My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am finishing my 2nd year in Olivet Nazarene University and transferring to FGCU in Florida now in August 2026, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity,

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am finishing my 2nd year in Olivet Nazarene University and transferring to FGCU in Florida now in August 2026, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity,

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am finishing my 2nd year in Olivet Nazarene University and transferring to FGCU in Florida now in August 2026, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity,

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am finishing my 2nd year in Olivet Nazarene University and transferring to FGCU in Florida now in August 2026, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity,

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology going to my 3rd year of college now at Florida Gulf Coast University and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am on my fist semester of college at Olivet Nazarene University here in Illinois, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity,

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am on my fist semester of college at Olivet Nazarene University here in Illinois, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity,, still long road ahead of me of hard work but knowing the so many opportunities and door that this will open is very important to me. I have the commitment of helping others that are facing what I went through in my past, there is hope and people need to know that, that our circumstances does not determine our future but our choices in the middle of our situation will define what our future will bring, it make you stronger when you stay firm and continue seeking your purpose, I am right know just on my second year of college and my hope is to be able to finish strong, complete all my credit and continue then my master and eventually my PH in Psychology, one day have my own practice and be am impact on others life, volunteer at my church helping those that does not have the resources to be able to seek assistance in counseling or anything related to mental health and are facing any difficult time, without needing to be worry about getting a bill later that will cause a burn in their finances, the main goal is bless others life as mine has been blessed before, for example when I was facing a very hard time after my admission at a mental institution when I was just 14 years old I did not have the resources to see a counselor when I was discharged and at my church my youth pastor volunteer to see me weekly and provide me the counseling and resources I needed at that difficult time and I am forever grateful that I had that opportunity because it definitely mark a before and after in my life, I found purpose and knew that what I wanted to do one day, help others in need, doing that it can change the course of their path in life, I understood who I was in Christ and that what happened to me was just a season in life and not a permanent stage that was going to define my identity, understood that GOD was gonna use that bad experience in my life to glorify his purpose in me, it is hard yes but I am stronger now than before and I am more emphatic with those that are going or went through a trauma or difficult time in their life, I want to highlight how important is seeking the Lord and he will guide you in life, will open doors you never thought was gonna be open for you, I am an example, how from Florida I came to Illinois to Oliver Nazarene University to pursue my dreams in a christian college is a truly blessing and something I never see coming, it took my by surprise, love that verse "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19, I will follow Him and be will make me a great mental health counselor to help those in needs. Thank you for this opportunity of sharing a little about me, forever grateful.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am on my fist semester of college at Olivet Nazarene University here in Illinois, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity,

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am on my fist semester of college at Olivet Nazarene University here in Illinois, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity,

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am on my fist semester of college at Olivet Nazarene University here in Illinois, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity,

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God's plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am on my fist semester of college at Olivet Nazarene University here in Illinois, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I am very sorry for your loss, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God's plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am on my fist semester of college at Olivet Nazarene University here in Illinois, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God's plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am on my fist semester of college at Olivet Nazarene University here in Illinois, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am on my fist semester of college at Olivet Nazarene University here in Illinois, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity,

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am on my fist semester of college at Olivet Nazarene University here in Illinois, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity,

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I am very sorry for your loss, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God's plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. I believe God is going to use what I went through to help others in similar situations. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am on my fist semester of college at Olivet Nazarene University here in Illinois, I am part of the swimming team and I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I am very sorry for your loss, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Now I am on my fist semester of college at Olivet Nazarene University here in Illinois, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help.   Now I am on my fist semester of college at Olivet Nazarene University here in Illinois, I am part of the swimming team after been an athlete since I was 5 years old swimming for the league of "swim Florida" and swimming for Riverdale Highschool in Fort Myers in the varsity team where I made it to Regional and then State in a very competitive team. I am now pursuing a major in Psychology and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals and my dream to help others through mental health career. I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity, Jessica Nicole Aviles Vargas

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reasons I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me, I ended up admitted to receive treatment. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. But God plans were greater than mines and show me how wrong I was about myself. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help.   Now I am on my fist semester of college at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois and can see I am more close to be able to achieve my goals, It has been a very hard road far from my home in Florida but one where I am learning to know better myself and see how resilient I can be in such difficult times, I have this opportunity here that I am not taking for granted, I am learning new things, meeting new peoples and after all the obstacles I had gone through is kind of a miracle I am able to be here today, I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals.   I am forever grateful for this opportunity, Jessica Aviles Vargas

