All my life, I have loved to write and draw. Some of my earliest memories involve kneeling at the coffee table in my childhood apartment, drawing self-portraits on printer paper. Though I couldn't read at age three, I admired the illustrations in my picture books and tried to emulate them in my own art. By second or third grade, I harnessed my love for art to create sketches for trivial stories I would write. From dramas, to romances, to hand-drawn comics, I would fill spiral notebooks with my stories. I took inspiration from televised cartoons, dynamics in my family, and, most often, books. I adored the impassioned personalities of characters like Judy Moody and Junie B. Jones, and sometimes used them as blueprints for my own characters. However, like Judy and Junie, there existed many characters which I loved and read about frequently, but found trouble relating to: while most of them were white, I was Filipina. At times, it felt like literature didn't belong to me because I never saw myself represented in it. This feeling persisted as I developed a passion for literature and reading in middle school. Beginning in sixth grade, I became obsessed with my reading speed, trying to read each page as fast as I could and quickly absorb all its information. I hoped to employ traits I admired in each novel I read in my own works. Because I struggled to find literature that represented me, I made an effort to infuse my stories with experiences relating to my identity. Though I wince at the juvenile comic series that resulted from these efforts, the dissatisfaction I now feel towards it attests to my progress as a writer. As a junior in high school, I took Creative Writing as an elective. This class allowed me to explore story writing in vast genres—fantasy, romance, even horror—in a mostly freeform way. Around October, my teacher, Mr. A had each student submit a piece to the Long Beach Post’s annual Scary Story Competition. Though I didn’t win, submitting a piece with the potential of becoming a published author was an exhilarating and notable feat, and only pushed me to further cultivate my writing. It gave me a goal to work towards: being published and sharing my fervent writing with a real audience. While I continue to make art as a hobby, the feedback I have received in the past few years from peers and teachers has inspired me to seriously consider my writing and what career I might pursue with it. The growth I’ve experienced as a writer, propelled by such encouragement, has led me to examine the field of English. Currently, I plan to major in English, and dream of writing and illustrating a children’s short story. As mentioned, I've faced difficulties finding literary representation about Filipino-Americans, let alone in children's picture books. Because of this, I'd love to someday write about growing up in a Filipino household, and share with young readers the values of family, community, and food that come with my culture through a children's book. Further, I'd love to illustrate this book and bring life to the memories that have shaped me—and many other Filipino youth—into who I am. Using my love for art, literature, and my ethnic identity in this way will be something I work towards throughout college. Being awarded this $500 scholarship would bring me closer to paying for a higher education where I can study English, refine my writing, and uplift my dream of publishing this picture book, a physical homage to the creativity I’ve had since childhood.