During the past few years, I have been very focused on my academics. Book-based learning and formal classes are at the core of my curriculum. The traditional class format, while valuable, makes it easy to believe creativity has no place in a formal educational setting. Recently, I had a learning experience that opened up a new way of thinking for me. This past fall, I took a communication skills class at my local community college. When I started the class, my professor explained that creating presentations and speeches accounted for a large portion of our grades. I approached my first presentations the same way I approached my other school papers: done exactly to the letter, based on the format examples and length requirements. Those presentations did get good grades, but they were very stuffy, trite, and generally lacked personality. My professor continually invited my class to branch out and to make our speeches unique and personal to us. This invitation was really exciting for me because this meant I could use topics and ideas I had never had the opportunity to talk about before. The class’s purpose was to teach communication, thus it caused the subject matter not to be limited to the usual high school subjects, like history or English. I was able to branch out to talk about things I had never used as the subjects of a school paper. I created a persuasive presentation about my hobby of cooking, which I filled with visually-engaging pictures of food to convince my microwave-obsessed generation to try cooking from scratch. I was thrilled I could create presentations that were fun and informative, instead of only focusing on the information and formatting. Realizing creativity and personality can have a place in academia excites me about my future college career.

Have you ever heard of pasteles? On the outside, they are dark green leaf bundles held together with string. When you unwrap them, they are tender, yellow rectangles of deliciousness. Pasteles are part of my connection to diversity. I promote diversity with my family community by celebrating our heritage with food. My grandmother is 100% Puerto Rican and the daughter of immigrants. Every Christmas, we make labor-intensive pasteles, a traditional Puerto Rican food that has a strong tie to the gift-giving of the season since they look like presents. Making pasteles with my family, and talking to my grandma about Puerto Rican traditions is a gift, because it is a way for me to take pride in cultural traditions. Due to my grandmother’s experience of discrimination, the familial language of Spanish and other cultural traditions were suppressed in order to blend into mainstream American culture. However, the world is changing. My grandmother and I make pasteles for Christmas and take Spanish classes to reclaim our identity. I have learned the importance of maintaining our cultural identity and to respect other people’s traditions because they are integral to their identity. Spending Christmas with my grandmother and family has taught me the unique culture of my heritage and I enjoy how making and eating pasteles allow me to experience it.

I am part of the not-so-lucky 7% of the US population that suffers from an autoimmune disease. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease when I was 10 years old. It is where my immune system attacks the thyroid gland, causing a plethora of symptoms including hypothyroid. It was very scary to learn at age ten that you are sick because part of you is attacking yourself and that is never going away. However, my parents supported me, and we went through several protocols to get my inflammation down. We decided that the whole family was going according to whatever crazy diet I was going to eat. We started with the strict AIP (autoimmune protocol) diet. It was a really big switch. We threw out all the grains, sugars, dairy, legumes, nightshades, and eggs. After that, we had to figure out what we could eat. My mom had me help her find recipes online, then she would pick up the groceries, and we would cook it together. It was super easy to find a bunch of savory recipes, but it was hard to find reliable and tasty desserts. This became a turning point for me, because it is no kids’ dream to blow out a candle stuck in an orange for their birthday. I decided that I was going to experiment with baking (with my parents’ supervision, of course). I am going to be honest with you, the first things I made were terrible: they looked terrible, they tasted terrible, and I made a terrible mess. However, I didn’t give up. Slowly, things got better. My baking got better (it actually tasted pretty nice), my inflammation got better, and I transitioned to the less restricted Paleo diet. You have heard of the saying we are cooking with gas? Well, I’ll raise you one. I was baking with eggs. I was able to find different recipes, and my creativity and possibilities just skyrocketed. My baking skills have grown so much; I am now in charge of baking cakes for my family’s birthdays and for holidays. My autoimmune experience has made me want to support other people, who are going through the autoimmune health rollercoaster. I have shared my experience and recipes with my friend and her family, when she got diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. I also made food and brought it to them when they had to stay at the hospital. I also have made and delivered food to my friends, who don’t have autoimmune diseases, but have sensitive food allergies that require special preparation. Having Hashimoto’s, while it is less than ideal, has allowed me to build a community with people I cherish and normally wouldn't have associated with. Learning new skills and building from the ground up is what I learned from my autoimmune disease, but it is a skill for entrepreneurial ventures too. I have set up a Nailed It! experience during the Christmas season for family and friends. I have taken part in several entrepreneurial scholarships. I am currently employed at a local shop run by a female entrepreneur, who has taught me a lot of important lessons about being a business owner. I am also planning to compete in an entrepreneurial scholarship at my college this fall. Thankfully, at this point in my life, my health is stable, and I can focus on spending time with my family and friends, school, work, and my entrepreneurial college adventure.

As an artist, I believe that the greatest creations are created out of tiny individual components. This is a pencil sketch of an undercroft that was inspired by massive cathedrals, castles, and other ancient architecture. When I look at these magnificent constructs, I am amazed that each one is made up of hundreds or thousands of individual bricks or stones. For me, words are my building blocks. Individually, they can achieve nothing, but when combined they can create entire cities. I drew this piece with nothing but a pencil, which is also the tool for writing. Each brick represents all the words and lines that comprise every drawing, story, and world I have created. Drawing and writing have been my creative expression for years. I started both, because the members of my family are closest to me. I initially started drawing because I wanted to see the different worlds that we were creating and did so off and on for a few years. I resumed drawing with my uncle, while he recovered from a meniscus tear two years ago. I started writing after my twin broke her arm, when we both were eleven, because she took up writing to pass the time. In the future, I want to collaborate with them to make and publish illustrated books and a graphic novel. Each of us are our own bricks, and we build each other up.

“We can do it!” The metal poster’s words popped off the kitchen’s red wall, while Rosie the Riveter rolled back her sleeve with a determined scowl. The WWII motivational poster reminds me, hanging over the table where I eat and do school, reminding me women can be strong. I want to change the world by supporting women who are facing gender inequality in the workplace. Gender inequality in the workplace is a social problem that is important to me because I am a woman. The inequality in the work field not only affects women, it affects their families, and the economy. This global problem is a deeply rooted and complex issue that many have spent their lives trying to solve. I think some ways to change the world are to increase women’s support in the workplace by adopting more flexible policies and mentorships. Flexible workplace policies would be a powerful way to empower women. Many women are given a hard choice: have a profession or a family. Because women are still the ones who take the lead role in caring for households and children, a lack of flexibility often prevents them from having both. Companies should offer women greater flexibility in their schedules, so they can work part time or during hours they prefer. Furthermore, I think that businesses should adopt remote work as a new business norm. Both of these measures could help women to both have jobs and be there to care for their families. Companies can support women by offering mentorships. As primary caretakers, many women’s careers are interrupted by periods of time when they care for children or aging parents. When they return to the workforce, they often have skill gaps. Mentors can help them to overcome these gaps and help them transition back into employment. Companies should establish women in these mentor roles because women appreciate hearing from someone who has faced the same challenges they have. Helping women achieve their goals and guiding them with their experience would be very beneficial for women and the companies they work for. The challenges women face in the workplace will not be solved with a single, easy answer. Making it easier for women to stay engaged in their careers by adding flexibility and mentorship are good ways to create positive change. I think gender inequality can be addressed by supporting women, which in turn, will support our communities. In conclusion, I think the world can be changed for the better by finding ways to support women and telling them they are capable and that “We can do it!”