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reason I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois to pursue a Bachelor's degrees in Psychology, it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and a challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow throughout this experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I have the support of my family and friends and I know I won't be the same after this chapter in my life, I consider myself an overachiever, I graduated from Highschool with 17 years old, I did swimming varsity level and was once Athlete of the week for "The News Press". I also worked a part time job at Culver's while going to Highschool, now that I am able to swim at college level and pursue my Bachelors degree with my major in Psychology at Olivet University I know it was worth it all the hard work this past years and the dreams can come true. My life goals are to help those in need. I am a person that always is willing to listen to others I aim to be a professional swimmer and mental health counselor. My passion for swim may help me build a platform where I could promote mental health awareness. After all my poor decisions and hard times I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. I am very grateful to share a little bit about my story and why I want to impact the healthcare system.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reason I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois to pursue a Bachelor's degrees in Psychology, it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and a challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow throughout this experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I have the support of my family and friends and I know I won't be the same after this chapter in my life, I consider myself an overachiever, I graduated from Highschool with 17 years old, I did swimming varsity level and was once Athlete of the week for "The News Press". I also worked a part time job at Culver's while going to Highschool, now that I am able to swim at college level and pursue my Bachelors degree with my major in Psychology at Olivet University I know it was worth it all the hard work this past years and the dreams can come true. My life goals are to help those in need. I am a person that always is willing to listen to others I aim to be a professional swimmer and mental health counselor. My passion for swim may help me build a platform where I could promote mental health awareness. After all my poor decisions and hard times I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. I am very grateful to share a little bit about my story and why I want to impact the healthcare system.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was 5 years old, not knowing the language. I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL. I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois to pursue a Bachelor's degrees in Psychology, and be part of their swimming team. it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and a challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow throughout this experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. Now that I am able to swim at college level and pursue my Bachelors degree with my major in Psychology at Olivet University I know it was worth it all the hard work this past years and the dreams can come true. My life goals are to help those in need. I am a person that always is willing to listen to others I aim to be a professional swimmer and mental health counselor. My passion for swim may help me build a platform where I could promote mental health awareness. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. After all my poor decisions and hard times I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. I am very grateful to share a little bit about my story and why I want to impact the healthcare system.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was 5 years old. I just graduated this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois to pursue a Bachelor's degrees in Psychology, it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and a challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow throughout this experience as it will take me to my next level academically. I graduated from Highschool with 17 years old, I did swimming varsity level and was once Athlete of the week for "The News Press". I also worked a part time job at Culver's while going to Highschool, now that I am able to swim at college level and pursue my Bachelors degree with my major in Psychology at Olivet University I know it was worth it all the hard work this past years and the dreams can come true. My life goals are to help those in need. I am a person that always is willing to listen to others I aim to be a professional swimmer and mental health counselor. My passion for swim may help me build a platform where I could promote mental health awareness. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. After all my poor decisions and hard times I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Life can be hard and situations can lead you to take another path but by the grace of God I am here today and knowing he is taking me to this other chapter in life and this college season is already a completely blessing after everything I went through. I am very grateful for this opportunity of applying for this scholarship.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reason I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois to pursue a Bachelor's degrees in Psychology, it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and a challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow throughout this experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I have the support of my family and friends and I know I won't be the same after this chapter in my life, I consider myself an overachiever, I graduated from Highschool with 17 years old, I did swimming varsity level and was once Athlete of the week for "The News Press". I also worked a part time job at Culver's while going to Highschool, now that I am able to swim at college level and pursue my Bachelors degree with my major in Psychology at Olivet University I know it was worth it all the hard work this past years and the dreams can come true. My life goals are to help those in need. I am a person that always is willing to listen to others I aim to be a professional swimmer and mental health counselor. My passion for swim may help me build a platform where I could promote mental health awareness. After all my poor decisions and hard times I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. I am very grateful to share a little bit about my story and why I want to impact the healthcare system.

