As a kid, I remember my mom coming home late at night from work. She gently kissed me on the forehead and told me to go back to sleep so I would not miss my rest. At the time, I did not fully understand the sacrifice and exhausting effort she put in every day to support my sister and me. She ensured there was food on the table. Despite her long hours, she still woke up early to prepare our breakfast and take us to school. As I grew older, I began to recognize the depth of her commitment. Today, I see my mother as my greatest inspiration. She is a hero whose strength, work ethic, and selflessness motivate me to work hard each day. Her guidance continues to shape my values and drive to do good. Growing up in a single-mother household was deeply challenging. I often lived with the emotional weight of uncertainty. I wondered whether my mother would return home safely. I also witnessed the physical pain that sometimes left her unable to get out of bed when she returned from work. Those moments shaped me profoundly and still leave me feeling vulnerable. I wish I could have done more to ease her suffering. However, these experiences, along with the many obstacles I faced, have defined the man I am today. As I grew older, I assumed responsibilities beyond my years to help lessen my mother’s burden. Through those responsibilities, I developed resilience, independence, and a strong sense of accountability. These qualities continue to prepare me to navigate the real world with confidence and determination. From my experience, not only did I learned to appreciate the insignificant details in life, such as walking with my mom to school or taking care of my sister when she was sick, but I also gained the values of compassion, determination, and a community, specifically, growing up in a Latino household, I have developed a strong connection with my family, going through adversity together but also enjoying life at its fullest. I envision a future in which I actively educate and empower the Latino community, serving as a source of guidance and encouragement for those pursuing higher education. My goal is to support students and young professionals from my community by helping them develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to enter diverse professional fields. Throughout my academic and professional journey, I have cultivated a deep understanding of empathy, which I consistently apply when mentoring others. By sharing my experiences and leading by example. I hope to inspire others to persevere, just like my mother taught me when I was younger. Ultimately, navigating the challenges of a single-mother household instilled in me a profound sense of maturity. While some might view this background through a lens of lack or shame, I see it as the foundation of my commitment to being a dedicated adult figure. I intend to leverage my values and experiences to foster growth within my community, evolving beyond the role of a mentor to become the stable, paternal presence that many young people, much like my younger self, needed.

I am Hansel Fernandez, a Temple University senior pursuing a degree in Supply Chain Management. I have a strong passion for business, particularly business operations, which was sparked by my father’s experience in the Dominican Republic, where his business closed due to operational challenges and a lack of the right products for his customers. This experience fueled my desire to one day build my own business. However, before pursuing that goal, I am focused on gaining deeper knowledge in the field and saving the necessary resources to bring this future project to life. Growing up in a Hispanic family has provided me with a unique perspective on life, shaped by our food, culture, and accent —key elements of our identity that I have embraced with pride throughout my journey. My family is from a small town in the Dominican Republic, where I was born and spent part of my childhood before moving to the United States at a young age. Living in the Dominican Republic taught me how people in such communities prioritize living worry-free, cherishing special moments with loved ones, fighting for their dreams and future, and embracing life to its fullest. As a child, I spent a lot of time in my dad’s business in the Dominican Republic, where he owned an auto parts store. I helped him stock the products on the shelves, retrieve inventory from the back, and occasionally clean the shop together. While the business was not our only source of income, seeing the joy on my dad’s face during good sales days was truly special. I will always remember the excitement of greeting customers and petting their animals. When the time came to close the business due to inventory shortages and accounting mistakes, I could see the pain in my dad’s eyes. Yet, despite the tears, he reassured me that everything would be okay and that we would move forward. Failure is a crucial stepping stone forward future success. Not everything goes as planned, and my dad taught me an invaluable lesson that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Hispanics are relentless, courageous, and resilient—people who never give up, no matter the challenges life throws their way. Throughout my college journey, I have faced many ups and downs, but I have continued moving forward. Reflecting on how my family has supported me in becoming a better person gives me all the motivation I need to keep going and be the first in my family to graduate from college. I feel truly blessed to be part of the Hispanic community. Our culture is deeply rooted in supporting others, whether family, friends, or relatives, we are always eager to make those around us feel cared for. I aspire to give back to my community by offering supply chain guidance to small businesses, helping them optimize inventory, manage expenses, and connect with suppliers for higher-quality products. Small businesses are not only vital to the U.S. economy but also play a key role in empowering entrepreneurs to continue pursuing their passions. By supporting them, we can make a meaningful impact and create a better world.

