It is always hard to talk about the things we have overcome on our lives. There are a lot of ups and downs, but there are just some moments that stick with us forever. For context, I am a first generation immigrant from the Philippines. My father is a Baptist missionary who wanted to spread the word of God in Australia originally, but the work led us here to the United States of America. During this time, I was very young, but I can say that I remember a lot of it vividly. Around the age of 5 when my family was in Australia, my mother got Lymphoma (cancer that stems from the lymph nodes). When we found out, she was already at stage 4. This forced our family back to the Philippines where my mother underwent chemotherapy. We were financially struggling at the time and my family was doing everything we could to help our mother get on the road to recovery. Unfortunately, my mother ended up succumbing to the illness, albeit peacefully and surrounded by the people she loved and loved her too. The scene of her in bed in an all white hospital room will always be stuck with me. Even though I was young, I understood at that moment that I had lost my mother. In that experience, I feel that I matured quicker than a lot of kids my age did. I had to understand that feeling of grief and loss at an age where I should be playing with dolls and thinking of nothing but having fun. What got me through crying myself to sleep some nights was the grace of God and the belief that she was watching over me in heaven. I also have my father who helped me through it all, who I became very attached to because of that experience who raised me to become the person that I am today. I wanted to graduate college and get a degree because he gave me and my siblings a brighter future by immigrating all of us to the States even though he was also struggling at that time with the loss of his beloved wife. I realize that everything I have gone through is for a reason and I have learned to find that brightness through the darkest of times. Having that mature mindset from such a young age really pushed me to be better in every aspect of my life, and I want to commemorate the hard work of my family by succeeding for them.

I can say for a fact that the military has affected my family. My grandfather and uncle were both in the Philippine military and my brother, sister, two brother-in-laws (one retired), and my husband all joined the US military. From what I have seen and heard from them, being in the military is a very honorable and taxing job. It's hard being away from family, but it's necessary, and they are all proud to serve their country no matter what. My husband and I were separated for almost two years with him being stationed abroad. From first hand experience, I can say that I learned so much from long distance with him, not only about our relationship, but about him and me as well. I learned that I should always appreciate the time we have together and that I should always be patient because I don't know what he is going through. I learned how to be more understanding even if I can not completely understand how he feels because I will never have to experience it for myself. And most of all, I learned to trust him with all my heart and I know that he has learned the same for me. It is hard to pinpoint one story exactly when it comes to talking about those two years. I feel that everything I have learned and shared can not be encompassed by a single moment. There were so many moments filled with joy, laughter, sadness, anger and bitterness with what our current situation was at that time, but I understood the importance of what he was doing and the impact he has for our country. I can say for a fact that my husband is one of the most hardworking, honorable and genuine people anyone will ever meet and that he has grown into the person he is today because of his experience in the military. He loves what he does despite its ups and downs, and it's truly inspiring to see someone so passionate about what they do and the difference that they are make. Having such an inspirational person like that only pushed me further into pursuing my actual dreams rather than listening to others and pursuing theirs instead. I have not only learned so much knowledge from those two years, but have also gained the confidence that I need to be able to take the next step and start my career.

NIntendo has always had a special place in my heart. I grew up playing several games, mostly playing solo in Pokemon or Super Mario Bros. However, as I grew older, I came to love Mario Kart, Mario Party and Smash bros. Smash is one that I only recently picked up due to my husband's passion for it. It was his favorite game growing up and I enjoy learning it from him. At first, I was a bit skeptical due to my lack of knowledge and experience in the game, but I practiced and eventually came to loving the game as much as he does. There is a particular instance that stayed with me, though. On the train, I was watching my husband play smash and he eventually encouraged me to play as well. Now, I'm a nervous player, so I was a bit anxious since at the time, I only really played against him. But, he pushed me and cheered me on, so I played. Right off the bat, I lost two stocks and one of them was from falling off the platform, but I didn't give up and surprisingly won in the end. I'd like to say it was by luck, but the pride on my husband's face was so inspiring. I ended up playing two more times and winning both as well, and every single time I never failed to bring a smile to husband's face. It was and is truly such a special moment for me and it made Smash Bros. one of my favorite Nintendo games today.