The quote I am choosing is "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." – George Bernard Shaw, I truly believe education will help me to build a new version of me, I don't have to be someone else I am unique. My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed. I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow through the experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and excited to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I have the emotional support of my family and friends and I know I won't be the same after reaching this chapter in my life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed. I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow throughout this experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and excited to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are always been about helping others, I feel is my calling in life to get prepare and understand why we act the way we act and why we react the way we react and the opportunity of going to college to purse the bachelors degree in Psycology is my next step to reach my all goals. This opportunity will take me to the right path of impacting others on mental health in the future. The world needs people dedicated with empathy and able to make a difference in other lives, I also want to pursue a Master in Mental Health Counseling and have my own practice one day. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed. I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow throughout this experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and excited to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are always been about helping others, I feel is my calling in life to get prepare and understand why we act the way we act and why we react the way we react and the opportunity of going to college to purse the bachelors degree in Psycology is my next step to reach my all goals. This opportunity will take me to the right path of impacting others on mental health in the future. The world needs people dedicated with empathy and able to make a difference in other lives, I also want to pursue a Master in Mental Health Counseling and have my own practice one day. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed. I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow through the experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and excited to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I have the emotional support of my family and friends and I know I won't be the same after reaching this chapter in my life. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I had to learn at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received after coming here to the US. I think that is part of the reason I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life. I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, it will definitely be a dream come true for me. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and to take this opportunity to grow through the experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and excited to take this challenge with a positive attitude to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are always been about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals and accomplished them. I fortunately have the emotional support of my family and friends and I know I won't be the same person after completing this chapter in my life, I consider myself an overachiever, I just graduated from Highschool with 17 years old, I did swimming varsity level the past 4 years and was once the Athlete of the week for "The News Press". I also worked the past 2 years a part time job at the Culver's restauant while going to Highschool. Now that I am gonna be able to swim at a college level and pursue my Bachelors degree with my major in Psychology at Olivet University I know it was worth it all the hard work and the sacrifices I had made over this past years and the dreams can come true with dedication. My life goals are to help those in need, those that are more vulnerable and overwhelmed, it is something I have in my heart and is like a strong conviction that I know this desire is what I want to do the rest of my life. I am a person that always is willing to listen to others, I had struggles in the past that re assured my calling in life, some opportunities comes only once in life and I am grateful for this one. I aim to be a professional swimmer and mental health counselor. My passion for swim may help me build a platform where I could promote mental health awareness. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed. I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I had great teachers that helped me through my transition. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reason I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life, I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow through the experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive activate to face any possible obstacles. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reason I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me. I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow through the experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive activate to face any possible obstacles. I did swimming varsity level and was once Athlete of the week for "The News Press" , I also worked a part time job at Culver's while going to Highschool. Now that I am able to swim at college level and pursue my Bachelors degree with my major in Psychology at Olivet University I know it was worth it all the hard work this past years and the dreams can come true. My life goals are to help those in need. I am a person that always is willing to listen to others I aim to be a professional swimmer and mental health counselor. My passion for swim may help me build a platform where I could promote mental health awareness. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reason I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life, I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow through the experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive activate to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I have the support of my family and friends and I know I won't be the same after this chapter in my life, I consider myself an overachiever, I graduated from Highschool with 17 years old, I did swimming varsity level and was once Athlete of the week for "The News Press" , I also worked a part time job at Culver's while going to Highschool. Now that I am able to swim at college level and pursue my Bachelors degree with my major in Psychology at Olivet University I know it was worth it all the hard work this past years and the dreams can come true. My life goals are to help those in need. I am a person that always is willing to listen to others I aim to be a professional swimmer and mental health counselor. My passion for swim may help me build a platform where I could promote mental health awareness. I am very thankful for this opportunity of applying for the scholarship.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reason I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life, I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help.

I want to start thanking for this huge opportunity of applying for this scholarship, I have recently found I've been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois and moving from Florida to pursue my bachelor's degree in phycology in another state, I was awarded a partial academic scholarship and partial scholarship to swim for my college team and that is very exited and a great opportunity I don't want to loose. My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was just 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with a grateful heart, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reason I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life, I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with great memories, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reason I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life, I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow through the experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive activate to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I have the support of my family and friends and I know I won't be the same after this chapter in my life, I consider myself an overachiever, I graduated from Highschool with 17 years old, I did swimming varsity level and was once Athlete of the week for "The News Press" , I also worked a part time job at Culver's while going to Highschool. Now that I am able to swim at college level and pursue my Bachelors degree with my major in Psychology at Olivet University I know it was worth it all the hard work this past years and the dreams can come true. My life goals are to help those in need. I am a person that always is willing to listen to others I aim to be a professional swimmer and mental health counselor. My passion for swim may help me build a platform where I could promote mental health awareness. I am very thankful for this opportunity of applying for the scholarship.

