It was always the same. After school, I boarded my bus and rode it to Jefferson Elementary. From there I had the same routine: exit the bus, look for a shady spot of grass, and scan the horizon. Which car was mine? Would it be a red Honda, a gray pickup truck, or the elusive silver Nissan (my mom's vehicle.) I had an extensive list of cars to look for, and as a professional car spotter, I perfected this skill. However, it was a grand combination of all of these cars who’d pick me up; the result of my employed mother calling upon her extensive network of friends and family to help get me home. However, transportation wasn't the only conflicting division of our lives. Growing up with a single mother, we have faced a plethora of challenges and many moments of growth together. Growing up as the only daughter of a single mother, my mom and I shared a unique, one-on-one relationship. I knew I could always depend on my mom for anything. However, while she has always been my rock, she couldn't always be there to help me. Because my mom worked long hours and couldn't always supplement enough time or energy to be with me 24/7, it was common practice to do a lot of things on my own. Especially growing up, where I would often cook many of the meals and do the laundry by myself, many of my friends found my domestic life very peculiar, simply because they had the luxury of someone else doing it for them. However, this was just my ‘normal,’ as I had to independently adapt to fill in my responsibilities. As my mom worked, to provide for me, she often didn’t parent me alone. Growing up, many others took a huge role in raising me. Oftentimes, my grandparents would take care of me when my mom had to stay at work, or my tias would pick me up from the bus stop and take me home. As I grew older, my friends or their parents would give me rides to and from softball practice, or to school in the mornings. Even while my mom wasn't always there to spend time with me, I developed a large network of people to depend on, who helped mold me into the person I am today. Even though my mother and I had developed a routine that worked for us, our lifestyle was still very stressful. We had to prioritize organizing our schedules so that I could easily get to school and practice, while my mother could prioritize her work. Whilst our money is only coming from a singular source, I also worked to chip in, in any way I could, through organizing time for my part-time job. Through fostering high-standard routines throughout my life, I have developed this sense of self-determination, enabling me to have the confidence to pursue anything I put my mind to. This determination has also endorsed a strong array of problem-solving skills that have advanced my academic, athletic, and mental growth, all throughout my life. While raising a child by yourself is a formidable challenge full of ups and downs, my mother’s resilience has enabled her to not only raise a child, but inspire her child’s dreams, and the kind of person she will be. My mother can’t be everywhere at once, but she can do anything she puts her mind to, and I am so thankful to call this woman my mom, my friend, and my rock.

Whether through volunteer work, advocacy, or simply helping others, I love being reminded of the significant impact my actions can make in another person’s life and personal growth. My service work had initially started small. At the start of high school, I became a member of the Habitat for Humanity Organization, where I worked in their ReStore, bringing in, cleaning, and restocking donations. Building off of this work, I wanted to make a broader impact on my community, spurring my decision to start and run my High School’s Red Cross Club and become a cofounder of the Bullard Closet Club. Our service work ranged from providing meals and blankets for the Fresno Rescue Mission to making homemade dog toys for rescue centers to offering free clothes and sanitary resources for our entire high school. As a result of adorning such a wide array of service work under my belt, each one of these projects has taught me a plethora of life lessons and mental aptitudes that have structured my way of viewing and pursuing life. Because volunteer work furnishes one of my greatest satisfactions in life, that of which no materialistic good or service could buy, I have ultimately learned to enjoy the little things. One of the most central themes that I have recognized through any organization I volunteer or advocate for is that there are others that are less fortunate than I am. Now, I feel like this simple idea can easily be overlooked with the adversity and challenges that I have and will face in my life. It can become so extremely easy to lose sight of what and who I should truly be thankful to share my life with, and through volunteering, I have been able to remain everlastingly grateful. My service work has enabled me to recognize and remain thoughtful about every meal and piece of clothing I have been given and the unfaltering love and shelter my family has provided me. By fully acknowledging the privilege of having my basic needs met, I found it important to appreciate everything else that comes after that. I make sure to soak in every memory I make with my family, the excitement of watching that one new popular movie, and the comfort of being able to purchase that new blanket I wanted. Actively practicing this mindset has enriched my life, making me grateful for everything I do have, rather than envious of everything I don't. While I have learned to remain thoughtful about my own life, I have also learned to remain thoughtful of others' lives as well. Volunteering in various communities and conditions has allowed me to acquire a very open mind, prompting a non-judgmental outlook on everyone’s situation. Being open-minded prevents me from being unconsciously rude or disrespectful to another’s situation, simply because it is one that I have never experienced before. By accepting everyone’s personal journey, I have also established great patience and empathy, both having paved the foundations of my own character and the positive choices I make. Ultimately, I am so grateful for this opportunity to apply for this scholarship. My mom has been trying to scrounge up enough money to help me pay for an education in Bioengineering, but I want to help take this financial burden from her and assist her in any way capable. With this financial assistance, I would be everlastingly grateful as I pursue a master’s degree and a career as a prosthetist, to one day help my mom live a happy and financially stable life, and continue giving to my community.

