I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression when I was fourteen years old in my freshman year of high school. As anyone could imagine, this was a major struggle and fight every single day with school, my friends, my family, and my everyday goals. I have always enjoyed going to school and being a part of all things social. I never thought that I would be the one who would get diagnosed with something like this. I never thought of it for myself until I was fighting with everyone I knew, feeling emotions so strongly or not at all, and struggling with the things that I have always been passionate about. There were days when it would be easy to get out of bed and go about my day, while there were other days when I did not want to talk to anyone or do anything for days at a time. After many times where I experienced this, I finally decided to start going to therapy which was helpful but took years to actually influence my behavior. I never took medication for my mental illness because I believed that I could manage to change my life and the way that I would originally handle situations without it. I was also a little scared to take medication because I have seen the dramatic side effects it can cause. Due to this reason, it has been a lot harder than I would imagine with medication since I do not have that extra push to help me out. During my senior year of high school in 2020 I would skip class very often and I almost failed some classes, but I managed to pull myself out of it once I was reminded of how badly I wanted to graduate. Then once the pandemic started, I was not able to see my friends or go out which made everything more difficult once again. Every single day was a struggle but I got a job, tried to be a persistent employee and even applied to Chaffey Community College. I was able to graduate on time regardless of how hard things were since I continuously went to therapy and practiced what I was taught to avoid burnout and give myself a safe place. It was a journey compared to no other because I would work sometimes six days a week, was in school as a full-time student and managed to juggle all other aspects of life. My mental health journey is still ongoing process and I still fight every single day to become a better person.

A quality that I value most in myself is my drive to get things done. When I set my mind to something that I want, there is nothing that can stop me from getting it. No matter how many times I fail or may not understand something, I will always go back to it and keep trying. I value this quality in myself the most because I have struggled a lot in my life and my drive is what has always kept me going. I struggle with depression and anxiety and I have been fighting this battle since I was in high school. This has affected my everyday life because there have been plenty of instances where I have no motivation to get things done or I have so much anxiety to even try to do things. It has always been such a struggle and a constant fight between me and the things that I truly desire. I have always wanted to be successful and believe that putting in hard work is what gets you far in life, but struggling with depression and anxiety can be a major obstacle that can get in the way. At the end of the day, it is always me who picks myself up and reminds myself that no matter how hard things may seem they are, nothing should get in the way of what I truly want. I believe that my drive will help me in my life journey because if I always stay true to myself and what I want, then no amount of pain can get in the way. This is important to me and my life journey because I know how difficult my mind and body can be, so staying true to the success that I want in my life will always keep pushing me. I find that my drive is what always pushes me to finish the tasks that I take on. This is what got me through high school and what continuously motivated me to finish successfully even with all of the hard times. Even throughout all of the struggles and stress that I went through, I never gave up on what I truly wanted at the end of the day. This same mindset is what I believe will continue to motivate me through college, my career and any other challenges or hobbies I decided to pursue in my future years.

I am pursuing a business degree because I appreciate how there is such a wide range of career options that I have available for me because of this field. I appreciate how even though I am getting a degree in business administration for marketing, this can allow me to work for numerous different types of companies in different markets. I like the classes that I have to take in my major because I think they are valuable outside of my career. Majoring in business alone can teach you a lot about finances and the real world of money, which I find valuable. Being in business administration allows me to become the leader that I have always wanted to be, and pursuing a career in this field allows me to do exactly that. Another reason why I find that being in business leaves you with a wide range of career options is that if I one day decide to own my own business, then I will have the knowledge that would be necessary for it. I plan on making a positive impact on my community through my education because the further I go, the more I will learn about the business world. I will learn more about non-profit organizations and other firms that help people every single day. I will also learn how to become more involved in those organizations and one day possibly own my own. One of the biggest reasons I value school is because I believe that having an education is one of the first and most crucial parts of becoming part of the change that we see in the world. While having connections and knowing people may help this, I find that not knowing people and changing their lives is something much more valuable. For example, non-profit organizations that have funding from people who do have connections can change people's lives when they are in great need. This is exactly what I plan on doing in the future one day. Being in business will allow me to have connections to the people in the city who can make the change happen that is necessary for those living in that city. I have experienced this firsthand because I ran for a scholarship pageant for my city where the sponsors were important businessmen and women who helped influence the change in my city. One day I would want to be the reason that people have money to go to school or are able to feed their families.

