In November 2024, I found out that my great aunt has cervical cancer. Finding out that information, my mom dragged me, my brother, and my sister to go to the Philippines because we are unsure how long she will live. She had surgery recently to take out the uterus, and we are unsure what stage of cancer she's in. I have always dreamed about going into medicine. With a legacy of many of my relatives in the healthcare field, I have shined my light to help patients get the best care they need. Last summer, I did an internship at a local med school to understand the barriers going on between medicine. Part of that is to help create diversity with healthcare. When I go to the Philippines, I will also understand how the healthcare system works there. I want to see how patients receive care, and how physicians create a patient-provider relationship. I also want to understand the main differences between healthcare in the Philippines and healthcare in the United States. I also want to understand the why when it comes to underrepresentation in Osteopathic Medicine. Having multiple barriers, such as a learning disability, low-income, my part time job, education experience, and taking care of my younger sister at home gives me an advantage of getting extra support when it comes to applying to medical school. Reflecting back on the fall semester after a burnout towards the end of the spring semester last year and going to a professional development conference at work, I have managed my time better and put in more effort in my academics throughout the semester. With my undergraduate experience so far, I hope to give back to pre-health students that are underrepresented by providing them resources and telling them opportunities to help them get what they want.

My passion in helping people has made a greatest impact on myself and others. Last year, 2024, as a college student, I have developed some personal growth that eventually led me to be a best version of myself at the end of the year. With many challenges during the spring semester, that eventually led me to a burnout, mentally, physically, and spiritually. There were many opportunities that I did this year, that helped me develop the skills that I have today. An internship I did during the summer and all the events leading up to the conference that I went gave it my confidence to help others be their best. During my 6 week medical internship, my networking skills increased. I could reach out to many great people about medical school related questions or concerns that I have. Having a great relationship with the Executive Assistant at Cooper Health, reaching out to her about shadowing doctors is easier. When I shadowed doctors, I understood some disparities with patients, and patients having a hard time accessing quality care. Having a conversation with the program director about my academics, I realized that I shouldn't rush my coursework and then not know what to do after getting my degree. Going to the Vector Summer Conference made me realize that any person from any background could be a manager. I almost had no motivation for the push contest leading up to the conference until I realized an opportunity that could help me network with other customers. Since then, I have developed great relationships with them, and some of them would help me with my medical journey. Even though I heard some objections about me going to the conference and my job, that still didn't stop me from helping my office get recognized in the push. It was worth it, but I realize now that I don't have to prioritize going to every single Vector conference if I am unable to go. The fall semester gave me an opportunity for personal growth. I did some service events in different clubs to show that I care for the community. The service activity that I loved doing is making cards with AMWA for patients in the hospital. Writing patients positivity not only makes me feel good, but they absolutely loved it. Although Orgo 1 was the hardest class I took in the fall, some friends gave me reminders to push through and put in all of my effort. So far in my college journey, I have different resources that could help me be successful. Even though this scholarship will help me financially, I want to give back to those who cannot afford paying for school. Being in the EOF program made me realize that I would like to give back to that program. In the future, I would like to be in a few executive boards for some medical clubs to mentor different pre-health students with going into medicine.

Being in the medical field has always been my dream. I have always wanted to work in the medical field because I love how different providers can do their job correctly. Being treated with the right care made me feel good about myself. My career goal is to go into family medicine. I have yet to shadow a professional in family medicine. I love working with people all ages, and I want to understand how a patient goes in their daily check-up routine. With the internship I did last summer, I started to understand how oncology relates to family medicine. When I shadow more professionals, I will start to understand how each specialty connects to the specialty I want to be in when I go into family medicine. Participating in the PULSE program last summer gained an opportunity to understand why I would want to be a physician. Seeing how underrepresented Filipinos are in family medicine gave me a shock. Reflecting on this plus having a Filipino manager for my current job, as an impact in the Filipino community, I could help them feel good about patient care and understand their values. Volunteering at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for this program gave me a better understanding that the setting is diverse yet not many doctors are Filipino. Also being a low-income student myself, I can relate to patients that have to go through financial disparities when it comes to receiving treatment. Once I officially finished my requirements, I also have a goal to help low-income patients receive the best care possible and providing them resources.

The lyrics "And ooh, I try, I try, I try But it takes over my life, I see you everywhere The sweetest torture one could bear" from Olivia Rodrigo's "lacy" is something that I could relate to during my teenage years. Although I am no longer a teenager, I look back at the challenges that I faced from middle school to high school. As soon as I graduated high school, I realized how much I have changed since starting college soon after. In my middle school years, these lyrics that I am writing about reminds me of how I was bullied for being different. For starters, I wasn't a fit teenager. I was once obese and was struggling with losing weight. I also was "weird" to some people in a way I didn't fit in certain groups. I wanted to fit in just like other middle schoolers, but after looking back at this, I realized that I was very different. In my high school years, I decided to get more involved to try new things. I did shotput for track and field during my freshman year with a few of my friends. When the pandemic occurred, my love for shotput died down, eventually bearing to me that I decided to no longer do the sport. During my sophomore year, I didn't really do much to stay involved as safety protocols took some time away to try new things. Also, during the pandemic, I also took some time to focus on becoming a better version of myself by staying fit at home and doing some meditations. Once junior year hit, even though I was a better version of my high school self, I was still facing some challenges. With new people going into my high school, I was scared of being bullied again. However, that did not stop me from getting involved more in school. Getting involved more during my junior year of high school led me to being in some leadership positions during my senior year. In the beginning of my senior year, I covered the torture I faced before starting my senior year when it came to leadership. There were times the situation could not be uncovered, and that led to getting sent to a counselor to resolve that problem. Since the counselor resolved that problem, for the second half of my senior year, I had to move on. Moving on wasn't totally the best because him and the other person were friends. When both individuals spoke, they realized how great of a leader I was during my senior year. I didn't have a traditional transition from high school to college. The program I did shaped me by figuring out I am a person who I wasn't in the past. Initially, I wanted to fit in like other college students by going to different parties and wanted to see what Greek life is like. After finding a group of good friends in college and joining other clubs, I realized that I don't think I would be happy fitting in like everybody else.

Ever since starting college, Sabrina Carpenter has been in my playlists. The first time I remember hearing a song from her, I was in the six week pre-college prep program. At that time, I was going through having to get over somebody that I needed to stop talking to. The song "Nonsense" is relatable up to this day because I get through things that don't make sense to me. Hearing her song "Feather" was an era at some point during the fall semester during my freshman year. I just randomly listen to this song when it plays on my playlist. I never really knew how much her song impacted me until I can relate how some people in my life weren't really my true friends. The song "Please Please Please" was my Sabrina Carpenter song for the summer. I loved hearing that song when it comes up. Hearing some bad things about my workplace that summer, I felt like that song is relatable. This song told me that I could prove those negative comments I heard about Vector Marketing wrong, and that I can just do what I love to do. The song "Juno" reminds me of one of my friends. Having a friend that I can relate to culturally, I could easily talk about my family and the Filipino culture unlike my other friends in my group. Getting to know him within the past year and a half, her career has impacted me by understanding the culture.