Health cannot strictly be confined to a number on a scale. Health cannot be defined by a person’s muscle definition or an individual’s body fat percentage. It is a common misconception that these factors provide valid indications of whether a person is or is not healthy. In part of this misleading and socially stigmatized information, it has taken me a long time to figure out what was healthiest for my body and state of mind, and now after endorsing holistic and well-rounded habits, I feel my best both inside and out. When I was around twelve years of age, I really struggled with my weight and physical appearance. Many of my classmates and friends seemed to be skinnier and more petite than I was, and especially at that age when many of my friends were growing into their bodies I struggled with the way I looked. Around this time I told myself I wanted to get healthier and took it upon myself to lose weight and start working out. In the first initial weeks, I remained very consistent with my eating and workout routines and was seeing very fast and exciting results. As I continued with this “healthier” lifestyle my goals kept getting steeper and much more unattainable, and soon enough I was shedding off the pounds at a very unhealthy rate. I was never skinny enough, and every time the scale went down, I would set an even lower goal weight. Consequently, I continued to restrict how many calories I would eat, and increase the number of hours that I would workout. The more I continued down this path the more my physical and mental health continued to deteriorate. I was so mentally and physically exhausted, that at a certain point, I realized how unhealthy I actually was. After coming to terms with how poor my health was, I decided to take the time to research what being healthy truly meant and looked like. Thoroughly researching not only a well-rounded diet but also healthy and mindful habits beneficial to my mental and spiritual health, was what helped change the game along my journey. I was able to learn the importance of micro and macro nutrients and incorporating whole foods into my diet, whilst still moderately remaining active. Transitioning from a highly restrictive diet to one that was much more calorically dense and lenient really required me to be more patient with myself, and cultivate the thoughtfulness that helped me recover mentally. Giving myself grace and letting myself enjoy the little things, like hanging out with family, going on bike rides with my friends, or even binge-watching a new series, helped me recognize what my body needs and feel my healthiest. During this time I also realized that nourishing my mind is just as important as nourishing my body. I have recently taken on new hobbies like cooking and drawing and they have ultimately served as fantastic destressing outlets. Being able to acknowledge the physical and mental needs that my body requires has allowed me to become my healthiest self. A small fraction of determining a person’s well-being can be found on a scale. Throughout my health journey, I realized that there is so much more to my health than my weight and appearance. While eating healthy and working out promote good health, listening to what my body needs both emotionally, spiritually, and physically and truly listening to my intuition has encouraged my utmost health. As my health influences every facet of my life I intend to pursue mindfulness and patience as I continue on my journey.

Upon sharing my vegan dietary habits to those who ask, this information is always, 100% followed up with a question regarding my motive behind such a dietary decision. Often, those who ask me about my vegan lifestyle expect me to respond by insisting that my decision aids in preventing animal cruelty, and that everyone should be vegan. However, I usually just say that being vegan makes me feel good. I chose to transition to a vegan diet after learning in my AP Human Geography class that the countries with the longest life expectancies adhere to diets rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, etc. but most importantly carry out healthy eating patterns. Adopting this lifestyle introduced me to a variety of new foods and dishes that I had never tried before, and helped me reinforce the longevity of healthy eating habits. These eating habits have ultimately proved to be major supplements in my mental and physical well-being, and have proved exceptionally great boosts to maintain my overall health. So while many people ask me why I am vegan, and expect the standard response, I normally just say that being vegan and following nutrient-dense eating habits is what’s best for my health. When I first decided to refine and develop my cleaner eating patterns the immediate physical effects of these novel habits were astounding. Now, before I made this change I was not a very healthy and mindful eater and probably consumed something green at most twice a week. Needless to say, having well-rounded eating habits benefitted both my mental and physical aptitudes. After going vegan my face began to clear up, and the eczema on my arms began to clean up as well. I also noticed that I developed a higher attention span, and motivational drive to pursue everyday chores. My mood also seemed to stabilize and I wasn't experiencing as much anxiety throughout the day. The most noticeable part, however, was the change in my physique. Being an athlete in multiple sports, I was already fairly fit, however after adopting cleaner eating habits, I became a lot leaner and stronger. I am able to run and swim faster, lift heavier, and throw the ball harder than ever before, which is entirely attributed to feeding my body the vital nutrients it needs to perform at its best. These healthy eating habits have enabled me to feel my best both inside and out. On account of my clean eating habits, I found that my overall well-being had significantly improved, and because of this, I wanted to help my mother develop some clean eating habits of her own. My mom suffered from Type II Diabetes and had had a lot of recurring issues with her health, both mental and physical. After introducing her to some of my healthy eating habits, we were able to improve her health significantly. She had become a lot more mobile and had experienced a significant rise in motivation and productivity. However, the greatest part of my mom’s journey was that she was able to reverse her chronic condition. After going back to the doctor a year later, my mom no longer had diabetes and was healthier than she had been for a long time. Eating healthy has changed both my life and my mom’s life for the better. Deciding to carry out cleaner eating habits was an extremely pivotal moment in my lifestyle and has allowed me to significantly recover both mentally and physically. Ultimately, the power of these nutrient-dense habits has proven to be the greatest medicine of all for both the body and the soul.

