I’ve tried rewriting this dozens of times trying to strip it of self-deprecating cynical humor but it’s all but ingrained in me now. I have Hereditary Spherocytosis, and you should see the faces of people when I tell them that. I try not to define myself by it, for the most part I have had a life full of amazing blessings. However, as a little girl I would often get sick, every month or so I’d be in the hospital for something that for most kids would just require a couple days of rest. My mother insisted there was something wrong, and she was absolutely right, turns out it’s in my blood. Although growing up it was also in my skin and eyes, I had extreme jaundice and the clever kids at the playground came up with great names for it. Alien eyes was my personal favorite. In a way I was an alien, I felt on the outside. My least favorite question was, are you okay? I hated how often I had to convince other people just how fine I was, my version of fine was just different from theirs. Sure I couldn’t do contact sports or any strenuous activities but I preferred reading anyways. That is the thing about children, they are mighty resilient if given the chance. There would be many other challenges my condition would cause, major surgeries and hospitalizations included, but I can honestly say I have nothing but gratitude. I’ve worked with adults with disabilities in group homes and children with autism and their parents, I’ve coordinated 504 plans for students and facilitated their meetings. I am constantly humbled and in awe of the people I serve and throughout all these experiences I’ve discovered a special power, and that is empathy. I understand what it’s like to be in their shoes because I am one of them, I see their parents and I see my own. There is so much fear wrapped up in your child being diagnosed with something you can’t save them from. It’s a part of them and it’s lifelong, there is a lot of heaviness that accompanies that realization. However, I won’t give them that face of pity that I always dreaded receiving as a child, and I won’t coddle them either because these children are warriors. They give me purpose, and I am inspired by their grit, determination, and kindness. I am proud to be one of them, and while I may never meet someone with my particular condition I am inspired by the children and families I serve. I used to hold so much shame and resentment, but I see that all the hardships I faced were for a greater purpose. I am now studying to become a School Counselor. I want to serve our future generations and help them know that they are never alone. I want to help them feel heard and valued and to find their strength within. I’d like to think that children with disabilities have a stubbornness to them, at least that is true for me. When I set my mind on something, I don’t care how much is holding me back. So I am reaching out to you because I need help. My masters program requires eight-hundred unpaid internship hours that will keep me out of a full-time job for quite some time. I appreciate this scholarship existing and the help that it offers and I would never dream of applying for it if I did not truly need the assistance. Thank you so very much for listening to my story.

I’ve tried rewriting this dozens of times trying to strip it of self-deprecating cynical humor but it’s all but ingrained in me now. I have Hereditary Spherocytosis, and you should see the faces of people when I tell them that. I try not to define myself by it, for the most part I have had a life full of amazing blessings. However, as a little girl I would often get sick, every month or so I’d be in the hospital for something that for most kids would just require a couple days of rest. My mother insisted there was something wrong, and she was absolutely right, turns out it’s in my blood. Although growing up it was also in my skin and eyes, I had extreme jaundice and the clever kids at the playground came up with great names for it. Alien eyes was my personal favorite. In a way I was an alien, I felt on the outside. My least favorite question was, are you okay? I hated how often I had to convince other people just how fine I was, my version of fine was just different from theirs. Sure I couldn’t do contact sports or any strenuous activities but I preferred reading anyways. That is the thing about children, they are mighty resilient if given the chance. There would be many other challenges my condition would cause, major surgeries and hospitalizations included, but I can honestly say I have nothing but gratitude. I’ve worked with adults with disabilities in group homes and children with autism and their parents, I’ve coordinated 504 plans for students and facilitated their meetings. I am constantly humbled and in awe of the people I serve and throughout all these experiences I’ve discovered a special power, and that is empathy. I understand what it’s like to be in their shoes because I am one of them, I see their parents and I see my own. There is so much fear wrapped up in your child being diagnosed with something you can’t save them from. It’s a part of them and it’s lifelong, there is a lot of heaviness that accompanies that realization. However, I won’t give them that face of pity that I always dreaded receiving as a child, and I won’t coddle them either because these children are warriors. They give me purpose, and I am inspired by their grit, determination, and kindness. I am proud to be one of them, and while I may never meet someone with my particular condition I am inspired by the children and families I serve. I used to hold so much shame and resentment, but I see that all the hardships I faced were for a greater purpose. I am now studying to become a School Counselor. I want to serve our future generations and help them know that they are never alone. I want to help them feel heard and valued and to find their strength within. I’d like to think that children with disabilities have a stubbornness to them, at least that is true for me. When I set my mind on something, I don’t care how much is holding me back. So I am reaching out to you because I need help. My masters program requires eight-hundred unpaid internship hours that will keep me out of a full-time job for quite some time. I appreciate this scholarship existing and the help that it offers and I would never dream of applying for it if I did not truly need the assistance. Thank you so very much for listening to my story.