Being in the STEM field has always been my dream. As a minority woman, I observed some underrepresentation in Filipino family medicine physicians. I also observed some underrepresentation of doctors from a financially disadvantaged community. Coming from a financially disadvantaged family myself, my mom is the only person who works full time and is struggling to help me pay for college. Noticing this underrepresentation, this scholarship will help me with my education, not only to pay off my tuition but also to give back to the community. As a person in the STEM field, I would like to help patients financially. There will be times when I have patients from a financially disadvantaged background, and I will make sure that they can have treatment locally without worrying financially. For patients who have food insecurities, to live a better lifestyle, I will give them resources to have access to healthy foods. For patients who cannot afford insurance because they don't have a financially stable job, I will offer them Medicaid, which covers treatment for low-income families. By connecting patients to different providers, I will make sure each patient gets everything they need to live a healthy lifestyle. Since many minority families are from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, I want to represent the Filipino community well in the STEM field. To me, representing the Filipino community means promoting diversity and inclusion in the STEM field. Even though all of my patients will have different beliefs and backgrounds, I will give patients different treatment options that may work best for them. For my patients who are interested in medical school, I will help them connect to different kinds of doctors to have that promise of diversity and inclusion. One day, I would like to help students specifically interested in medicine with different medical workshops. Whether it is teaching students the concept of medical biology, or being a guest speaker to tell my story, I will inspire students to follow their dreams. For the fall semester, I will explore resources that could help me understand medicine better. Going to a medical club meeting to see different workshops or do community service, I hope one day I will be on eboard at least my junior year to make an impact. This scholarship not only will help me in the present, but it will also help me give back in the future. In the future, I will help students from a financially disadvantaged background to different resources to be successful. I would like to tell these students about my college journey, and how I was resilient enough to get where I am. For minority students, I will help them promote diversity and inclusion in the STEM field.

Being in the STEM field has always been my dream. My family members and medical drama shows have drawn my attention to follow my dreams of being in STEM. Noticing how well nurses treated me at school when I needed medical attention, I was always curious about how to live a healthy lifestyle. As a minority woman, I noticed some underrepresentation when it came to my ending career path, family medicine. In my senior year of high school, I thought it was a great idea to take more college-level classes to jump-start my intended field. Taking AP Bio, I was fascinated with electrophiles when I examined DNA fragments. Although my understanding of genetics wasn't great, I was fascinated with genetics when taking the class. In AP Psychology, understanding the human brain was fascinating. Seeing how useful taking that class will be in the medical field, learning the different structures of the brain gave me an understanding of how neurological disorders can affect humans. I also loved math too, which helped me broaden my understanding of STEM as a high school senior. During my internship at Cooper Medical School, I didn't understand how underrepresented Filipino women doctors are. After shadowing in M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, I loved the diversity of patients, but didn't see Filipinos working at the cancer center. I observed the breast cancer wing, which gave me attention that patient-provider interaction with women is great. Throughout my medical journey, more women are becoming physicians. Osteopathic medicine gave me interest after observing how the practice is done when I explored the medical schools during my EOF program. I promised myself that next year, I would try to take a look more into how osteopathic medicine is different than allopathic medicine. Also noticing how underrepresented the DO field is in women, if I get lucky enough, I will represent the DO field in Filipino women. Also, I might most likely choose the DO field if I like the internship offered by my local DO school. No matter which degree I end up choosing, I will make an impact on the medical field. Coming from a low-income family, I will give all of my patients treatment and make sure they can afford it. For women that struggle, I will offer them resources to get by. As a woman in STEM, I will make sure that diversity and inclusion happen in the field. I hope that at least some of my women patients are inspired to be in STEM, making the field even better.

My 'why' is getting represented as a Filipino doctor. Although it is stereotypical that Filipinos will be successful being in the medical field, engineers, or lawyers, I don't totally disagree. I believe that Filipino parents shouldn't be discouraged when their children don't want to fall under one of these categories in the future. In fact, Filipinos are underrepresented in many fields. Understanding the Filipino culture more began during my senior year of high school when I was in Asian Culture Club. It started when I went to a Filipino Christmas festival I went to with my family. Seeing how Filipinos are in general, the main thing Filipinos love during parties are food. As I go to more different Filipino events, I noticed that Filipino food is always incorporated during gatherings. Diversity and inclusion is incorporated at my workplace. Seeing underrepresentation of Filipinos at my workplace, I had to change that. In my specific office, there are a few Filipinos currently working. Being a social media recruiting assistant in my office gave me an opportunity to reach out to some Filipinos in different campuses to work at Vector. Having a Filipino manager that got me connected more to the Filipino community on campus, I was inspired to do more in joining that club on campus. Currently, I am getting to know the other D5 Filipino clubs to not only help with connecting to the Filipino culture in my local area, but also, help recruit more people to join my work. I performed in a cultural show in the month of April. This year, my club, RUPAC, along with other D5 schools and Rowan cultural clubs performed in the show. The theme brought the audience's attention by promoting diversity and inclusion. Since I love dancing, getting out of my comfort zone to show my culture shapes me who I am. Having a mix of genres in the show with a common theme got the audience to love the show. The show proves that anyone can do whatever they want, as long as they are true to themselves.

In society, not everyone understands how mental health can affect an individual. In fact, in society, men's mental health isn't recognized enough to be aware. To make sure people are aware about mental health, there needs to be enough education for treatment awareness. Mentioning mental health in high school curriculums and colleges can help students have access to mental health resources. Students with low-income families can have free mental health care by being a full-time student and having health insurance. Students that are psychology majors need enough funds to have their degree, and help future generations have an overall well-being. Insurances and educating people can impact people's mental health in a positive way.

The week before spring break, I found out that a handful of my close friends left me for the next few weeks. Mostly for vacations, there was jealousy, separation anxiety, and fear. Handling these and spending time with friends, studying, extracurriculars, and working all at the same time felt like there was a lot I am going through. After the spring semester ended, there was relief. During the week of spring break, I wanted to hang out with my childhood best friend and also work some extra hours. To be honest, not everything went under my way with things. First off, I was only able to schedule 3 appointments during spring break for work. I was proud of putting in the effort to make phone calls. My childhood best friend went to her senior trip during my spring break. Seeing some of her pictures at Disney gave me flashbacks to when I went to my senior trip last year. Although my family didn't directly know that I was dealing with separation anxiety from my friends that week, having a St. Patrick's breakfast relieved me because there was some bonding time for family. After spring break was over, not only that one of my friends was leaving, but I also had to keep in mind my cultural show in April. Although late-night rehearsals got me tired for my 8 am lab the next day, I knew I had to push through. Also, in my last work meeting, before I had a bunch of random rehearsals, to make some extra money on the side, I chose to step in for extra shifts while my manager was on vacation. At this point in the spring semester, it was a matter of how well I could handle rehearsals, work, and academics before my cultural show. During Holy Week, there was one last time to see my manager in person. Knowing it was going to be the last time to see him for the next few weeks, we had to keep updated about what was going on in our lives. Since that was the thing I couldn't stop thinking about, I eventually told my friends about the situation and we would look at his updates together. With a shift that I already agreed on, I had no choice but to miss one of the rehearsals because it was shifted earlier. At one practice, I sprained my big toe a few weeks before the show. Having to heal it to make myself feel better was challenging mentally and physically. As a person that loves to go to the gym, I had to modify some workouts to make sure that my toe was healing properly. Instead of pressing my legs and using the barbell, I rode on a bike at the gym to make my legs still burn without putting too much pressure on my healing toe. As the days got closer, the only way I could get some of my friends to come watch the show was to advertise on my Instagram story. Despite all that I went through during the semester, I wanted my friends to see how great I was as a performer. Loving my culture has allowed me to show it. Now writing this story, I want to give back to my community by giving advice. I wanted to tell college freshmen that college isn't a straight path; there are obstacles. Just a word of advice to use resources offered when needed.

