The answer is simple, because I want to be the voice of the misjudged, overlooked and ignored. Growing up in a low-income household, living in a medium class society, and surrounded with friends whose parent's all spoke English, I knew, I was different. I was always in ESL classes, even though, I spoke English very well. I was often told "Wow, you're actually very smart," as if it was a surprise that a little brown girl from Spanish speaking parent's could actually be intelligent. At a young age, I was more aware than I probably should have been. I knew my dad wasn't a "Cholo," even though he had the look. I knew my mom was always struggling to make ends meet and that my dad was just scratching the surface with his secure paycheck. They both worked, yet somehow, it never felt like it was enough. Both my parent's were never ashamed to take on any extra work. My mom would be a nanny, a housekeeper, a cook, a caretaker and my dad would be a an employee, a street vendor and a DJ. All the countless jobs they both took on, just to ensure that their three kids never missed out on anything. Though my mom and dad were a team, many times, the financial strains put a toll on their relationship. Alcohol became my dad's mistress, and for a few years, we would lose him to her. During these hard years, my mom and family never left his side. But these years, would be the ones that introduced me to the world of law. I became aware of the criminal law process as we would attend court with him. I remember sitting at the benches outside the courthouse as we would wait for him to come out. Through the process of AA meetings and his shot at redemption, his will to overcome the negative stereotypes tied to him, held him accountable. In these dark years, I would also become labeled as a "victim of SA" even though, I never considered myself a victim (because I refuse to ever give my perpetrator the power to call me that). I would seek justice through the procedure of the courts and though, I believe that the efforts were made to bring me justice, my justice was never served due to technicalities. My incident saddened my father, who blamed himself for failure of protecting his daughter, tempting him to walk down the road of alcoholism again. My perseverance to overcome my trauma, would be fueled by the thought that my promised justice was simply dormant and not nonexistent. It was the love of my family that strengthened the both of us. It was the love of the Lord that healed us. From that day forward, my father promised that he would never pick up a bottle of alcohol again and I promised myself, that I would pursue law for the opportunity to help others seek their justice. To this day my father has kept his promise, and as for me, I'm currently working on fulfilling mine. Both of our goals were focused for the betterment of ourselves and though, I know, that the sacrifices are worth it, my heart remains humbled by seeing how my parents will continue to put on the many "job title hats" to ensure that they can assist me in anyway they can. Since the ripe age of 16, I have started working and now, at the age of 27, I am finally taking a break from work to surrender all my focus to my goal.

In middle school, I became best of friends with a girl who would welcome me into her world of rebellion. She was so spunky and full-of-mischief. For a girl like me, who came from a "church going" family and awakening everyday with a promised heart to live my life as the reflection of the Lord's word, she was the complete opposite from me. I knew she wasn't right, but yet somehow, she felt right. She was always up to something, while I remained in my steady lane. I loved hearing of her wild adventures; then her wild adventures ended up with a serious consequence. At the age of 13, she was faced with making the decision of keeping a baby. In my young mind, I could not fathom how someone our age, could become a mom, and neither could she. She told me that she knew of a clinic that could solve all her "issues" and I just assumed it did not mean, what she intended it to mean. The day off, she texted me, "I changed my mind..." and the peace of relief overcame my heart. Though, I was 13 and she was 13, somehow we both knew, that regardless, terminating the life of this creation was not the way to solve her "problem." That day, I would meet with her at Taco Azteca, and over a cup of horchata and a split burrito, we would discuss her game plan for her new life. She came from troubled young parents, and she knew, in her heart, that keeping the child would mean, she could possibly end up like her mom. She promised to herself that she did not "want to be" like her mom, and so, she went on to do better and be better. She ended up having the baby at the ripe age of 14 and a half...five months later, her and her 4 month old baby would move out of her mom's house and she would move in with her dad. This meant, that she was leaving my town, but we both knew that it was for the better. Today, I'm just Facebook friends with her, but anytime I see her on my timeline, I make sure to leave her a positive comment. Seeing how we're both the same age and she has managed to be such a wonderful mother to her now, 15 year old son, her determination to "do better" always inspires me to take on all of life's challenges with grace. I believe that we were put in one another's life for a specific reason. She was to remain as a reminder that when God reaches your heart, who you once wear no longer matters. Because of people like her, I know that with God's gracious love, anything is truly possible. Right when I thought, I was ready to settle on my career goals...my "I changed my mind" moment came with the opportunity of studying law. When I got my acceptance into law school, I knew that this was the feeling that she felt when she accepted her new reality which came with welcoming the necessary challenges of growth. My dreams are slowly becoming my reality and understanding my purpose comes with my strong belief that I am here to be an advocate for the voiceless, which is why I hope to engage in justice in all forms of reformative and restorative means.