For many of my peers, high school was about getting good grades, excelling in their sport, or surrounding themselves with lots of friends. For a long time now, I’ve been on a journey of finding my purpose and meaning in this life. Like any other High Schooler, I found myself lost. Feeling that there is no escape, or that there ultimately is no purpose. For me, this was rooted deeply in experiencing the loss of two of my best friends; my cousin and eldest sister in the spring of my freshman year. My sister was the first in our family to graduate from college, but sadly she passed away just 7 days before she was supposed to walk the line and receive her diploma, after 4 years of hard work, sleepless nights, and many tears. The woman who deserved to be handed that diploma the most, never got that chance, so I have since then made it my mission to walk the line at CSU Northridge for both of us. My father came to this country at the age of 24, and my mother who had lived in the US since she was 6, built an amazing life for my whole family, and has opened up so many opportunities for me. Being in the business world, he made sure to teach me as much as he could while raising me to be the man I am today, even with all that he’s taught me and all that I am still learning, I don’t think I could ever be half the man that my father is. Making him proud will forever be part of the vision for the life I would like to create for myself. My mother found her career in the banking industry for over 16 years before choosing the full-time mom life to raise me. Since then she has actively worked in the Real Estate field as an agent and has also inspired me to pursue a career in this field. I would love to create a life filled with purpose, using skills and passions to create something so meaningful. Whether it’s through putting the needs of those I care about most above mine, or inspiring, uplifting, and making life just a little bit easier for those around me. I want to leave a lasting impact, and if I can change even just one life for the better, then every struggle and every effort will be worth it.