I may not be one of Billie’s biggest fans, but I’m still a fan. Going into high school, I didn’t have much taste in music, except for the music my friends recommended. As I made more friends in high school, I got to know them more personally. It used to be more straightforward back then, but my school was small, so that helped a lot. I made a friend with whom I secretly had a crush, and we got very close. We texted every day; we talked about school, what we’d been up to, and whatnot. I wanted this girl at the time; after all, she had been my crush since 5th grade. She was a feminist; she loved to express herself and speak up about whatever she didn’t agree with. One evening, we talked about our tastes in music. I showed her Astro World by Travis Scott, and she showed me a few songs by Billie Eilish. At first, I thought, “Why would I listen to music by a female artist as a man?”. I know it’s a question that some people can take the wrong way. Even my friend said I needed to cut the toxic masculinity. She was right, or perhaps I agreed because I liked her. Either way that encounter changed the way I think, but more apparently, what I listen to. At the time, I was listening to the hottest songs by Billie, Lovely feat. Khalid, Ocean Eyes, and 8. I was meeting a lot of new people as I participated in quinceañeras, and I was kind of falling into tons of crushes, so this music helped me process all that for a short period. In the end, this music was influential to me. I got comfortable listening to more female artists. There is nothing wrong with them in the first place. I don’t listen to Billie today, but I see that she has a lot of followers and one of my cousins is always listening to her music.

Minecraft has been around for as long as I’ve played video games. I am lucky to have played it in my childhood when I let my imagination roam away much more. It was like role-playing, but you had to build your structures and arrangements using blocks. The game was viral among my friends in elementary school, and I’m sure they still express the same love for it today. Role-playing with friends was my favorite activity. It was nice to come home after school to play Minecraft Survival mode and try to shape a thriving village. The process was fun, and the plot was hilarious. It usually went like this: We found a town to settle in, exploited the village and its perimeter for resources, and built our own houses. Once we had our foundation, we would start looking for amenities, such as beds to keep us away from lethal nightmares, chests for storage, or even resources, as some can become rare. We would go out and look for the things we needed to prosper more. As resources became scarcer, our perimeter would have to increase, meaning we would spend much time away from our settlements. This would invite slick moves from the other players. Eventually, a player realizes that someone has been messing around with their resources, as they realize something is missing. Usually, resources like diamonds get stolen. I mean, who would not want a new set of shiny armor? Unfortunately, this is the beginning of the end… When the victim realizes his things are stolen, he will likely get upset and feel the need to retaliate. They also begin to steal diamonds. They keep this going until the retaliatory actions become increasingly condescending and damaging. Eventually, the village ends up in flames, far from repair. This was very resonating because it shows the importance of honesty and integrity. If you keep up the good habits, you will grow, but if you stop or develop bad habits, you will go backward. Just like in college, where you must build a habit of going every day and doing your homework. If you don’t, you may fail class by not going. Our reputations are based on the habits we build, where the better we do for ourselves, the better we get in the outside world, like villages. The game is one of my favorites; it’s just like real life.

My early life was straightforward. I went to sleep at 9:00 p.m. (until my parents moved my bedtime to 10 p.m.), Went to school, went to grandma’s afterward, and went home. It was very redundant in the beginning. Luckily, I got straight As in elementary school. When I finally reached the age to be able to take care of myself, life was almost no different. The only difference was that this time, I was stuck at home. I was stuck at home until I saved up enough to buy a car in cash. As a DREAMER, I have always been working towards my American dream. Unlike my friends, who are American citizens, I cannot apply for the same jobs. This led me to search for diverse ways to make money. When we are children, we are told that it is essential to study and be successful, or else we will end up in a low-wage job like our immigrant parents. Unfortunately, I went through that fate. I grew up in America. I was brought here when I was three months old, yet I live a life like my parents. Since my dad got deported, I had a greater ambition to earn what want myself. A good example is my car. Once Dad was gone, I knew nobody else could get me those expensive necessities, so I took matters into my own hands. It took me four years of learning, saving money, and making mistakes. Now that I have my car, it is time to shift my focus towards a new goal: graduating college, but I must gather the money for it first. Using the money management skills I have developed, I have been slowly collecting funds for a semester. I want to pay as much as I can upfront because I have no choice but to keep working while in school, and I cannot afford to fail. a All the disadvantages do not bring me down, though; just like every immigrant here, I want to make money by any means necessary. I see it as a blessing to have the odds stacked against me. My life feels like making pasta from scratch, where I can tune the outcome of what I make of myself. That would be a fruitful and skillful person. Winning this scholarship would help me cover the cost of books or help fund some classes I need to retake at Oklahoma City Community College. I was in concurrent enrollment, which allowed me to graduate with a college degree before high school. Unfortunately, it was a challenging ride since it was around my dad’s deportation. Based on what I get paid, it would save me more than a whole week of arduous work. I also have a long way to go, and I am attending the University of Central Oklahoma to study engineering. I am unsure if I want to do electrical, aviation, or mechanical; all seem interesting.