I believe being in the medical field means helping patients get the best treatment possible. Serving patients is a blessing because it gives me connections. My intended field is family medicine because I have made great connections from babies to old adults. Not only that having family members inspired me to pursue a career in the medical field, but my volunteer experience with family-friendly events and helping adults have determined that family medicine is my path. Recently, I finished an internship that helped with understanding how each specialty connects to family medicine by shadowing different specialties. Observing specialties during my shadowing, I have observed that every treatment is different, and that very often, patients make decisions on treatments. Coming from a low-income household, financial aspects of going in medical school are going to be tough. Connecting this to seeing homeless people in the streets, I am determined to give back to patients by offering them resources to help with living a healthy lifestyle. Making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for homeless people in Camden, I am delighted that homeless people will feel good after they suffered from hunger. Going back to medicine, in the future, I will make sure every patient has treatment. I will offer every patient that cannot afford insurance Medicaid to ensure all treatments are covered. Homeless people have a higher chance of catching different diseases; therefore, I will offer them basic necessities without worrying about money. Not only that coming from a low-income household has given me an advantage of getting accepted into internships, but also coming from a minority background helps me with increasing opportunities to do internships related to the medical field. Although it is common for Filipinos to enter the medical field, there is underrepresentation when it comes to family medicine. In my state, there are a handful of Filipinos I know personally. When I connect to people my culture, I can relate to different problems Filipinos face. Earlier this year, I performed in a cultural show to not only understand my culture, but to show love to it. Knowing that most Filipino doctors are M.D., I saw that D.O. representation is not common in Filipino doctors, and seeing how much I think is cool, most likely I will study osteopathic medicine after my undergraduate studies. Last year, I saw how osteopathic medicine is slightly different than allopathic medicine when I went to tour the medical schools during my EOF program. After a few times going to that medical school, seeing the more natural way patients are treated fascinated me. When I saw that the medical school offered an internship for students wanting to explore osteopathic medicine, I knew that I had to look back at that offer next year. I plan on applying to that internship, and if I get accepted, I will seek to understand osteopathic medicine better.

Going into the medical field has always been my dream. Having family members that are in the medical field, as well as medical drama shows gave me an inspiration to go into a path of medicine. After a few changes with what specialty I want in the medical field, family medicine fascinated me because of general checkups for patients all ages. Underrepresentation of Filipino doctors in family medicine shocked me. Although there are a good amount of Filipino doctors around my area, there isn't enough representation in some specialties. Also having a Filipino manager at my current workplace, I am starting to understand how culture can impact some personalized treatments. Realizing that most Filipino doctors around my area are M.D., there isn't D.O. representation in my culture. Seeing how osteopathic medicine is more "natural" when it comes to treatments, I feel like I am leaning more towards osteopathic medicine when it comes time to apply to medical school. When it comes to making a positive impact, one aspect is diversity and inclusion. I understand that every culture is different, but I will make every treatment personalized in a way both me and the patient does. Although not every patient is going to agree with certain treatments right away, I will explain to them how each treatment works. When it comes to saying the bad news to patients, I have to tell patients the truth and understand patients react differently. Another aspect to making a positive impact is making sure patients can afford treatment. Coming from a low-income family myself, I noticed that my mom has changed insurances a few times because of how much treatments could be covered. Patients that I see living in harsh conditions, I will make sure that they have treatment after diagnosis. For low-income patients, other than Medicaid, I will offer them different resources to have a healthy lifestyle. Last but not least, I will ask each patient about mental health. There are some patients that go through a lot, and my goal is to have a safe space to talk to patients about their life. Confidentiality is key when it comes to this, and I will make sure nobody else but me knows what is going on. From abusive relationships to having abusive parents, I will offer patients some resources to help with solutions. When it comes to seeing patients that have a lot of responsibilities at home, I will personalize some options when it comes to patients being okay with their mental health.

During the spring semester, since my close friends and my manager were leaving to go to trips each week for a month, I knew I had to keep in touch with them as well as focus on my academics. The first day of class after spring break, it felt very different not seeing one of my close friends. I was wondering how I am going to keep in touch with him and also keep my other commitments balanced too. The following week, I was determined to help step in for my manager while he went on vacation. Making sure that my other coworkers are doing well and having time to study was possible. For the rest of the spring semester, I had to make sure I passed all my classes as well as have time to see my friends. At the end of the day, I learned that although I didn't get the GPA I wanted spring semester, I shouldn't be upset because I still have time to improve with my GPA. My long-term goal is to be a family physician. Knowing how much I loved AP Bio and other science courses in high school, I believed that I am truly passionate about STEM. Almost switching my major to a different STEM major, I learned that at the end of the day, as long as I can get the career I want to be, there is no point switching majors since most of my college credits I earned in high school counted towards the requirements. I have always loved medicine and math, so I decided to minor in Pre-Med and Math. Although STEM representation is there in Filipinos, there is always room to look for more. I also noticed that family medicine is underrepresented in the Filipino community, and I want to help with that representation. I am in the EOF program at my university because I am from a low-income family. Although I received some scholarships and grants, unfortunately, I don't have enough to pay for my tuition. I also work two part-time jobs and just finished an internship. I get paid very little for my accomplishments. This scholarship will help me pay off my student debt and worry less about my bill.

I have grown up surrounded by many family members that are in a healthcare profession. Medical drama shows, such as The Good Doctor and Chicago Med, gave me an idea of real-life scenarios that can happen in the hospital. Noticing both drama shows and real life, I saw diversity and inclusion. However, my understanding of diversity and inclusion in healthcare became better after my internship that just ended. There are some Filipino doctors around the area, but I don't see many of them representing family medicine. I also noticed that most Filipino doctors are M.D. and there is underrepresentation for the D.O. path in my race. I'm not sure which degree I am intending to go to, but no matter what, I will make sure to have a good reputation when Filipino patients see me. Having a Filipino manager at my current workplace gave me a better understanding what it is like connecting to people my race. I come from a low-income household. My mom is the only family member that has a full-time job providing for me and my younger siblings. Although she is doing her best to pay for what me and my siblings to succeed, she doesn't make enough to pay for my tuition. Even though I finished an internship and have two part-time jobs, I still don't make enough to pay off my tuition. Based on how much on-campus housing is per year, I don't have enough to afford it. I commute to save money because that's the only thing I can afford at the moment. Not only do I struggle financially, but I also struggle academically. I do have a good GPA to keep my scholarship I earned when I submitted my deposit, but I don't like it enough to get into medical school. I have a learning disability that affects my understanding of concepts. When it comes to taking exams, when I understand concepts, sometimes the way questions are worded can throw me off. When I read what is going on, sometimes, it takes me long to understand what is happening. During the spring semester, towards the end, settling down after performances and a lot of things happening that I couldn't control got my GPA to slightly drop. Getting sick before finals took away some studying time because I didn't want to show up to finals sick. Those difficulties that happened won't stop me from contributing to my practice. For patients that are going through some unexpected life circumstances, I will give them some life advice to have a healthy lifestyle. For any patient that is going through a lot, I will also make sure that they have a support system so that they won't battle what they are going through alone. For patients that are in a low-income household, I will offer them Medicaid to allow them to have the best treatments possible without worrying about costs. I will offer patients coming from low-income households' other resources such as WIC, food stamps, etc. I'm open to tell some of my stories to patients dealing with unexpected circumstances.

