed with me through every month-long recovery from surgery (of which I've had 5) and never left my side. When I was depressed and denying myself food, she would come into my room and hop onto my bed, and nap with me. I shut out the whole world whenever I faced adversity, but she forced her way in because I could never say no to my dog. She reminded me that people love me and are there for me and that no matter what, she would love me unconditionally. Her kindness and love are something I wish to emulate. Acceptance and tolerance are easy for dogs but take more work for people, which I want to change. These ideas are important to work on every day because they broaden your perspective of the world. I owe my improved worldview and ideals to my sweet dog Lucky.

Disney has evolved greatly since the empire's conception. My personal favorite Disney character is Mulan from the Mulan movie. While she is a Disney princess, she isn't the stereotypical demeaning image of a woman earlier generations of Disney movies portrayed. Mulan is a wonderful example of a strong independent young woman. She is close with her father, she joins a predominantly male occupation, she practices grit, overcomes adversity, and is emotionally mature. All of these traits are extremely valuable, and it is important that they be taught to young girls all around the world. As a child, I thought I was strange for growing up shooting, learning survival skills, and being outdoorsy. Girls my age were typically surrounded by dolls, stuffed animals, and stereotypical toys. My parents raised me to start shooting when I was 10, to practice martial arts, and to love the outdoors. Because this wasn't very common with my peers, I felt very isolated, and like I didn't fit in. I would often pretend to love things I didn't to gain my peers' approval. However, seeing a strong female role model like Mulan showed me that being involved in stereotypically masculine activities were perfectly valid. It made me feel less awkward about who I was as a person. The confidence Mulan gave me during my formative years translated to my participation in the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, a 70% male organization. There, I dominated leadership roles and excelled in everything I was involved in. I felt strong and empowered, but I couldn't have been without Mulan's influence in my formative years.

Mathematics is the most challenging field of study for me. Entering high school as a straight-A student, I expected math to be challenging, but not immensely so. However, it quickly became what I believed was an adversary, when in reality, it was the best teacher I've ever had. Math forced me to study hard, work every day, and practice grit. I wasn't born with a mind given to learning mathematics quickly, which made learning mathematics harder for me than for my peers. As a top performer in my class, the reality of this situation was difficult for me to accept. I often had to go to school early for tutoring from teachers and pursue tutoring outside of school. Because I was determined to maintain and improve my GPA, I was forced with no other option than to delve into the world of math. I enrolled in advanced math classes every year of high school, even when I didn't make A's in the subject. Before this point in my life, I had never gotten a grade lower than an A, but one semester in high school, I got a C. I learned that it was not the end of the world, which is what bad grades used to mean to me. Math taught me to put the world into perspective and practice grit; failure was not an option. The difficulty of the subject made me resent it at first, but I grew to love it because of the lessons it taught me. Once I started understanding it, I excelled again and enjoyed math classes. I found joy in making equations and theories work. Math is beautiful because it is black and white, it isn't subjective like English, and it has answers that make sense and that everyone is capable of finding. But in direct contrast with my previous point, it can be ambiguous and still needs to be explored. Math is like our universe, familiar and comfortable, but forever changing and growing. It constantly evolves, and forces us to evolve with it, just like it forced me to grow into the person I am today.

High school has been the best opportunity for growth in my life so far. It encouraged me to be adventurous and practice grit; it helped me find the person I want to emulate. My Health Science Theory/Clinical teacher, Ms. Heidi Arenivas, is the single most influential person I have encountered in my ongoing academic journey. She is an incredibly strong and inspiring woman. Mrs. Arenivas was my clinical instructor during my Junior year of high school and was the toughest teacher I had in my health science experience. She brought my class to a hospital that focused on geriatric and extended care and taught me so many valuable lessons. Because of the environment, we learned in, she gave me so many tools to polish my bedside manner and patient care, which I will be forever grateful for. Her experience and knowledge fueled my passion for pursuing medicine, as she was an amazing role model. She taught us about the importance of thorough work, consistency, and grit. Ms. Arenivas encouraged me to pursue Public Health and believe that I had the potential for becoming a physician. She was also an incredibly strong woman in her personal life. After dealing with several traumatic events, she became an important advocate for mental health. She made accommodations for a mental health condition I struggle with and taught me that I was just as capable as my peers. The skills she taught me helped me see that depression could be managed with proper attitudes and approaches. I learned that to be an exemplary medical professional, one needs to have a true passion for the job. The attitude you have about your job affects your performance, which is why I believe that I am perfectly suited for the medical field. Ms. Arenivas encouraged me to pursue competition and hands-on work which made me recognize how much I enjoy helping others. I intend to use this passion and my work ethic to fuel me through medical school. I want to specialize in dermatology, where I will have direct patient contact and I will be performing procedures; which are the two things I love. In the future, I intend to open my own practice. When I end my career in the business-like world of medicine, I will join Doctors Without Borders to participate in volunteer healthcare. Her lessons taught me that healthcare is essential to everyone's quality of life. No individual should be forced to go without it, and more volunteers are always needed. I want to work in war zones or high-risk places because the most vulnerable people need the most help.