The foundations of our very existence rest on the universe’s capacity to be structurally, geometrically, and mathematically sound. In other words, living a life without math is the equivalent of living a life of chaos and chance. So, as a simple person of order, I have since recently been attracted to the principles of mathematics and how it affects the entirety of our lives. Whether through the complex computations of launching a rocket or statistical applications of sales tracking, mathematics is critical to all aspects of life. As young as I can remember I have always been good at math. I always have had the gift of comprehending and growing with the progression of my mathematical curriculum. However, it wasn't just my ability to keep up in class that drew me in, it was the way mathematics stood above all else. The way math sang to me in an entirely foreign, yet comprehensible language that only I could piece together and decipher. Mathematics, with all of its ranging rules and principles, allowed me to discover and weave together this grand tapestry of understanding with every problem I solved and every calculation I made. Being capable of viewing math as an infinite puzzle to crack, was what I believed allowed me to excel in each of my courses. Even among my great passion for mathematics, however, I wasn't entirely sure what I could do with this subject. Yes of course I could understand why we, as a society, might need the four divisions of mathematical arithmetic, but I couldn't fully grasp why I might need to find x or discover the slope of a line. It wasn't until I was enrolled in my physics, and advanced placement calculus and statistics courses that I began to understand the real world- applications of everything I had previously learned. From the range of movement and speed a particle exceeds, to signaling conversations in the global positioning system, and even to the ubiquitous spiral shape, math constitutes the laws and function of our entire world. This being said we as a society have delved into uncharted realms of study to further innovate and evolve our existing knowledge of mathematics and the world around us. For example, mathematics can be used in a variety of fields, like medicine, data analysis, and engineering. Not only do these areas of study constantly rely on mathematics to make accurate and pertinent choices, but mathematics has forged each of the fields to be as advanced as they currently are. In the field of medicine, the development of the three-dimensional bioprinter, or the advancement of Artificial Intelligence in computer science, can be attributed to mathematics. Math is ultimately the critical component that enables our society to continue to find solutions to challenges the world faces today. Mathematics is a universal language of creation rather than a manufactured construct, and it is our job as a society to piece it together to continue to innovate and understand the world around us. Due to how extensive and applicable mathematics is, it allows society to continue setting the stage for profound research and innovation that will pave our future. Ultimately, I enjoy mathematics because of my aptitude for understanding the rhythm and capability of such a subject.

The foundations of our very existence rests on the universe’s capacity to be structurally, geometrically, and mathematically sound. In other words, living a life without math is the equivalent to living a life of chaos and chance. So, as a simple person of order, I have since recently been attracted to the principles of mathematics and how it affects the entirety of our lives. Whether through the complex computations of launching a rocket or statistical applications of sales tracking, mathematics is critical to all aspects of life. As young as I can remember I have always been good at math. I always have had the gift of comprehending and growing with the progression of my mathematical curriculum. However, it wasn't just my ability to keep up in class that drew me in, it was the way mathematics stood above all else. The way math sang to me in an entirely foreign yet comprehensible language that only I could piece together and decipher. Mathematics, with all of its ranging rules and principles, allowed me to discover and weave together this grand tapestry of understanding with every problem I solved and every calculation I made. Being capable of viewing math as an infinite puzzle to crack, was what I believed allowed me to excel in each of my courses. Even among my great passion for mathematics, I wasn't entirely sure what I could do with this subject. Yes of course I could understand why we, as a society, might need the four divisions of mathematical arithmetic, but I couldn't fully grasp why I might need to find x, or discover the slope of a line. It wasn't until I was enrolled in my physics, calculus and statistics courses that I began to understand the real world- applications of everything I had previously learned. I realized that our entire world is composed of mathematical solutions. From the range of movement and speed a particle exceeds to signaling conversations in the global positioning system, and even to the ubiquitous spiral shape, math constitutes the laws and function of our entire world. Mathematics is a universal language of creation rather than a manufactured construct, and it is our job as a society to piece it together to continue to innovate and understand the world around us. I ultimately enjoy mathematics because of my aptitude in understanding the rhythm and capability of such a subject.