My name is Gabriella Gonzalez. I am an 18 year old Hispanic who is graduating this year I grew up in Mesquite under the care of two loving parents. I owe my parents a great deal for all that they have done to provide me with a wonderful life. My father is still the pastor of the Christian church where I grew up. I will always be appreciative of my parents for the valuable lessons that they instilled in me and the wonderful memories they created. I had such a carefree and healthy childhood. I cherished spending time with my loved ones, playing with my dolls, and being outside. I had a wonderful childhood, but loneliness was a common feeling for me. I would cry and ask God for a sibling because I had always wanted one.God heard my prayer, and my baby brother Josiah was born as I was getting closer to becoming six years old. He had numerous complications from birth and required numerous risky surgeries. He subsequently received a down syndrome diagnosis. By God's grace, despite his numerous difficulties, he managed to persevere. It was all I had ever dreamed of, and I enjoyed having a brother to hold and care for. But Josiah unexpectedly passed away on January 12, 2018. I just couldn't understand how I was only able to spend five years with him; it was heartbreaking. Despite how hard this situation hit me, God was able to provide me comfort and peace.This experience taught me how important it is to be ready for death, and I made the decision to give my life to God as a result. I am happy because I know that my brother is in heaven, and that I will see him again someday. My life has completely changed because of him, and he is such a wonderful part of it. As I've grown older and become an adult, all of these experiences have molded me into the person I am now. I have so much to be grateful for: God, my family, Josiah, and my parents. My goal is to study real estate in college. I have a strong interest in real estate because I have gained a lot of knowledge from observing my dad purchase and sell homes. My father has built, renovated, and rented homes. After all those exhausting years of experience, his financial situation has improved. He faced many challenges but ultimately succeeded, which motivates me to put in a lot of effort. In addition, he has shared with me a great deal of what he has learned over the years, and his guidance has inspired me to learn more about real estate.I'm interested in learning more about the workings of real estate because I think it's important to understand properties and because you can always buy or sell them. My ultimate goal is to become a broker, even though I am currently pursuing my real estate agent license. I must complete all necessary coursework to obtain my brokerage license and have one year of real estate agent experience in order to become one. In addition, I wish to get hitched and start a family. When the time comes, I would love to have three children because I have always wanted to be a mother.Also, I would adore being financially independent. Since I am still young and want to enjoy my life with my family stress-free, I want to work as hard as I can now that I am debt-free. I also want to investigate the business world and becoming a broker for this reason.

I participate actively and meaningfully in my church. I volunteer a lot and am very involved in the community. Once a week on Sundays and after church functions, I clean the restrooms at our church. In order to help those in need with food or basic necessities, our church also maintains a food pantry. Once a week or so, I usually visit the pantry to make sure nothing needs to be stocked up and to keep things tidy. I lend a hand whenever I can because our church hosts events all year long. I'm always there, helping to set up tables, vacuum floors, clean bathrooms, and arrange food. Lastly, during worship, I project the lyrics onto a screen. This is something I enjoy doing, and I do it three times a week. However, teaching the younger children is my overall favorite volunteer experience, even though I help out all over the church. On Sundays, I typically look after the children and teach them for an hour. My study guide provides me with the theme and the verses I need to focus on. I have to use my creative side to come up with a craft or activity that the kids can do during the class. Being able to organize a fun activity that will teach the kids important lessons while also keeping them entertained is such a blessing. When I tell them amazing Bible stories and miracles that God has worked both in the Bible and in real life, I love to see the look on their faces change. I'm incredibly impressed by how innocent and pure their hearts are. I find it fascinating that they are so intelligent and know far more than we do. Due to their "young" age, children are frequently underestimated by adults despite their superior intelligence and maturity. These children have touched my life and taught me about how to be compassionate and open-minded toward God and his word. My life has changed, and my spiritual life has become stronger, as a result of my experience teaching the children. To be honest, my relationship with God was gradually deteriorating before I started teaching them, but now that I have the obligation to teach them, it has inspired me to seek out God and his word. I am extremely thankful for each and every one of these kids, even though they will never realize how much of an influence they have had and how my life has improved. There are numerous ways for individuals to become active in their community. Working as a volunteer at a nearby homeless shelter is one method. Being a volunteer at a homeless shelter can teach many important life lessons, not the least of which is the constant need for compassion and understanding toward those who have lost their homes. Working at a food bank is an additional way to volunteer. While cooking may not be everyone's cup of tea, there are plenty of other ways to support a food bank, like stocking shelves and organizing food. Some people may find it inconvenient to physically visit a location because they have personal or professional obligations.As a result, donating food, toys, clothing, or even blood can still be very beneficial to the community.