People worldwide wish to visit the United States for distinct reasons. You see, America has diverse cultures, so it’s considered a melting pot of cultures. This made me ask myself, “What’s so special about America?” and “What does the American dream mean?” A person might travel there for its cultural hubs, education, or aesthetic that comes with “Being American.” After all, people enjoy their share of American muscle and big houses. One may chase the luxury that America fruits, but not everyone is born with the same opportunities, which is why people also go to America to elevate their opportunities in life. Every country is not as prosperous as America, let alone its ability to afford a livable wage for its people. One chases the American dream in various ways, like attending school, working in higher positions, or starting a business. All so they can provide their needs and desired luxuries for those who can. This creates a foundation for the “American Dream”. Opportunities to make money are more common in the United States than in its border country, Mexico. The USA has a GDP of $20.5 trillion, roughly 20 times the size of Mexico’s, which means more money flows within the country, giving people much more liquidity to grab from the stream. As a DREAMER, I have been working towards my American dream. Unlike my friends, who are American citizens, I cannot apply for the same jobs. This led me to search for diverse ways to make money. As children, we're told that it is essential to study and be successful, or else we will end up in a low-wage job like our parents. Unfortunately, I suffer that fate. I grew up in America, brought here as a 3-month-old, yet I live a work-life like my parents. Currently, I'm a dishwasher at a local business. Being a dishwasher is a bottom-tier job. It is easy to learn, and anyone could easily replace me. This means the pay limits, which also limits what I can do for myself. Aside from that, the job is too stressful for the pay. This led me to become comfortable with exploring my options. I did roofing for a year fresh out of high school. Although the pay might’ve been more attractive, it was borderline slavery. My father warned me about this life, yet somehow ended up here. Since my dad was deported, I had a greater ambition to earn what want myself. A good example is my car. Once Dad was gone, I knew nobody else could get me those expensive necessities, so I took matters into my own hands. It took me four years of learning, saving money, and making mistakes. Now that I have my car, it’s time to shift my focus toward college, but I must gather the money for it first. I need to pay as much as I can upfront because I have no choice but to keep working while I’m in school, and I cannot afford to fail. I’ve already completed two years of community college and have a degree. I graduated from high school and college the same year, free of cost, thanks to the concurrent enrollment opportunity my school offered. The experience helped me confirm where my skills can achieve their greatest potential. Now, all I can think about is going back and studying engineering. All my friends go to college wherever they want within Oklahoma, with aid from a program called “Oklahoma’s Promise.” The American dream is handed to people where I’m from, except to people like me.