Although diversity and inclusion is only getting better when it comes to healthcare, the costs of treatment is still an issue to minority families. Diversity in healthcare is only getting better, but it is still underrepresented in certain races. Having a primary care provider your race can have a better patient-provider relationship by connecting how much culture beliefs can impact choosing the best care possible. Connecting this to low-income families, many minority families struggle with affording treatment due to their lifestyles. Minority patients are more likely susceptible to different kinds of diseases. Although minority patients and their families are working hard to earn money for their important bills, they still struggle with eating fresh foods and daily exercise. Many minority families live in areas that are hard to find fresh food; therefore, they are susceptible to eating disorders and cancers. Accessibility to resources to live a good lifestyle is challenging for minority families, since not enough is given to them. Providers need to understand that there are some families that cannot afford the best treatment possible without insurance. Without the best treatment for patients, patients could get sick, or die. Coming from a family that had to change health insurances a few times just to afford treatment, it is a challenge for my mom to pay for treatment. Although she makes more now, the previous health insurance my family had now did not cover most treatments. Insurances need to be more accessible to patients. Most insurances are covered by employers, which help minority patients and their families pay off some costs. Minority patients and their families that don't have a stable job have a disadvantage because they cannot pay either insurance or treatment. For minority patients and their families, those that don't have a stable job have to pay off treatment out of pocket because they cannot even afford insurance. In the future, my goal is to help them find the best provider possible that covers Medicaid. I will also make sure that the provider I refer to every patient is a close distance from home to save some money. Every patient that comes from a low-income family, I will offer them Medicaid to ensure they don't worry about overall treatment costs. Seeing how family medicine connects to every healthcare specialty, one change I will make is to give minority families the best care possible while making it cost efficient. Annual check-ups are very important in healthcare; therefore, I will make sure each patient gets what they need to stay healthy.

I think one of the songs from 1989 that relates to this year is "Shake It Off". This song is about independence and not caring what other people think about you. Also, transitioning from high school to college, I noticed that there is more independence as well. Having more freedom, deciding how to live my college life, and not being involved in any drama that doesn't involve me relates to this song. Another song I think reminds me of this year is "Bad Blood". This song relates to drama involving some students in the program I did over the summer. At the beginning of the program, I had beef with a guy that I thought was going to be problematic during the program. When the program was coming to a close, after getting to know him, we got along really well. During the program, my roommates were arguing and being rude to each other. They also ask me to give them information during hall meetings since they refuse to listen during hall meetings. I felt like they were ruining my roommate experience during the program. I also felt like one of my roommates didn't know how to clean u after herself since I saw hair in the bathroom. With the drama going on with my roommates, I was too scared to speak up to her about her messiness. Another song I think reminds me of this year is "Blank Space." Remembering meeting my close friends during the program, I thought of them as my brothers. Even though some of my close friends drifted apart, the friends I am closest to are my heroes. Even though I have a different major than my friends, we all contribute to the friendship by trying to hang out. One day in the program, before getting dismissed, three of my friends I call my brothers went into the wellness center. As soon as I saw them walk in, I thought it was a bad idea to join them. Little did I know, the alarm went off. My ankle was in pain, and I thought of going in there just to let the wellness center to check it out. They were kind enough to make a valid excuse about breaking in the wellness center to avoid getting in trouble. Finally, the song "Clean" relates to me moving on from the car crash I have been in while I drive on highways. Going to therapy to solve this roblem has helped me clean myself by creating a better version of myself.

I would choose El, Mike, and Will. The amazing Stranger Things trio has gone through threats before and hung out a lot, and I am pretty sure they would do great on working together to get rid of the threat. I also loved how Mike is very close with Eleven and Will, and all three characters got along. If they faced a new threat, it would probably be another creature very similar to the Demogorgon. The creature would have 8 tentacles, a lion face, and is nocturnal. I can sense Mike getting taken away from the creature, Will and Eleven are very scared, and the creature is trying to get revenge. One day, Eleven and Will both decide to have some kind of power that will save Mike. Mike is currently suffering from poison from the creature. Eleven regains her powers and tries to destroy the creature. Just like Will in the past, Mike is unable to do his normal activities and currently faces episodes of terror. Mike has no choice but to feel what the creature feels. For the creature to be gone, Mike has to feel the worst pain. Will comes to Mike and guides him through the terrible pain.

One of the lyrics from Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS album reminds me of my last two years of high school. My junior year of high school was a comeback year, and my senior year of high school was a finish-off. There were many transitions I had to go through, and the following lyrics in the next paragraphs describe the challenges I had to go through. ‘‘They all say that it gets better It gets better the more you grow Yeah, they all say that it gets better It gets better, but what if I don't?’’ These lyrics remind me of multiple things throughout my last two years of high school. I have always wondered if certain situations get better as time goes by. First off, at the beginning of my junior year of high school, I was scared about going back to real school. Certain changes, such as wearing masks and social distancing were protocols to keep my school community safe. I was worried about how I would make connections with certain students, especially since there were many new faces I saw. Also, people say junior year is the most challenging year in high school. I mostly agree not only socially, but academically too. Having to do multiple placement tests along with some college credit classes wasn't easy for me, but it was all worth it in the end. During my senior year of high school, during the first half of the school year, I was often late to school. Having senior privileges, such as leaving early or coming in late when I had study hall, and parking, made me feel like I had more freedom. As I frequently showed up to school late, these were signs that senioritis had started. I begged my study hall teacher if I could show up to school late just to go to another class. Some teachers were annoyed that I tried to do this. When I had study hall second semester, I was so eager hoping I would have it during the last period of the day so that I could leave an hour early. I also could not stand the underclassmen during my senior year of high school. I did not like how some of them were messing with me thinking I was some kind of jerk. I loved being a leader in the school, but sometimes the most annoying art is when some students don't follow the rules.

My Barbie Dream House is located in Cape May, New Jersey. It is a pink beach house that I live in, and I can have access to the beach every day. My dream house is only a few minutes down the shore, and I can always go to the nice boardwalks to shop for nice fashion. My beach house has 5 stories and has nice front porches that allow a nice view. Inside the first floor, there is a pretty pink gigantic piano, with a pretty pink gigantic bow. There is also a nice kitchen featuring a large pink refrigerator, a pink sink, and a pink kitchen table. The dining table is a long rectangular pink splash with eight fancy pink chairs. The home gym has very sick equipment that is useful for a great workout so that I don't have to walk to a gym. On the other floors, 2 bedrooms on every floor share a full bathroom. Every bedroom also has a full mattress that has a fancy bedrock. Although the bedrooms are similar, they are not identical to each other. The fifth floor also has a nice attic to store any junk that isn't currently used. The full bathrooms are very, very pink on the walls. Each bathroom has a fancy bathtub. Every toilet and sink is pink.