Growing up, I always visited my father's business. His business was a small auto repair shop that he opened as an entrepreneur. Almost every day, my father had many customers coming in and out of his business. Despite everything seeming right and wonderful, my father's small business closed one day. My father was sad since all his hard work had been wasted. According to my mother, he didn't receive enough money for the business to remain open. Although that was true, other determinant factors led to the closure of the business, even though I did not understand anything about business at the time. I always think that my father's business would have been much different had he gotten a higher education and operated it properly. As my father did, many Hispanic immigrants open businesses in the United States in order to provide their families with a stable passive income. However, many of them lack business knowledge or are not literate in business, so they fail to maintain their properties. Supporting small businesses from underrepresented communities, especially Hispanics, is my goal. I want to be a mentor and a guide for those business owners who do not know how to grow their businesses Over time, I have developed a deeper understanding of what being Hispanic means. Despite the richness of our culture in terms of history, food, language, music, and so much more, many of us don't seek out our people. The importance of being close to family, roots, and country was always instilled in me by my parents. Where I come from and the people around me always make me proud and it inspires me to become a respectable professional in the future. The values that my parents have taught me throughout the years and their financial support is something that I respect and I will be always grateful for their sacrifice. People judged my decision when I graduated high school and decided to get a business degree, telling me that I wouldn't make a lot of money and that it was too broad. Although I was not the smartest kid, my parents never questioned my decisions, and they celebrated my decision to pursue higher education. As a first-generation student who does not speak fluent English and throughout my college journey have failed so many times, I have also learned from my colleagues and have joined other many organizations that have helped me overcome difficult situations. Furthermore, after graduation, I would like to provide financial support, and knowledge to those in need by using the skills I am learning in business school.

The woman who has influenced me is a woman who has fought for the life of me and my sister. This woman had to take out food from their mouth and give it to me when I was a kid, for her to feed me. It is a woman who, besides the circumstances and the atrocity that she encountered, was always smiling and educating us in the best way possible. A woman who had to go to university after she finished working as hard as possible, so she could get a better job and bring more money to the table. This woman is a pillar that carries and holds a big platform on which I'm standing right now. She taught me that life could be compassionate, or cruel, but you always have to continue thriving, like a flower, in order to be successful. The brightness of an unbreakable spirit that has prevailed for many years until now, showing love and care to others as she does it to me and my sister. And the most important aspect of this woman is her humility, not arrogance, or selfishness. She demonstrated that everything is possible, and she accomplished so many things that the only thing you asked was how did she do it?. In my case, I always try to follow this woman, my mother, the person that I love the most, who gave me everything that I have right now.

To live a long, healthy, significant life you don't need a degree from Harvard or a doctorate from a university. It's totally about the decisions and actions you make throughout your experience in life. For example, most of us when we were little kids we used to hate vegetables, sometimes we even threw them away when our parents were not paying action to us. However, we ascertained the importance of eating healthy since the beginning, we created a habit that even though we used to hate, now we are practicing the habit of eating vegetables and applying that knowledge that our parents taught us. So think about how can you live happily? satisfactory? Analyze the decisions that you have taken in your life. How many times have you eaten that fried chicken with fries instead of a plate of salads that you thought was unnecessary to consume? Or how many times are you exercising actively at this moment? If you feel ashamed and unhappy with the answers is because you are not practicing the habit of living a prolonged, healthy life. The best way to live a long, healthy life is to control and be responsible for your actions, when you control yourself from eating junk food and start eating nutritive food, you will feel more satisfied and happier because of that decision you made, if you continue making those good actions, you will notice a difference in your life, it is time to think about your body, the benefits of taking care of it.

