My professional goal is to become a licensed physical therapist which I am pursuing by earning a degree in Exercise Science. While my personal goal is to serve as a role model for future students and guide them through the college process in order for them to be successful. I am currently taking the perquisites needed for my acceptance into the physical therapy program. I want to pursue higher education to serve as a role model to future generations especially the Hispanic community that achieving higher education is possible with dedication and passion. I am currently in the pre-physical therapy club which relates to my goals because the club invites guest speakers who give advice on the process of getting admitted into the physical therapy program. They also offer volunteer opportunities that are related to my field, therefore, improving my social skills by interacting with the community. I am also involved in the Latino Student Association club where I am able to interact with the Latino community. In this organization, I participated in a program called "Amigo Fest" where I was able to take on the responsibility of supervising children. The purpose of this event was to bring awareness to the Latino culture through food, traditional dances, and art. Recently I joined Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc. a Latin-based sorority but not Latin exclusive. I am currently the Vice-President and organized many events that I am proud of. I organized an event to inform students about Human Trafficking. Through the process, I developed a PowerPoint with information about the topic and got in contact with the Police Department on campus to have a police officer as a guest speaker. Due to the pandemic, I had to think about a community service that could be done virtually. Through the organization, I decided to write letters to the families at Ronald McDonald’s House during these hard times. Ronald McDonald’s House is a place where families can stay at no cost in order to be close to their kid(s) at Arkansas Children Hospital. I am also involved with Mamas Unidas particularly with their Unidos Se Puede program where I tutor a 7th grader in math. In the future, I plan to continue my membership in the pre-physical therapy club and the Latino Student Association. I also plan to join the Exercise Science club next semester and become President of Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc. I am passionate about volunteering in my community and even outside of my community. I have volunteered with many different organizations such as the Salvation Army, veterans, and a shelter for the homeless. Due to the long distance, my grandparents and I would use FaceTime or find other ways to feel close. This inspired me to research ways where I could send letters or artwork online to people across the nation. I found that I could submit letters to patients at St. Jude Children's Hospital and COVID-19 patients. Through online submissions of artwork, I am able to reach more people and bring them happiness through artwork made by me. I am passionate about volunteering because I am given the opportunity to build friendships that I would have not thought about it. Also, this brings me great joy because I am making a positive impact in my community through time, artwork, or donations.

I enjoy volunteering when I have time and have volunteered in many ways. I have volunteered with many different organizations and by donating items to local shelters. One experience that shaped every aspect of my life was when I wrote letters to the residents at a local nursing home. At first, I had trouble thinking about what to write to them because I did not know them. I came to the conclusion that some residents may not have family who speaks to them daily. Therefore I wrote a little about myself and asked them questions such as how are you or how has everything been. Once I had the letters done I went to my local nursing home to deliver the letters. I was given the opportunity to personally deliver them to the residents. Through this, I learned even more about each resident and later developed a friendship with many residents. By interacting with them, I learned that some residents did not have a family that visited them or at least a family that would talk to them on the phone. This experience made me reflect on my life. Many of the residents at the nursing home are older people and I found myself thinking about my grandparents. My grandparents live in Mexico so we visit them once a year due to distance but we call them every day to talk to them. Seeing that some residents lack family support made me feel grateful that I have a close relationship with my grandparents even with the long distance. Writing letters to my local nursing home shaped my understanding of my community by giving me the opportunity to build friendships with people that I would have not thought about. Through this experience, I became more aware of how I define community. At first, my definition of my community included people that I interacted with on a daily basis such as friends, classmates, and neighbors. That changed with this experience because my definition became more open and included more people. This experience encouraged me to volunteer with many different organizations that I did not think about and it got me out of my comfort zone. I later volunteered with the Salvation Army, veterans, and a shelter for the homeless. In the end, this experience helped me develop a greater understanding of my community. This experience also shaped my understanding of the world in that I know in my community some people are lonely but also across the world. Therefore I looked for ways to bring people happiness through artwork. Due to the long distance, my grandparents and I would use FaceTime or find other ways to feel close. This inspired me to research ways where I could send letters or artwork online to people across the nation. I found that I could submit letters to patients at St. Jude Children's Hospital and COVID-19 patients. Through online submissions of artwork, I am able to reach more people and bring them happiness through artwork made by me.