@jodiecamba

Being communication impaired has been a challenge both academically and socially. Throughout my life, I needed a plan to help me succeed. I've learned that just because somebody has a disability doesn't mean they are not smart, it just means that they learn differently. God gave me a great plan, and little did I know, I am considered an EOF scholar at Rowan University. As a high school freshman, I started with mostly the most manageable level classes my high school offers. As time goes on, before choosing my sophomore year classes, I wanted to challenge myself a little bit, even if it means jumping up a level, and not going what my high school teachers recommended me to take. My Spanish class was so easy, I aced most of my work like a star and decided to take Spanish honors during my sophomore year. Learning online was quite a challenge, but I could do most of my work independently very well. Despite my learning disability, my weighted GPA improved from my freshman year to my sophomore year, thanks to taking an honors class. I loved Spanish honors, but unfortunately, during my junior year, I had to drop that class for an elective I wanted to take. Before I dropped Spanish honors, I had an AP and an honors class on my schedule that I believed will get me to the top 20% of my graduating class. Although AP Physics was the most difficult class during my junior year, I received a B in that course. Even though my weighted GPA didn't improve during my junior year, I decided to go a little harder by taking as many APs and honors classes as I can during my senior year. I asked for many accommodations as I can for all of my classes to help me succeed. At the end of my senior year, I ended up being in the top 22% of my graduating class. As I mentioned previously about dropping Spanish honors junior year, I dropped it because I wanted to explore more of the medical field while earning college credits. Unexpectedly during my sophomore year, I took public speaking as both a high school course and a college course. Since then, I asked myself what I needed to take to possibly save a semester from undergraduate studies. I financially took a risk during my senior year by taking both dual credit and the AP test for both of my AP classes, not knowing what college I will attend at that time. I also took another risk by stating to my guidance counselor that based on my performance with tests in my classes, I don't need extended time. During my undergrad studies at Rowan University, I am majoring in biology with a pre-med minor. After my undergrad studies, I will attend a local medical school to earn my doctorate in family medicine. I hope to take my MCATs and pass the first time, volunteer as much as I can in a local clinic, and get certified to do CPR.

I think, so far, my greatest achievement is halfway done completing the PCI program for EOF students. This week, I had the biggest plot twist yet in the program. I felt very different in a positive way that has made me feel belonging at Rowan University. Even though I currently miss my high school friends right now, I finally made a good group of college friends I can count on for anything. I felt the most connected with students in the STEM program for PCI. After looking at the only BeReal I took with two of my friends in the PCI program, I will cherish this memory in my heart forever. Not only that my social life has been better this week, but my grade in my Chemistry class is also good too. Having a structured study has taught me how to study for an exam or a quiz. It has also allowed me to learn that I should use all my resources to get a good college GPA. My study habits in high school weren't great because there were times that I studied "last minute". I also realized that I needed study guides to determine what is on the test or quiz. A structured study has taught me that I may need a study group for certain subjects I take. Academically, I will create a good study routine to ensure I am succeeding. It will take trial and error to figure out what works and what doesn't. Since I am in the pre-med program for PCI, I get to go to both medical schools dedicated to Rowan University. I am not sure which medical school I want to go to yet, but I know for a fact that I want to be a family physician in the future. In a few years, my goal is to pass the MCAT the first time I take it. I also hope that I can help future pre-med students that will attend PCI and guide them to explore opportunities in medical school. Getting accepted into the PCI program wasn't an easy road. Applying to different universities, I was hoping I could be in EOF for the state to help me pay for my college tuition. Since the middle of the pandemic, it hasn't been easy financially for my mom to provide everything I need for college. Ever since I saw my dream school's acceptance letter, and found out that I was selected for PCI, I have thought that it would give me enough money to go to college for free.

As a child, I loved Disney princesses. I had a lot of Disney princess toys. Disney princesses have always inspired me to know who I am as a person. As I got older, seeing some remakes of my favorite Disney princess movies has gotten me curious to see how similar the characters are. Not only that I loved watching movies about Disney princesses, but I also loved reading Disney princess books. Watching all of the Cars movies was enjoyable. My brother was a huge fan of Cars and loved playing with their toys and reading their books. Cars 3 inspired me the most for multiple reasons, and I can relate to two characters in the movie. Just like Lightning McQueen, despite my learning differences, I am a determined person who would try hard to achieve a good grade. I would also motivate other students to work hard academically. I also loved how McQueen trained Cruz Ramirez to race well enough, even though she is part of a minority group. When I first saw Frozen, I was shocked at first to see how Elsa couldn't control her powers very well because of her fears. Eventually, she learned that she shouldn't let fear take over her life because it can affect others. As I got older, I once feared how was life going to be like after the pandemic. Learning how to "let it go", I was able to figure out how to make myself healthy. My teachers within the past two years have supported me in some way and I was so grateful to be friends with them. Earlier this year, I went to Disneyworld with my friends from school. After visiting all of the parks, Epcot is the Disney park that allowed me to calm down, and all of their attractions relieved my anxiety. Since I love taking nature pictures, the flowers and plants were very nice. A piece of advice I would give a rising senior is that if you decide to go on the senior trip, you should take nature pictures from Epcot and look at the attractions. When I visited Magic Kingdom, seeing the castle reminded me of how much I loved Disney as a child. Magic Kingdom has gotten me out of my comfort zone by riding on a few rides that scared me but positively distracted me. Recently, I watched the newest version of The Little Mermaid. I loved the diversity of the characters throughout the movie. The animal characters were also amazing, and they helped Ariel follow her dreams. Noticing how different she is from her older sisters, I am also that person that dreams about traveling to places and getting to know new things. I loved how Disney filmed "Kiss the Girl" because of how romantic it is.

After high school, I plan to continue volunteering in any activity that I can that meets my interests. Volunteering not only makes me feel relaxed by distracting myself from other things going on in my life, but I love to help others feel good too. I will be involved in ministry somehow, spreading the word of God. God has always helped me feel great and answered my prayers. I might also help out with my youth group advisor as a college student to help middle and high school students understand the word of God better. During my freshman year of college, I will explore opportunities that will impact myself and the community. Since my college will start a new marching band, I will ensure that my high school will come to watch my college perform a show for any prospective high school students that are interested in joining the marching band in college. Since I did great with running my high school's color guard Instagram, I am hoping that one day, I run my college color guard's Instagram well to get the word about joining the color guard. My future career aspect is to be a family physician. Taking science electives in high school makes it a positive impact on my college classes because I had experience in labs. Taking college-level classes in high school has also benefitted me as I know what it is like taking a college class before the upcoming fall semester. I will volunteer at a local clinic to shadow a medical student to have experience before being in medical school. I will also seek to join a medical club in college as well. After undergrad school, I will attend a local medical school to get my doctorate. If I did a phenomenal job in the MCAT, I will do anything I can to help future medical students pass their MCATs too. Eventually, I will be a medical student to help patients with their well-being before officially being licensed as an M.D. in family medicine. Once I am a family physician, I will try to find possible solutions to rare medical diseases with help from my colleagues. I will also make sure that every patient has some kind of insurance to help them pay their medical bills too. If I am lucky, I hope that I am ranked as one of the top doctors in the area I live in, making a positive impact.

