Last April, I was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. I had just turned 25, was in my last semester of law school, and was in what I thought to be perfect health, so this was the most shocking and devastating thing to ever happen to me. I underwent brain surgery in May and graduated 3 days later, the same day I was released from the hospital. I spent the summer studying for the bar exam and the day after the test I began radiation and chemotherapy. My life was completely turned upside down and I was scared. I was always someone who felt like I had a plan and never fell off of that plan, but this was out of my control and my plan needed to change. Since April of last year, I have started taking it one day at a time. I am ready for unexpected changes and now welcome them with open arms. I have found myself to be much more in tune with what I want and view life as a gift. It took me awhile to find work but I knew what I wanted to do and would not settle for less, I no longer worry about what I am going to do in 5 years from now, and I do not care how other people view me. As much as things have changed, a lot of my life stayed the same in a sense. While I now had a new normal, I found my relationships with friends and family stayed more or less the same. I hold these relationships to me more closely now, but they never wavered in their support and their love remained steady. I think my values and goals also stayed the same. My commitment to working with low-income minority communities was still there and I knew that no matter where I ended up in the future I wanted to spend my time helping those who cannot help themselves. On my journey of self-discovery I learned a lot about myself and the people around me. I saw people's true colors, but also my own. I re-prioritized my goals and found that happiness and close connections were more important to me than any amount of money or status would be. My personal mantra has become, "life is too uncertain to not do the things you want now." In the last year, I finished cancer treatments, ran a marathon, and started an incredible new job. Now, I focus on my accomplishments and celebrate the little things too. Even the smallest wins are still wins.