I have always found education to be one of the most valuable things a person can have in their life. It is what we grow up on, and school has always been my most important priority in life. My parents have influenced this mindset in me since I was little. Education has been the place where I have always felt that I belonged and always enjoyed being. Education is a privilege to have and something so powerful that I feel people forget truly how powerful it is. Learning is something that is a part of everyday life. From the moment we are born until the day that we die, we are constantly learning and going to school is crucial for getting a better education. While some may argue that getting higher education or even just going to school as a kid is wasteful, I think it is the one thing that people can always rely on. As human beings, it is in our nature to be curious and ask questions, and when we have answers, it helps us in every way. Being able to wonder and understand the concepts behind things is one of the most beautiful things about being human. Having reliability in education is promising when you have answers because I think that when all else fails, being able to figure out how to help yourself is the best thing. I say this because being in school and learning is the one thing that I have always found myself to be good at and whenever I'm in doubt school has always helped me. School has brought value to me because I see the importance of knowledge. In today's day and age having a higher education after high school is crucial for success. Of course, it is not the only way to be successful but for thousands of people, having a college degree is the main reason why they can say that they are where they are. College is the area where you get to branch out and learn so much about yourself and the world. I find that so valuable because most people do not have the opportunity to branch out in high school or at home, but once they reach college it allows them to change their perspectives outside of what they are used to. Education can add value and change things into more than what they may have been before. I can say this about research about phenomenons in our world, to human beings who read a book that changes their whole life.

- My major is business administration for marketing. I am passionate about this field because I have always wanted to work somewhere where I get to lead others and create change. I believe that marketing is where you can create change in people's lives depending on the company that you work for. I used to want to go into either psychology or neuroscience because I find the way that people's minds work fascinating. Marketing is still using those skills of knowing what people are drawn to, to influence what they want. Another significant reason why I am passionate about this field is that my name, Irfa, is from the Quran and it means either leader or the top of the mountain. Which I have always been drawn to leading others, so my mom was not too far off with the name she chose because of its meaning. I have always been the person to take the first step and take charge so being in the field of administration is right where I need to be. - There was not a single direct person who inspired me to pursue this career necessarily. I only say this because I learned that I wanted to go into this field from taking a guidance class that helped me learn what I am good at based on my personality traits. I learned a lot about myself and I learned a lot about the career options in this field which led me to my conclusion of pursuing it. - It is important for me to seek higher education because my parents have always told me that education is the most important thing. Knowledge is priceless and individuals must know all different aspects from cooking to areas in STEM. Knowledge is what differentiates us as human beings from other animals that cannot have a thought process, which is why we have to use it to the best of our ability. I aspire to change companies and people with my degree. I will make difference in companies and influence the way things are achieved within that companies. I want to create differences in the world as we see it now where one day we can look at the world differently, hopefully with a lighter heart and more forgiving. - Being a Muslim is a part of my identity. It is something that I live with and live by every day. From the love that I have for my parents to praying before driving my car every day. Identifying myself as a Muslim American is something that I am proud of. When I was a child, I used to get bullied because of it, but now that I am older I now have learned to appreciate my religion. As a child, I was tantalized by the events of September 11, and people would call me a terrorist or question why I had the beliefs that I did. Since I have grown and learned more about myself and my religion I've come to love it and find true peacefulness with it and within myself. Being a Muslim is the most truthfulness quality that I have in my life and it brings me great peace and strength every single day.

My experience with drug and alcohol use is direct because my father is an alcoholic. He has been my entire life and my parents have always been together. Because of this, he hasn't been a great father. He has mood swings frequently, is unpredictable, and is emotionally and physically abusive. I had to grow up in a very stressful environment because it was always unpredictable. I never knew what kind of father I was going to have that day if he was gonna be nice to me, or aggressive. This affects my beliefs because the use of alcohol and drugs terrifies me since I have experienced firsthand, how it changes people, turning them into someone you wouldn't even recognize. Alcohol itself is something that I have always hated because it does so much damage. Outside of my own experience, people drink and drive, they can get aggressive and get into fights, it makes you forget where you are or what you were even doing. It is a poison that reaches into the bloodstream and works against you always. My relationship with my father affects me in my everyday life because of trauma, anxiety, depression, and how I live and fight every day. I started going to therapy because I had to find a way to live my life for my future instead of what happened in my past. I have issues with trusting people. I always feel like I can never let anyone in or be too close to me because I fear they will change on me in a second. I have so much anxiety and overthink a lot because I always wonder what people are going to do or if they're being honest with me. I try not to live in fear every day because I want to change for myself and become the person that I have always thought of. Someone confident, strong, poised, and loving. My career aspirations are not necessarily influenced by my past, but I chose this field of study because I believe this is where I will get to branch out and become the p[erson I want to be. I want to go into business administration for marketing to one day work for a company where I can change people's lives. Whether it be a magnificent change or a small one where it can make things easier for someone. I will become a leader in that company where I can administer others, build a team and hopefully even influences changes in that company for the better. My goal in life is to create a change that has ripples for generations. I want to show others that there is hope and that their life can change if they allow it to. You have to want it enough and be vulnerable enough to allow it to happen.