Upon first glance, a first-generation student from a rural upbringing would appear to have no clue as to how to succeed. However by looking up to my siblings, enrolling in college courses, joining clubs, and volunteering in organizations I was able to follow the path of education and pursue my desired career. I was grateful to be represented with so many opportunities and make the most of them. My parents grew up in a small town in Mexico, under extreme poverty and harsh conditions. In an area where education was nonexistent. They were forced to quit school when they were in second grade to help out their parents. They never had the opportunity to pursue the education they desired. They came to the United States in search of the “American Dream” as every other immigrant; As adults, with diligent effort and sacrifice, my parents were capable to strive in an unknown country and add up to acquire knowledge and comprehend this country verbal communication of English, even though they were low diminutive terms like “yes” or the phrases “how are you?.” At eight years old, I experienced what my parents had to (and still go through) on a day-to-day basis while working along with my two older siblings. It was June 14, 2011. We immediately began to harvest the watermelons, passion fruits, and tomatoes by six am in the morning. As my parents strained their backs every two seconds to lift 20 pounds of heavy crops, my siblings and I would be along their side helping them every inch of the way. As noon approached, the blistering heat radiating from the sun would beat endlessly down on my skin. Feeling the burning sensation of sweat gushing through my eyes in every way possible, then rapidly penetrating to my upper lip and savoring the bitterness of my constant sweat dripping from all angles. If that weren't enough, the sweat dripped down my hands, and the tools of the trade caused miniature cuts from the fruit vines to sting and burn. This cycle repeated itself throughout the summer; even then work continued despite the school season. Most of the time I arrived months into school or attended school in another state. I realized that even though my parents were always on the move, they always prioritized my siblings and I education, which taught me that education was the most powerful tool I could ever own. At this moment I knew I was going to become the first-generation latino in my family to break the cycle of poverty through education. Working in the fields brought a lot of respiratory and health hazards, from the chemicals being sprayed onto the plants and seeing my parents undergo this on a day-to-day basis is heartbreaking but they had no other option. Their strength and resistance to not giving up everyday is what motivates me to further pursing a career that I can obtain to help others in the medical field, especially to those less fortunate who don't have health insurance or medicare to seek the medical attention they need. Not only this but my interest grew when I understood how crucial it was to keep one's health healthy when working in potentially dangerous environments like construction, fields, or any outdoor physical job. Due to this I want to be able to use my healthcare degree in delivering free examinations to local communities who don't have access to healthcare because of fear of high costs and mostly importantly educating them about the value of maintaining good health. Hard Work defines achievements and achievements represent successes.

Without the top challenges that life has presented me with the high school degree that I am getting today, it means so much precisely because of all the struggles and setbacks I had to endure. For instance, take a video game, for example, "Mario Brothers". He was to jump over only one pit and then rescue. What fun would that be, would anyone be playing it.? No, because where is the risk and the reward? Where's the challenge? There's no ultimate feeling of stratification. Just like this video game, it is how every challenge I have faced has demonstrated to me a different aspect of life. At first glance, a first-generation student who has grown up in a rural community would not have the slightest idea of the route to take to be successful. However, through trial and error, I have surpassed the expectations of those around me. By taking advantage of what my high school has to offer. The time I most vividly recall struggling with was the fall of 2022 when I first started college courses and deadlines became a major priority. Deadlines often require me to manage time effectively and stay focused on completing tasks within a specific timeframe. Transitioning from a high school student to a college student was difficult because I had to balance multiple deadlines and prioritize tasks accordingly due to the higher expectations required and the fact that extensions weren't given in any circumstance. In addition, the writing standards were aimed at a more significant level, leading to learning the differential styles. I realized then how important it is to stay organized by creating a schedule or using a planner to keep track of all assignments from different classes. I learned I needed to prioritize my tasks based on their importance and urgency to stay focused. In this case, I had to take matters into my own hands. So, first, I reviewed the provided syllabus by my professors, broke down each assignment into smaller tasks, and determined the estimated time needed for each task. Regularly reviewing and adjusting my planner was crucial in helping me avoid procrastination and set aside dedicated study and work periods. This created a sense of accountability, provided an extra motivation boost to stay focused, and helped me meet my deadlines. The transition from high school to college was different; work was heavier, but all manageable with a schedule. The combination of positivity, support, and goal-setting helped me overcome adversity and continue on my personal and educational journey. Through the extra circulars my school was able to offer I was able to see how many opportunities I was provided with which not only helped shape me as a student but also as a person.

I grew up spending my many summers traveling from the sandy beaches of Florida, to Georgia’s vast production lands of peaches, to South Carolina’s lukewarm temperatures to Kentucky’s rugged mountains, and finally traveling back to Florida, all in a span of one short summer. My parents would travel to these states not for leisure but in search of work to harvest seasonal crops while my two older siblings and I tagged along, leaving us was not an option. It was clear to me then that people like us weren’t meant for higher education. We were meant to survive, working endlessly from sunrise to sunset to strive in a society. At age 8, I knew that I was destined to be more than a field worker, I was going to become the first generation of my family to pursue a higher education. That this American Dream they were hoping for, wasn’t just a deceiving perception, but rather a reality that I would help make. These past several summers have represented for me boundless months of exploration of my immediate surroundings and taking full advantage of where I am now. In my case what my parents gave me as a child through my adolescent years was a taste of life in the shoes of an immigrant; I endured the painful physical labor of harvesting crops to working in warehouses. There is nothing like suffering as a motivation for further success. Working on farms and warehouses as a harvester has taught me that obtaining your everyday bread of life is worth a great amount of effort. Just staying alive on a day-to-day basis is a struggle. If there is one thing I will always take away is that we can’t change where we come from, but we can change where we go.