Historical figures in the past, like George Washington Carver and Clara Barton, have made an impact on society by using science to solve real-life problems. Washington Carver's genetically modified plants are made to be more resistant to the soil. He also created common items used, like paints and oil from plants. Even though Barton did not go to nursing school, she was able to self-teach herself about nursing. She made an impact on many soldiers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, staying indoors to avoid close contact was quite a challenge mentally. Seeing all the essential workers wearing masks made me realize how much sacrifice they made to save others. I also noticed that while they were wearing their masks, their ears had cuts, or that they had problems with their masks. My mom gave me a few mask holders to keep. I may not know who originated the mask holder, but I realized that different kinds of mask holders were made with different techniques. I was desperate to create a mask holder at home, hoping it would be effective enough for a mask to hold on for a long period wearing it. The main purpose of mask holders was to make wearing masks comfortable while doing our daily activities, as well as hold them without worrying about losing them. One of my mask holders was made using a 3-d printer. However, I did not have a 3-d printer at home to create a few mask holders. On the other hand, I had some paper to trace the outline of my mask holder. Knowing that it's going to take a few layers for the mask holder to be effective, I glued layers of paper on top of one another perfectly to make it hold well. Next, I traced the outline using the mask holder made out of a 3-d printer to make my mask holder the same size. Then, I cut the paper, making sure that the scissors can cut the paper well enough. Sometimes, I had to glue some layers together for the mask to hold. Next, I made some fancy designs to make the mask holders look more appealing. With trial and error, I was able to make a decent amount of mask holders for my family to use. I realized that I had to use glue for the outer layers to make the mask holders waterproof. For any person that couldn't afford a 3-d printer, but has paper laying around the house, creating a homemade mask holder is a great solution to not worry about wearing a mask.

During my childhood, I was diagnosed with asthma. As a child, I had to wear enough layers to be warm enough so that I can breathe well in the cold weather. Cold weather affects how I breathe, and depending on how warm enough I am, I could catch a cold quickly. However, my asthma didn't appear to show for long since I outgrew it. Since my history of asthma, I was unable to play certain wind instruments well. Not only that I had bad asthma as a child, but it also affected my seasonal allergies. My seasonal allergies are usually worse in the spring, and it affects my nose the most. Taking allergy medicine, getting enough sleep, eating enough, and daily exercise helped me be asymptomatic. I've had bad acne since I was 9 years old. For years, I was trying to get rid of my severe acne. One year later, my mom sent me to a dermatologist to handle my acne. I was prescribed a face wash, pills, and face cream to remove my acne. Unfortunately, I had to get sent to the hospital a week later because I was having an allergic reaction. Although my grandma believed I was allergic to all three prescriptions my dermatologist, I was allergic to the pills. Specifically, I was allergic to Sulfa medicine. Even though I wasn't allergic to the face wash, my skin was sensitive. Since then, from homemade face masks to cleaning my face with apple cider vinegar, I believe my grandma's remedies on Facebook will be effective. During high school, I learned that I could prevent bad acne breakouts if I take care of myself well. During the pandemic, I knew that I had to lose weight and I thought it would prevent my acne from being bad. Even though my current prescription is effective in helping with my acne, I eat as healthy as possible, work out on a regular basis, and try to get enough sleep. Sometimes, I struggle with controlling how much sugary foods I eat, which led me to gain a few pounds back. My current goal is to remain to fit in my prom dress. Luckily, I have no food allergies, so I get to enjoy my favorite foods in moderation. Stress is a factor that affected my weight as well, and currently, I help out in the community to prevent myself from being stressed. I also like to reflect on my actions as well to set goals for myself.

Despite getting accepted into all of the colleges I applied to, looking at my financial aid offers from colleges helped me determine how much student debt I will possibly owe in the future. In some colleges, I was not eligible for some kind of financial help program or a full-ride scholarship, which made me think that going to that college was not worth it financially. The college I am attending offers a program that I can go tuition-free, as long as I maintain a certain GPA in order for the college to help me pay my bill. I am also eligible to earn a minimum of $3,000 in scholarships and grants as long as I attend the mandatory PCI program. With an almost 4.0 GPA in high school, being rewarded many scholarships offered by Rowan University has enlightened me. Rowan University has the least percentage of student loans I have to pay back annually, which helped me decide financially to enroll there. I am applying for multiple scholarships to help me pay my bill, and get myself a new MacBook for education purposes. Although I didn't win any scholarships out of my school yet, I won't give up. I plan to have a job on campus in order to help me earn enough to pay for my college bill and earn some extra if possible for the future. I hope that I would work at my campus's gym as my first college job so that I can go use the gym for free. When I apply to a local medical school, the most important thing to me is the percentage of my tuition I will have to borrow money. I will do everything I can to get 0% student loan debt. If I am lucky to get a full-ride to medical school, it will greatly help me save money financially. I will most likely live with my mom while I am in medical school since I may not be financially ready to live on my own. Most likely, I will ask for financial help in order for me to figure out what to do in order to avoid student debt. If possible, I will try to get a 4.0 GPA throughout college to outstand myself from other students. Having good grades can help me maximize the amount of scholarship money I receive from Rowan. If my student loans are forgiven, I will feel relieved.

As an Asian American, being unique in my school helps me stand out in a way that I could imagine my future. Being a part of my Asian culture is something I am grateful for because I love the traditions that come with it. Filipinos tend to love gathering together to celebrate. Being in celebrations make me feel like I was part of a family. I am also a person that can problem-solve very well in certain situations. For example, when I see a common problem in my school, I am involved in multiple groups that help the principal find solutions to make the school climate more peaceful. At home, I normally try to solve my own problems. I am a leader that is pretty much flexible in a lot of ways. Whenever I am an executive member, I try to open up any ideas to any person about a certain topic. However, when I am in an emergency situation where a decision has to be made immediately, I think about the outcomes. When any extracurricular group plans what is happening at school, I open up any ideas and give feedback about them. Although I don't always agree with an idea, I like compromising by deciding what will benefit everybody. Being in my church makes me feel safe to talk about any topic. Growing up, I always believed that God will guide me in anything in life. I still go to church occasionally to reflect about God's word. I've helped out with my church in the past, and in the future, I will attend at least one mass from my university. Although I cannot give back right now as I was able to in some way in the past, I will give back to my church in the future by donating a small amount of money to the poor. I will volunteer in college in any way I can while studying medicine. Hopefully, my college hosts a blood drive at least once a year for the Red Cross to donate nationally. I would like to be a volunteer and donate blood again. I also plan to be in an internship shadowing a medical student. Professionally, giving back to my patients means giving them the best care they possibly can. I will make sure that my patients are healthy. If they are not, I will give them advice that will keep them as healthy as they can to prevent sickness.

I come from a low-income household. My mom is the only person in my house that works full time and provides for my two younger siblings and me. Although I had a job, I only worked part-time to help myself save money to pay for college. I’ve lived with one parent who has to work full time for my family all of my life. In athletics, although I wasn’t involved in sophomore year, although sometimes I am mentally unmotivated, I would go to any track meet I can during freshman year, attend powder puff to play my last two years of high school and attend any golf meet I can. During my time in winter and the short time of spring track during freshman year, I would go to every practice I can to improve as a student-athlete. I allowed myself to put effort into going into every powder puff and golf practice I can. No matter what my mood is, my main priority for being the best student-athlete I can be is to focus on improving in a sport to put in effort for my team to put possible win. After high school, I will attend Rowan University to study Biological Sciences with a pre-med minor. I will also join their new marching band by doing color guard. Although I don't know what other clubs to join, I am always excited to seek new opportunities in college. I will also volunteer at a local clinic or hospital to earn service hours during undergraduate school. I've learned that many patients need insurance to avoid paying out of pocket for many treatments. Also, I noticed that some patients can't even afford insurance at all and would have to pay out of pocket coming from a low-income household. When I work, if there is already a program offered in my office about health insurance, I will recommend patients apply with no extra fee. If there isn't a program offered yet, the team of doctors I work with and I will create a program regarding healthcare insurance locally. It will help patients pay for medical bills, prescriptions, and other medically necessary expenses needed. Another thing I noticed in the medical field right now is how improved sanitary practice is when people practice medicine. When I was younger, medicine practice was less sanitary as there were not enough hygienic materials. However, some countries do not have funding for access to medical supplies to have good hygiene when medical employees work in health care settings. There should be fundraisers to donate medical supplies to countries in need. I could ask people to donate necessary medical supplies to other countries for better health care.

