There is nothing that makes me happier than seeing my loved ones succeed. I have always looked out for my mother and my boyfriend. They are a huge part of my life and I keep them close to make sure they are at their best. They do the same in return. They are always there to support me and hold me accountable for my actions. They are the reason why I have some level of success in life. I was a math genius at one point in my life. It all stopped when I signed up for high school grade-level math when I was still in 8th grade. This transition would have been as smooth as silk if it was not for the fact that they changed our math teacher three times throughout that school year. By the time my class was being taught by the last teacher, I was lost. Asking questions would not even help sometimes. I grew increasingly stressed. I did not know what to do. My mother, seeing how stressed I was, decided it was good for me to take a day off from school. She recommended me to go on a walk with her. I took her offer. During the walk, she explained that I would still need to go to school the next day. She explained she would not make school absences a habit, so I would need to solve my problem. She suggested I attend tutorials. I groaned. I hated the idea of staying after school because the teacher could not meet her job expectations during the week. I was obviously wrong for thinking this. I would later find out it was me who needed more time for math- not my teacher. It was settled. I was to attend after-school tutorials to lift my grades. The tutorials were not bad after all. One of my best friends attended the tutorials as well which made me feel better about myself. I brought my F to a B, and I was able to pass the end-year exam. I was able to do all this because my mother reminded me of the importance of accountability. Accountability is needed to succeed. Success is achieved by mastering something that was out of reach to begin with. Another important goal of mine was to lose weight. Doctors always made sure to point out my weight every time I came in for a visit even if the visit was to get my ear wax out. Over time I grew self-conscious of my weight. I exercised excessively thinking this would solve the problem. I gained back the weight I lost. This was until I met my boyfriend when I entered college. My boyfriend was into fitness because his goal had been to gain weight instead. When we started working out together he pointed out that I needed a healthy lifestyle, not a weight loss routine. Together, we were able to build that lifestyle. We have motivated each other to hit the gym occasionally while maintaining a healthy relationship with food—another story of success for me. As previously mentioned, success is achieving what seemed impossible at one point. I hold myself accountable for my success by keeping my loved ones close. Having a good relationship with my mother and boyfriend has paid off.

“I did not know you needed a degree for that!”, “what do you plan to do with that?” and my favorite, “I thought librarians only told people to shut up!” are the most common phrases I have heard ever since I got accepted into my library science program. Right off the bat, I can tell how much I will enjoy a conversation based on people’s reactions to my chosen career path. It is a pretty big jump to go from wanting to be a lawyer to wanting to be a librarian, which is exactly what I did. People praise and awe at those who wish to become someone as important as a lawyer. People give puzzled looks to those who do not belong to the rigorous fields of graduate education. Because I chose librarianship, I have become an overlooked leader in my community. To become a librarian is to create a positive change in today’s society. How many times do people stop and think about their local librarian? Probably not often. There is an uptick trend in people viewing libraries as dying institutions. Others view libraries as harmful to children due to their inclusive resources which has led to the banning of thousands of books. A change is gonna come, Sam Cooke once said. That change starts with the incoming generations because their passion for learning is what makes communities thrive. I am glad to say I have done my share in motivating children within my community since the summer of 2023. That summer I became an intern for one of the libraries in the city of Houston. I was a program assistant and my responsibilities consisted of hosting events that could instill a love for learning within children. Working with children was a godsent task for me. I am the oldest of three siblings, so I was already accustomed to dealing with children. However, my manager was shocked at how much of a pro I was at my job. I held weekly craft events in which children could come and complete an activity based on the theme for the week. In my first week, I created a monarchy theme in which children could create their own paper crowns. The following week I did a shark theme which was then followed by a Barbie theme in homage to the box office sensation. On all occasions, children had the opportunity to create and learn fun facts about the respective subject. I tried to be as diverse as possible with my themes since I am an avid believer in teaching children as much as possible in the face of censorship. I believe my craft programs became successful because of this. Children would come back to work on their skills even on days that did not have a scheduled program. From that point, I knew I needed to continue to be a leader for the children in my community and teach those around me to value their librarians. As a future youth services librarian, I will continue to overcome the power of ignorance that has tainted the profession of librarianship. Being a librarian is an important job that deserves to be recognized for facing its own hardships in this era of censorship. Librarians are our overlooked leaders.

A few nights ago I stayed up to look at the ceiling while my red LED lights shone above me. I was reflecting on my plans for the future. I’m about to graduate high school and it feels unreal. Sometimes I wish I was a freshman again, but I know I have to move on. The night I looked up to admire my red LED lights I confirmed my plans. I decided that once I graduate high school, my plan will be to major in history, and later become an immigration lawyer. I want to become an immigration lawyer because I want to guarantee the safety of hard-working citizens. My immigrant family has definitely influenced my choice of becoming an immigration lawyer. My dad came to the United States 28 years ago. He started working as a dishwasher and made his way up to the position of restaurant manager. In 2008 he gained his citizenship and was able to vote in an American election for the first time. On the other hand, my cousins entered this country when they were too little to comprehend what was going on. Later on, they became dreamers, and along with my dad, they have inspired me to fight for the rights of immigrants. I'm well aware of how important immigrants are to this country. The United States has depended on these people since the beginning of its establishment. In fact, during World War 2 the bracero program was created to bring over Mexican laborers that would help the American economy during the war. It was an agreement that benefited both countries. America gained more stability in the agricultural sector and the braceros gained new agricultural skills. Using the agricultural skills they learned in America, the braceros were able to implement these techniques into the agricultural programs in Mexico. The reason I stay as educated as possible when it comes to historic events such as these is because they help shape new policies. Ten years ago I wasn’t worried about politics or the president’s current immigration policies. At that time, I was a little girl who only cared about the release of the next Phineas and Ferb episode. The moment I realized the impact that immigration policies have on this country and the people I care about, I became deeply interested in them. Immigration law is complicated but that doesn’t scare me. I am determined to become an immigration lawyer for the sake of my people and the economy.