Being a Latino student in a predominantly white college is a difficult task. There aren't as many Latinos or black students on campus, the food and the American culture are on my daily basis. Sometimes I think of just forgetting about my identity, my culture and adjust to other people's culture or life so I could fit in better, however, my family has always taught me, that even if I live far away from my country, I have to remember where I come from, where my roots belong to, and that in the worst difficult moments I should be the person I have always being. Most of the time, I try to listen to Hispanic music, read books, articles, news. I listen to a variety of music, that not only represents who I am, but represents the place where I came from, and my objectives and goals for my future. I try to maintain composure in the lonely, sad moments that life has given me. But I think that what makes me stay who I am is my ability to act naturally in different situations. I don't try to force or act in an unalike way just because someone wants me to change. I have had many experiences, I have made many mistakes that have shaped me, and I will not forget any of these, so I have decided that I will always stay true to myself and that if someone wants to approach me, that individual should adapt to my identity.

My greatest inspiration in life is to be a role model in the future, to be a person who can help other people who are struggling in life, especially the Hispanic community, those immigrants that come to the U.S with a vision and a motivation to be successful one day. I want to contribute to those students with low income just like me and make someone's dream come true. In my life, I have had a lot of struggles, ups and downs, financial crises, and especially I have been limited because of heritage and my accent, I have wanted to do many things, but I could not. I want to change the image that many people have about Latinos, many think that we are only here for our own interests and that we are not going to contribute to anything, and that is not true, many of us want to help make this country better, both for people like us and for the people of this country. Since I was a kid, I have always loved to help my classmates, friends, to reach their goals and never give up, sometimes, putting in risks my own dreams and goals. One time I had a friend that I helped academically, but in reality, he hated me and was criticizing me on my back, he spoke badly of me and he didn't even thank me for what I did for him, but I don't care, why? Because I was able to help that person who needed me and also made me stronger inside. This year, I was able to fulfill my dream of studying in the United States and being one step closer to becoming an important person in life. I have been very good academically and I am working very hard to get to university and give everything to be a professional. That has been my mother's dream, that I can have a college degree and successful power in life, and it is something that I am willing to do, not only to satisfy my mother but also to please myself and help others. I have many things that drive me, the motivation of my family, my determination to be successful, and the best wishes from my friends. . I want to accomplish many things, for my family, my friends, the people who love me, support me every day, make them feel proud, and believe that everything is possible, be that motivation for those people who don't know what to do in their lives and give them the hope to continue working for their dreams.

Smartphones have revolutionized the world, certainly, society has improved and has accomplished things we wouldn't imagine. The devices have made an impact over the world and communication is changing for the better throughout the years, now only by scrolling down or up, we can make a call to whatever place we want to or send a message to a close friend or family member. This technology has changed my life and I am pretty sure it also has changed the lives of other people. My life is very easy and comfortable just by using my smartphone, I can stay connected with my friends, do homework and entertain myself using these devices. This is so essential that I cannot think of a world in which smartphones do not exist, how are we going to communicate or survive? it is a thought I have always asked myself and I can not imagine a world without them. My day-to-day activities have changed during the pandemic, however, smartphones have made an impact on me and other students like me. I remember when the pandemic began and the Coronavirus was in its splendor, I and my classmates wondered how we were going to receive classes?. Later on, I said to my friends studying from home could never be easier for me, only with my smartphones I could attend meetings fast and be present on time for them, also make homework and ask questions and the A driver must drive with precautions and should never use their smartphone while driving. However many smartphones and apps have developed a plan to make us drive safely and take calls while we are doing this risky action. In my case, I have been able to explore different locations and get through places using my phone, and they have given me tips and quick guides on how to get through these locations. The existence of smartphones is a highly developed advance created by us. Some of us still do not know how important and valuable is this creation, and we do not give it the value it deserves. Phones have saved lives, prevented accidents, helped the sick, and many more things. Smartphone has more positive things than negative things, we must keep using smartphones and support companies so they could provide us with more of these wonderful products.