Experiencing life has made people realize that everyone has problems, including ourselves. People’s souls and minds get strained as their difficulties take their toll on their lifestyle. It comes in a spectrum, where one end exhibits mild symptoms, like behavioral or cognitive challenges, and on the other, it is someone who is severely manic. These are still human beings, people in our society who need to be more accepted. There are lots of advertisements that promote checking for others for the sake of ‘mental health awareness’. It seems like a great idea on paper but it must also be questioned how far it can go as a remedy. As a person grows, it becomes more difficult to change their way of thinking, like pulling on a deep-rooted weed. Their habits and perspectives have already formed, making it harder to set influence if you can't relate with their circle. Even so, someone within the inner circle is likely to influence minimal positive change. I had a conversation with a peer who has lived life with minimal resources compared to America. He asked me why society tends to push the homeless to the side. Cities set measures to keep away the homeless from places they’re not desired to be in. We tried coming up with our own solutions. The first thing that came to mind was their difficulty with getting a job. Businesses want to hire presentable people, but a homeless person wouldn’t even have access to a shower, a phone, or transportation. We concluded that the system is set up against them. I figured that if we lived in a perfect, honest world we could find a way to make a solution possible. The government could set up a program where those with disabilities can get employed and earn a livable wage. Conduct background checks on those who apply. These jobs can be collecting garbage from anywhere. Since they’re already outside they could easily walk along and collect what they see. It is an easy job and some may say that it is unfair for others, but it’s a way of letting troubled people in our community consistently have an opportunity to pull themselves out of their place. In other words, we recognize what they’re lacking in but we’ll use it as their advantage to an exclusive well-paying job. There’s another peer at my workplace who also has his impediments. He’s known to process and learn things quite slower than others. It’s nice knowing that he knows he can be himself around everyone at our job and school. He’s treated like everyone else. You can even say he’s one of the boys. The atmosphere is a lot better when you don’t pay attention to the flaw and see it more as a personality. People dig themselves into their own trenches to feel secure from the rejection society brings them. Everyone wants to be as good as the person they think is better. We must show people the dignity they deserve, even if they struggle economically, socially, or cognitively. Only by putting everyone on the same elevated level, can we ease acceptance of the outliers in our society.

There’s no question a person will come across bleak experiences in their lifetime. The human experience is tailored to navigate through times like those. There are countless stories where people have seen others climb out of the biggest trenches. It leaves people questioning how they managed to do it. We all have a story. My mom has her share of stories worth lamenting for. As a kid, they didn’t mean much to me. One I can remember off the top of my head, is that her father passed when she was only 15 years old. I cared for my mother and her story, but all there was to focus on was that she was here and all was well. I thought there was something wrong with her, she showed clear signs of anxiety. There was always something to worry about, especially since she had two kids to watch over. Luckily, my dad was usually there to reassure her nothing could happen. My father was a core figure in my life and personality as I would always watch and study his demeanor. He was a person who would engage in social circles while keeping his relaxed demeanor. Only when he was intoxicated he’d break character and let a bit loose with friends. Dad was there to regulate Mom’s emotions and fears. Keep in mind, Mom and Dad were in their early 20’s. When parents are young, they tend to express their problems to their kids, including relationship problems. I had my mother tell me one thing about Dad and Dad would also have his share of words to say. Sitting on both sides of the fence gave me a clearer picture of the situation. Mom and Dad were not perfect, and most likely needed more maturity in some aspects. It’s not something to blame them for, as it’s their first time living too. Throughout my life, I had the opportunity to learn to advocate for myself and help people. I built my work ethic following my father and learned to think things thoroughly like my mother. The volatility of life takes its toll on families, pushing them to find a way to stabilize themselves. Do it enough times it gets easier to go through difficult situations more habitually.

We all commit acts of bravery in different intensities every single day. They cumulatively build up our courage to talk to people, pursue careers, or even drive a car. We all have fears that we've gotten over. We realize that some things aren't too scary once we get close up and study the scary object. It all comes down to perception. I've learned to enjoy putting myself in uncomfortable situations. Recently, I have decided that I want to pursue a career in electrical engineering. People say that it is one of the most difficult degrees to pursue. When people describe it that way, it fuels my ambition towards that degree. I think that pursuing bravery has to deal with how enticed I am to satisfy my sense of self with the progress that the act of bravery would influence. I was daunted by the challenge at first. I heard people talk about how difficult exams, finals, and even professors can be. I got over that fear through conversations with an aspiring electrical engineer. Now every comment I hear about how hard it is to be an electrical engineer, my motivation doesn't budge. I learned that most of my fears are all because of my perception. That fact has guided me through many internal obstacles I have daily. I can now build the courage to talk to the person sitting next to me. I've constructed a mentality where I must get over as many fears as possible to be a well-rounded person; in which the ideal self can be reached.