The Simpsons predicted COVID-19, and I never thought it would affect me. On March 13, 2020, my mind raced when I heard that school would shut down for at least two weeks. I never realized that every year unexpected changes happen. From current events to my personal views, adjusting to certain changes was tough for me, as I was not sure how I would be able to handle adjustments. Doing community service has taught me to work with people, even if it means putting others first before myself. As the pandemic began, my daily routine changed as I was always home. I felt like I had more freedom. When I heard that school got canceled for the rest of the year, regret appeared because of how I reacted on Friday, March 13. Despite the pandemic starting, I would always volunteer in person every month based on my schedule. During the online time during my freshman year of high school, I would often make posts to stay positive during the pandemic. During my second year of high school, most of my volunteering was done virtually. I always questioned if I only volunteered to earn service hours or if I am truly passionate about service. I truly felt isolated because due to family circumstances, I was not able to volunteer in most in-person events offered. During the Summer of 2021, I signed up to volunteer with my church at Vacation Bible School. My youth group advisor recommended I try this as I slowly returned to my commitment to volunteering. Not only that I felt like I was in a family when I volunteered that week, but the kids were also happy as well. My mental health was starting to feel better as I was doing my best to slowly adjust back to "normal" living. Volunteering at school events helped me show how much I cared about my school. I've always believed that when I help out, I would decrease my chances of experiencing FOMO and help myself enjoy life. Any time a club I am in is offering a volunteer opportunity, I would be willing to be involved. For example, during my junior year of high school, I volunteered at S.T.A.R. Games. As I came to the stadium, I was freezing. In my mind, I thought it would have been better to postpone due to the drizzle. I knew that it wasn’t my choice, so I insisted on motivating myself to help students with special needs have a good day. I volunteered at the games section, and it was fun playing with them. As the day continued, I loved how warm it became. I was no longer freezing, and my mood got even better. Shortly before the award ceremony, I was helping out by giving water ice. During the award ceremony, I loved that everyone was cheering on all the students that participated in the event. Being able to save a lot of money next year in college, I am almost tuition-free. Earning any scholarship means being able to pay off the remaining of my annual college bill. If I earn at least $2,000 extra, I will use it to buy myself a new MacBook for school. As a low-income student, if I earn a lot of extra dollars, I will use them to pay off my college bills to prevent student debt.

Getting involved in my community makes my mental mindset busy in a good way. I've been involved in my community for a long time, and naturally, I felt welcome. Any time my mom drives my family to a community event, I usually observe what is happening. If I know in advance what is happening in a certain event, most likely I will try to be involved. My mom usually asks me and my brother if we both want to volunteer at certain events. We both usually agree in order to get service hours and to keep ourselves busy. In middle school, I remembered volunteering in certain races to earn a "free" race. After a few years of volunteering in that organization, I earned many free races, wanting to come back and volunteer. I can see myself in the future leading runners to stretch before races start after years of training myself during workouts. In my church, I loved being involved in it. Although I am not as involved as I used to be, due to schedule conflicts, I remember how my youth group advisor always guides students to actively go to church. When I was involved in Vacation Bible School during the Summer of 2021, I was immediately feeling relief in some way. The kids involved enjoyed all the activities. Looking back to those days at Vacation Bible School, my community and I felt belonging when learning about God. Going to church regularly has made me more aware of life lessons. During my freshman year of high school, I joined Community Service Club "just to be in a club" in school. At first, I was wondering if it was worth it just to earn credits only. Now, after being an active member throughout high school, not only it was worth earning credits, but I was also passionate about helping others. During the past two years, I helped out in my school's Student Government Blood Drive. I loved that Student Government hosts a blood drive because not only that it gives students an opportunity to earn community service hours, but any student that wants to be in the medical field, like me, is truly passionate about saving lives. Sacrificing my time to donate blood this year was worth it because not only that I got to donate for the first time, but I also got to save some people from dying.

Being Asian American to me means being happy with who I am as a person. Part of my personal identity influences me to be a future PA. Multiple aspects of my identity influence me to dream about being a future PA. Most of my ancestors work in the medical field. Inspired by them, especially my mom, sparked my interest in joining the medical field. It took a few explorations of different careers and changing my mind about what part of the medical field I want to be in. It is in the Filipino tradition that people that succeed most are either Doctors, Lawyers, or any job that earns a good amount of money. Being in a Roman Catholic Filipino family is a tremendous blessing. Growing up, God influenced me to choose the path where I want to go. I felt like the more I have faith, the more God will answer my prayers and make my dreams come true. My religion has influenced me with the sense of my identity positively. As a Roman Catholic Filipino, I go to church every week and go every day the last nine days before Christmas to honor the savior Jesus Christ. Personally, most of the doctors that I see are white. I rarely see an Asian-American work as a doctor. Most doctors I see are male. Seeing that while I grow up, I knew I had to be part of a minority race that works as a PA. Gender identity also influenced me on what I want to pursue after high school. I felt that more women need to represent being a doctor in any field. Although the percentage of women being doctors are higher than it was in the past, I think that more programs for girls are necessary about joining the STEM field in some way. Although I know for a fact more women are nurses than men, I knew for a fact that more women need to represent the medical field in other ways. To me, it doesn't matter about gender who can be what part of the medical field individuals want to be in. I just felt like as long as the person is smart enough to be in the medical field, he or she can make it happen. When I follow my dreams, I can accomplish more. Special circumstances make me feel even more special because I could be recognized for a certain scholarship.

Growing up with only my mom around, I felt different from other students. When I was in Kindergarten, my teacher showed us a father's day project we were doing in class. It felt a little strange because I never had a father figure in my house. Instead, I did my grandmother for my father's day project since my mom also did not have her father around most of her childhood as well. I kept information about my father private often. When my friends or teachers ask me about family members, I talk about everyone that lives in my house. However, in 8th grade, some of my friends saw my mom with another guy. The guy that was once in a relationship with my mom at that time wasn't perfect, but he had a decent personality. One of my friends asked me about him, and mentally, I didn't know if I should tell the truth about my father. After that time my friends saw my mom with another guy, and they were more curious about who I lived with. The more I heard questions, the urge to tell the truth about my parents increased. When my sophomore year began, when my friends found out that I will have a baby sister, some of them asked me about the father's situation. I had to be honest, but cautious about what to tell them about my sister's dad. The first sport I did was martial arts. Joining martial arts during my childhood was a new opportunity. After about a year, I didn't enjoy that sport. My mom pushed me through that sport for a while even though I didn't like it. It was when I was almost a black belt that my mom finally listened and accepted the fact I didn't like that sport. My grandma was also pushing my mom to let me stop doing martial arts. I was once in challenger baseball from elementary school until last school year. At first, it was okay. Whenever there was the last day of games annually, it was a coincidence that it was on Father's Day. As I got older, I didn't feel very connected, especially on the last day since only one parent was watching me play. Joining the winter track team helped me learn how to be better in shape. I liked that I was involved in a school team during my first year of high school. The consistent meets and practices were quite stressful and having my mom drive me home was a bit overwhelming. During the lockdown, when I was about to do spring track, I learned that I didn't have to stay if the environment was overwhelming to me. Before joining the golf team in junior year, mentally, I wanted to be able to drive. With my sister born and not many of my mom's friends able to help me pass my driver's test, it was quite challenging who can watch me drive with my permit. I wanted to drive so that I don't have to deal with conflicts about who can take me to certain places. Playing a sport in a team has helped me be in shape mentally and physically. It has increased my motivation to do anything. Playing a sport is also a distraction from all the other things I'm involved in. My focus is improved while I do any workout.

