During the pandemic, I found it hard to keep up with school and work. My job was requiring more hours since mostly no one wanted to work anymore. This gave me less hours to study and focus on school. I didn't want to stress myself out and have everything become so overwhelming to me so instead I decided to cut back on employment hours, I went part-time. I decided that was the best option for me because I want to focus on school and get an education. I also learned to meditate, I found that meditation works really great for me, it clears my mind, helps me focus, and helps me sleep better. I also included motivating phrases to my morning routine. I have found that this works better for me because I can also help my family out with home responsibilities, I'm also at home longer to help my younger sisters with their homework assignments.

The American Dream What does the "American Dream" mean to me? That is a question I think about from time to time. The ultimate question that has helped me make decisions in life. Growing up I saw how two of my cousins with legal status and citizenship took advantage of their opportunities both in positive and negative ways. My eldest cousin obtained a bachelor's degree in nursing, she was always a good student, had good grades, always worked for what she wanted. Her brother on the other hand, didn't go to college after high school, got into lots of trouble, and took advantage of a lot of benefits he had at the tips of his fingers. This was the biggest example I had growing up, I aspired to be like my eldest cousin. As a child I wanted to go into law school, and serve as an immigration lawyer, but as I grew older, I fell in love with the medical field. I was indecisive for a while, fluctuating between becoming a Registered Nurse or an Obstetrician-Gynecologist. And the decision to change of major was mostly influenced by my cousin, because of her I learned the meaning behind the medical field, I learned about the power to help civilians. My path and my choices have been formed and shaped by my definition of The American Dream. I sit and think thoroughly before I make a life changing decision, as a visual learner I like to do a T chart. Write down all of my pros and cons in a piece of paper and make my decision accordingly. Within those pros and cons, I write my American Dream as my pros, if my cons still defeat my pros with my American Dream included that's a decision I do not move forward with because I see that it will not benefit me in the long run, or because I see that it contradicts my ultimate goals and vice versa with my pros defeating my cons. For example, my decision to go into the medical field as pros i had: will get a career, will have a greater salary, will have an education and provide a better living for my parents, will be able to provide my support, knowledge, and assistance to civilians in need of medical help, will help decrease the scarcity in nurses in America, I can provide for the country that's seen me grow up. As cons I had long working hours, exposure to medical infections and diseases, will see a lot of injured people and sick babies. My pros defeated the cons because as i will see sick and injured people, I will have the hands and knowledge to help heal their injuries. The more hours, the bigger the salary which means I can provide for my parents as they retire. This defines my American Dream in which I can help people heal and live healthy lives. The meaning of the American dream to me is the unlimited possibilities that we as Dreamers pray to have one day. The American Dream to many immigrants as well as to me signifies endless possibilities to overachieve our goals. The aspiration to be well educated and financially stable. To have legal status, equal opportunities, wealth and health. The possibility that one day we can work legally and own a house, buy a new car, and even have greater savings. The American Dream can signify many different things, but to me it signifies open opportunities to succeed in life. The American Dream is what keeps me going and I'm happy to Dream Big.