When you get to that point where you appreciate the simple pleasures, you learn to appreciate everything else more. Getting those extra 20 minutes of sleep sure does make someone feel like they have a lot more time to sleep in. That sense of relief you get when you sit down after a long day of work makes you feel like you're getting your fair share of rest. An encounter where the stranger at the grocery store complimented your outfit would sure lift up your spirits for a while. Life is full of simple pleasures. All it takes is for one to learn to appreciate rather than judge and complain. The human race is more than capable of adapting to new circumstances. It is what we do during our daily lives. I encourage other people to examine their surroundings and to familiarize themselves. Only then, one can start their journey towards being appreciative of simple pleasures.

During my sophomore year of high school, my dad was deported. During this time, Covid hadn't been around yet so I was still in school. The school served as the biggest distraction from my problems at home. Once the pandemic hit, all the struggles that I was voiding myself from all came back gradually. I began to see the world differently. With limited opportunities available to me, I began to feel like there was no hope for me to go to college. I always just assumed that my parents would pay for my college. This eventually led to the ideology that school was just a waste of time and money. The more I would be away from school, the less engaged I would be in my academic future. Coming back to school as a senior was a struggle. I still believed that I didn't want to go to college but that soon changed when I was introduced to the variety of careers, colleges, and forms of financial aid available to me. I remember that one day I was looking through my email and came across an email from a college offering me a scholarship. Seeing that email ignited that same drive that kept me motivated towards my studies back at the beginning of my sophomore year.

Having a job and taking college classes while in high school requires lots of balancing. With these responsibilities, it can be a challenge to maintain focus, have a social life, and stay motivated. Some measure that I take to maintain focus is taking breaks in intervals. There is such thing as too much studying. I take breaks every 30 minutes of studying to keep me from getting bored and easily distracted. I once talked to my doctor about quarantine and it's effects on teenagers' mental health. He mentioned that if you don't talk to anybody but yourself, you're just driving yourself crazy. Thinking too much would be like diving straight into the pool neuroticism. In other words, friends are important to have because they give a sense of belonging and if with the right crowd, you'll be setting yourself up for success. Motivation also is also a factor associated with social life and being in the right crowd.

Nature has always been my getaway from everything. Whether it'd be a lake to look forward to after a stressful school year or a night sky to gaze upon and admire, I knew nature would do its part in giving me the solace I needed. My dad would take me to lakes all over the state. We even set up camp in several of them. Being around the ambient sounds given by the waves crashing along with the grand trees rustling with the flocking of seagulls. Knowing that there is such a place where no pencil or paper is there to haunt me, I come back in tune with the same soothing yet, active environment that the lake has cast onto my likings. To appreciate the stability that nature has given me, I have begun with small but progressive measures. I made sure to not litter. Though it should be no question that our trash belongs in the garbage can or the recycling bin, you'd be surprised by how many people simply just don't care. I have worked with a local church to plant a small garden and pick up the trash from the area. I am currently working on setting up a community event to plant 350 trees within the community on the first of April to offset the amount of paper my school used in a school year. I also have a project pending with an elementary school that wants to plant a flower garden in which monarchs can use as a pitstop along their long journey. This would be a great opportunity for the kids to learn more about the importance of an ecosystem which would enlighten them with the concept of being more considerate of nature and its wonders.

Having my first job sure was a challenge to get used to. I applied there because several of my cousins worked there, and I thought that it'd be a good experience. My first day was not bad. I filled in as a busboy. The job was simple; pick up the plates, and take them to the dishwashers. Every time I'd take a tub of plates to the washers, I would see the tables full of all kinds of grimy dishes. From plastic plates, to clear glass goblets, worn-out metal pots of different sizes, all I could think was how much I'd hate to have that job. The next day, I walked into the same gate of dislikes and began working as a dishwasher. I did not hate the job. The 10-dollar hourly pay was my motivation. As an undocumented student, I'm not available to the same opportunities as my friends so it was the best I could get. All the job needed me to do was to make sure I wash all the dishes fast and efficiently. I took on the responsibility of the bigger dishes. These dishes would be anything that is not a plate. There was an endless stream of bigger dishes coming in. Soon, I learned that the only work I had to do was in my knees and arms. It was not an easy job though. It tired me out every single day I worked past most people's bedtimes and it caused me to lose lots of sleep. The job quickly became tedious and I wanted to quit within three months. Subconsciously, I was beginning to get more in shape as the months went by. Too satisfied with the results, I have yet to leave that same job because I keep getting stronger.