Everything I overcame throughout the seventeen years of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was a ten year old girl I was robbed of my innocence, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. I felt as if my whole life was a joke and I had to be doomed from the start. After loosing myself in silence the signs became evident. I began to carve things into my own body, skip school, getting in fights, stay up every night or never stop sleeping, and starve myself for days or eating the whole pantry. A student from my class started getting worried seeing the state I was in, and brought the situation to a social worker with cps who later baker acted me. At this stage of my life I couldn't see myself living past the next day, much less reaching graduation or a sweet 15. After all my failed attempts I started to look at life from another perspective; Why am I still here? What is my purpose as a human? Why am I really angry at the world?. Spiraling in my head for years never got me anywhere so I wrote my thoughts/questions in journals, and completely deleted social media. After working towards my own self healing for some time I started to discover the answers to all my questions. I survived so that I could save someone's life the way mine was saved. Every individual goes through something, therefore everyone should have access to a therapist/counselor. My goal in life is to major in mental health counseling and make sure no one has to worry about whether or not they can afford receiving help.

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with great memories, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reason I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life, I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow through the experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive activate to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I have the support of my family and friends and I know I won't be the same after this chapter in my life, I consider myself an overachiever, I graduated from Highschool with 17 years old, I did swimming varsity level and was once Athlete of the week for "The News Press" , I also worked a part time job at Culver's while going to Highschool. Now that I am able to swim at college level and pursue my Bachelors degree with my major in Psychology at Olivet University I know it was worth it all the hard work this past years and the dreams can come true. My life goals are to help those in need. I am a person that always is willing to listen to others I aim to be a professional swimmer and mental health counselor. My passion for swim may help me build a platform where I could promote mental health awareness. I am very thankful for this opportunity of applying for the scholarship,

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with great memories, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reason I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life, I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow through the experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive activate to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I have the support of my family and friends and I know I won't be the same after this chapter in my life, I consider myself an overachiever, I graduated from Highschool with 17 years old, I did swimming varsity level and was once Athlete of the week for "The News Press" , I also worked a part time job at Culver's while going to Highschool. Now that I am able to swim at college level and pursue my Bachelors degree with my major in Psychology at Olivet University I know it was worth it all the hard work this past years and the dreams can come true. My life goals are to help those in need. I am a person that always is willing to listen to others I aim to be a professional swimmer and mental health counselor. My passion for swim may help me build a platform where I could promote mental health awareness. I am very thankful for this opportunity of applying for the scholarship,

My name is Jessica Aviles Vargas, I want to tell a little about me, I came from Puerto Rico to live in Florida with my parents when I was 5 years old, not knowing the language and still never failed a grade, I learned at an early age to work hard to achieve my goals. I recognized that I did have great teachers that helped me through my transition specially my ESOL teacher which we still remember at home today with great memories, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have received coming here to the US. I think that is one of the reason I fell in love about helping others, seeing myself surrounded by wonderful people that made it possible for me, I see the impact you can made in someone life, I just recently graduated from Riverdale Highschool this past May 2024 with a GPA of 3.33. I just learned that I have been accepted at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, it will definitely be a dream come true. Living now in Florida for the past 12 years I recognized it will be a big change and challenge for me but I am willing to accept it and take this opportunity to grow through the experience as it will take me to my next level academically, I am eager and willing to take this challenge with a positive activate to face any possible obstacles. I have dreams and goals and they are about helping others and this opportunity is my next step to reach my all goals. I have the support of my family and friends and I know I won't be the same after this chapter in my life, I consider myself an overachiever, I graduated from Highschool with 17 years old, I did swimming varsity level and was once Athlete of the week for "The News Press" , I also worked a part time job at Culver's while going to Highschool. Now that I am able to swim at college level and pursue my Bachelors degree with my major in Psychology at Olivet University I know it was worth it all the hard work this past years and the dreams can come true. My life goals are to help those in need. I am a person that always is willing to listen to others I aim to be a professional swimmer and mental health counselor. My passion for swim may help me build a platform where I could promote mental health awareness. I am now helping couching little kids at my community pool and I am very thankful for this opportunity of applying for the scholarship,