My father used to always say, “a good leader knows that they are servants to their people.” Growing up I remembered this, if I wanted to lead I had to be ready to serve. Truly my intention growing up was never to be a leader, but I learned very quickly that if you want to enact change and drive improvement you need to step up and embrace the discomforts that come with leadership. The changes I wanted were toward helping our youth shine and find empowerment from within. This was my goal when I served as a youth mentor for four years in my church, helping our youth achieve their goals and find inner strength that comes from God. Later I would work as an ABA therapist working with children with autism helping them find empowerment in their social skills and blossom their skills. These roles challenged me in learning how to advocate for the children I served, speaking with caregivers and parents on what their children need most from them and helping them identify the areas they were causing more harm than good. Later I would work in the school environment in various capacities; food service worker, instructional aide, recess supervisor, front desk administrator, substitute teacher, and the list goes on. I learned to wear many hats and embrace the all hands on deck mentality in the spirit of supporting our students and school community. This stretched me and helped me embrace leadership in teaching a classroom, helping a student, speaking with parents, and presenting a social emotional learning curriculum. Finally I would gain the job I have today, working as a Guidance Advisor. I serve my community by acting as a liaison between teachers, student support staff, parents, and administrators to help ensure every student is receiving the best education possible. I comb through our student data, find and create tailored interventions, and schedule countless meetings. The work can be tiring but I am reminded of my late father and his encouragement that if I truly want to implement change and lead I need to be ready to serve. I am now hoping to gain my masters degree in school counseling to continue growing in my skills and knowledge to better serve our school communities in Southern California. I hope to continue helping students achieve their goals and advance to better things, and to do so I need assistance. It is not easy to be a first generation American with low income and high aspirations, but it is important that our student sees someone like them. It is important for them to have someone that can readily speak their native language, that can relate to their hardships, and that gives them hope that they can achieve more. I hope that my leadership will reap a beautiful harvest of young minds hoping to achieve even greater success.

My father used to always say, “a good leader knows that they are servants to their people.” Growing up I remembered this, if I wanted to lead I had to be ready to serve. Truly my intention growing up was never to be a leader, but I learned very quickly that if you want to enact change and drive improvement you need to step up and embrace the discomforts that come with leadership. The changes I wanted were toward helping our youth shine and find empowerment from within. This was my goal when I served as a youth mentor for four years in my church, helping our youth achieve their goals and find inner strength that comes from God. Later I would work as an ABA therapist working with children with autism helping them find empowerment in their social skills and blossom their skills. These roles challenged me in learning how to advocate for the children I served, speaking with caregivers and parents on what their children need most from them and helping them identify the areas they were causing more harm than good. Later I would work in the school environment in various capacities; food service worker, instructional aide, recess supervisor, front desk administrator, substitute teacher, and the list goes on. I learned to wear many hats and embrace the all hands on deck mentality in the spirit of supporting our students and school community. This stretched me and helped me embrace leadership in teaching a classroom, helping a student, speaking with parents, and presenting a social emotional learning curriculum. Finally I would gain the job I have today, working as a Guidance Advisor. I serve my community by acting as a liaison between teachers, student support staff, parents, and administrators to help ensure every student is receiving the best education possible. I comb through our student data, find and create tailored interventions, and schedule countless meetings. The work can be tiring but I am reminded of my late father and his encouragement that if I truly want to implement change and lead I need to be ready to serve. I am now hoping to gain my masters degree in school counseling to continue growing in my skills and knowledge to better serve our school communities in Southern California. I hope to continue helping students achieve their goals and advance to better things, and to do so I need assistance. It is not easy to be a first generation American with low income and high aspirations, but it is important that our student sees someone like them. It is important for them to have someone that can readily speak their native language, that can relate to their hardships, and that gives them hope that they can achieve more. I hope that my leadership will reap a beautiful harvest of young minds hoping to achieve even greater success.

There aren’t words to describe the irreparable loss that is felt when someone takes their own life. The endless what-ifs that swallow you up in a pit of guilt, I am all too familiar with this feeling. I worked as a youth mentor for four years and was studying psychology at the time, when I met this wonderful young man named Brad. Brad was the most kind-hearted, thoughtful, and joyful boy I had ever met and he quickly became someone I not only saw as one of the youth I served but as a friend. When I was hospitalized for my blood disorder and I didn’t know how I was going to make it through he would message me words of encouragement. When he had an idea for a service project for our group he would call me and excitedly share his vision for serving disadvantaged youth. On the day he was getting baptized he did not forget to message me to wish me a happy birthday. This is who Brad was, and he was not without his own struggles. He lived with Tourette syndrome and struggled with depression but in spite of all of it he loved bringing joy to others and showing care. On Sunday I organized an outing for our youth to go see the new Spiderman movie, and Brad and his little sister rode up with me. When we drove home we talked about our favorite parts and what new things Marvel might have in store and when I dropped them off at home I remember him saying thank you and that he would see me for our midweek event on Wednesday. Unfortunately this would be the last time I saw Brad, just two days after on July 11th he took his life. I remember his mother calling us, I remember driving to their home and taking his little sister home to stay with us, I remember holding my brother as he broke down realizing he had a missed call from Brad that morning. Let me be very clear, Brad was always a fighter and strong young man who dealt with challenges most people can never understand. I will always remember him this way, but my heart shattered to know that while he was giving to everyone else he was burdened in such a way. Mental health is important to me not just as a student but as a friend, sister, and wife. None of us are immune to suffering in our mental health and we need to bring greater awareness and advocacy. I advocate for mental health in the school I work for as a Guidance Advisor, because I never want a child to feel so isolated and alone in their suffering as Brad felt. I am studying to receive my masters degree in school counseling now because I want to help provide our youth with the resources and outlets they need to overcome. The work is not easy, there are many conversations had with admin and parents to help reduce the stigma associated with mental health. However, in doing so my hope is to help play my part in creating a safer and understanding culture for our next generation. I will always carry the memory of Brad to spur me on to doing the work necessary to help our youth find their healing and empowerment.