Growing up in a Mexican household, I always heard my parents say phrases like “échale ganas mija” or “ponte las pilas” when it came to my education. These phrases essentially translate to "work hard" and "stay alert". Though my parents meant well, I couldn’t help but feel immense pressure to always perform at 100%. My parents stressed education was my way to success, and being the eldest child in my family and the first to attend college, I especially feared that there was no room for error. When I finally graduated college, I was tremendously proud of what I’d accomplished. As I look back at my undergraduate career and prepare to start my graduate degree, I see the enormous influence my education has had on my understanding of the world. My education has given me greater confidence in myself and has shown me the role I want to have in my community. When I walked into my first class at New York University (NYU), I couldn’t help but feel completely out of place. In high school, I was surrounded by people who looked like me and had similar experiences. The majority of my high school classmates were low-income, people of color, and children of immigrants. Stepping into NYU, I wondered if I was even good enough to be there. My new peers came from private schools, had extensive tutoring and test prep, and already had connections with professionals in the field thanks to family and friends. During my class's icebreakers, students shared fun facts about places they’ve been and experiences they’ve had. All things my family didn’t have the financial resources for. Being in a competitive higher education environment gave me a reality check of what it means to have privilege. The hard truth was that the world does not provide an even playing field for all. As I fought through feelings of self-doubt, I had to recognize that though I had not had the same opportunities as my peers, I still earned my place in my school and was determined to succeed in this new environment. The world will throw you challenges but it is about how you tackle those challenges that make you stronger. As a pre-medicine student, I started thinking about how privilege contributes to disparities in health. Though I first started as a pre-medicine student, I ended up leaving as a public health student as I began to recognize how much of our well-being is affected by factors we have little control over such as access to quality healthcare, education, and economic stability. My interest in public health even led me to study health policy abroad. Having always lived and gone to school within a 10-mile radius of home, I realized the world was much larger than I thought and I was excited to explore it. Seeing places I’ve only ever seen in movies, was like a dream to me. During my time abroad, I studied how social, economic, and environmental factors can contribute to health disparities. I grew passionate about working towards improving the health outcomes of vulnerable people affected by these disparities. As I start my graduate career journey, I can’t wait to see what more I will get to experience and learn. Thanks to my undergraduate education, I can stand more confidently in the world knowing I am worthy of my successes. My education has also helped me discover my passion for eliminating health disparities in underserved communities. My undergraduate career has taken me places I had never imagined for myself, and I’m excited to see where graduate school takes me next.