Managing my finances as a student will help me save enough to pay for college. After looking at my financial aid offers from colleges, the best bet of choosing a college is based on which college I like has the least percentage of loans I have to pay in college, or even better, going tuition-free. Luckily, my top school has programs that allow students in my state in low-income households to go tuition-free or reduced yearly. I don't regret choosing Rowan University financially. I completed my FAFSA early enough to have the most financial help from the college I will attend, the state, and the country. Receiving grants is a benefit because I don't have to pay back a certain amount for college. Although I don't have a job right now, I save money that I earned from my previous jobs in my bank account. Sometimes, when I buy what I need in the future, I need to withdraw money from my bank account. I've learned that sometimes, I need to make enough money to pay for something I want or need without my mom's help. I will have a part-time job in college to help me tackle my college bill. Using my mom's credit card has taught me to learn when to use a credit card. I rarely have to use it, unless I don't have the cash to pay what I need to pay for an important product. Although I am tempted to use my mom's credit card to buy anything, I don't. If possible, I either use a gift card I got as a gift, or use physical cash to pay. Spending money daily isn't good because I will most likely lose money within a certain period. Right now, I am applying for scholarships. Scholarships are free money that I receive, and I don't have to pay them back. Some colleges I like offer full-ride scholarships. I applied to a few, but unfortunately, I didn't make it to the next round for any. I did put effort into the scholarships I applied to. If I was lucky enough to see a full-ride offer, I would have accepted that college and gone tuition-free. I currently borrow a school-issued Chromebook. My current goal is to earn enough money, or even better, win at least $2,000 in scholarships to pay for a MacBook Air to use for school. I will also use a student discount in Apple to pay even less.

March 13, 2020, was the "best" day of 2020. That was the day all schools had to end because COVID-19 cases kept increasing. I didn't have to worry about getting up early, I could stay up late, and I didn't have to rush to go anywhere. After a month of not leaving the house, I was desperate to go out to see my friends. However, I did not see any of my friends during quarantine at all. After restrictions slowly loosened up in May, I needed to be cautious about going to public places. I was terrified of being close to non-family members because there was no vaccine at that time. Breaking the CDC guidelines at that time made me think that I would increase my chances of getting sick. I was uncomfortable not wearing my mask in any public place for a while. Isolating myself from the community during my sophomore year of high school helped me decrease my chances of getting sick. However, my mental health was not great because I could not see any of my friends for a long time. I also was not able to say my goodbyes to the upperclassmen as they graduate from high school. I volunteered at my church for a summer bible study for kids the summer before junior year. My connections were somehow starting to feel back to normal, but then I do not feel a super strong connection. However, my youth group advisor made me feel better. When junior year began, I finally saw most of my friends in school. Guilt surrounded me because I wanted to time travel back to see the class of 2020 and 2021 graduates. Knowing that they are gone, I wished I could make memories with them before the pandemic. I would do everything I can to make up for the lost time in my first year of high school. After a while, time traveling to fix the past could not be done. At first, I was scared of being surrounded by new people. Letting go of the past was giving up on a few tremendous unforgettable memories and forgetting terrible memories. Transitioning into senior year, I realized that now I am more of a night owl. Naturally, staying up late doesn't feel bad due to the fact that I try to get my work done. Next year, when I enter college, I will not take super early morning classes for my mental health. Most likely, I will go to the gym in my college first before going to my first class of the day for my mental mindset to be ready. Working out in a daily basis has made me feel good.

Who loves Chick-Fil-A? I love their food. The workers deserve a reward, Of a lot of cow costumes. Workers deserve a meal With cow bobble heads. Chick-Fil-A fries are good. The waffle fries are a 10. Waffle fries are yummy, And I’m satisfied with them. The healthiest meals are satisfying. I like kale a lot; I love the kale crunch. The fruit cup is also yummy, And so is the side salad. I’m hoping when I come, To get the Market Salad That I’m happy. Cow Appreciation day Is the best day. Free entrées and breakfast items Make me happy. We show love to Chick-Fil-A By wearing cow costumes. My favorite breakfast item Is the Chick-Fil-A Chicken Biscuit. The biscuit makes my mouth Melt real crazy. When I ate the Grilled Cool Wrap, I decided to try it with The Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing. The dressing is so yummy, That I beg for more in my mind. Chick-Fil-A lemonade Is the yummiest lemonade. I would always ask for one When I dine in for a meal, As soon as the pandemic ends. The strawberry milkshake, Makes my heart and mind in love. I hope I would drink That milkshake soon. Chick-Fil-A is the hero. Thank you for Making customers happy.

Since the end of my sophomore year of high school, I've dreamed about being on the golf team. I've seen posts of my friends playing on the golf team during my sophomore year of high school. At first, I thought golf was not going to be for me when I was a freshman. I never dreamed about golfing during freshman year. Seeing some golf tournaments on TV was kind of boring at first. In the middle of my sophomore year, things started to change as I saw how bad I felt missing out on school events. During my junior year of high school, I needed to figure out how to readjust to "normal" school, even if it meant changing some activities I do. My dream of being on the golf team stayed strong. However, prior to tryouts starting, I had zero experience due to conflicts happening at home. Frustration entered my mind, and I thought that my chances of playing a match would be ruined overall. Not only that I had zero experience prior to starting golf practice, but I didn't have golf equipment when I started to practice at first. I felt like an outsider at that time because I felt like I was the only student with zero experience and no golf equipment. Not knowing if I wanted to stay on the golf team, I asked my mom if she can buy me golf clubs, then return them within a certain time period. The minute I saw my new golf clubs, I fell in love. Not only that they felt "fit" to me, but they also match one of my favorite colors somehow. When I started practicing them, I didn't know the different drivers and irons well. My golf coach gave a brief overview of all of my golf clubs. I didn't understand at first, but after quite some time, I understood which ones are for which distances. When I entered the golf course after some practice at the driving range, I had a fixed mindset of completing the course. My golf friends gave me emotional support just like I gave them emotional support. After we all realized how much I struggled, I didn't think I was ready to go in the driving range. The boys' golf coach also noticed my mood while walking back to the driving range to practice some more with my irons and my drivers. I learned that frustration when taking a shot will affect the range of my ball. During spring break, I practiced putting. I didn't have the money to pay nor a car to take myself to a local driving range. My golf coach was impressed with my improvement in practicing golf at my grandma's house. My mind when I did putting at my grandma's house felt relaxed. Recently, when I practiced putting, I realized that there is some work that needs to be done, but I could possibly make the team. This school year, I am a little more prepared for golfing. With last year's experience and watching some videos, I will have a better chance of making the team. Golf has taught me how to relax. My mind while playing golf is distracted from all the other things in my life. Although I don't plan on playing in the varsity golf team in college, I plan on playing golf for fun in TopGolf. If there is a club golf team at Rowan, I might play for fun.

Once upon a time, a little old lady loved to go out in a clown costume every day. Casey the clown always goes out in the neighborhood to make others laugh. Her red poofy wig stands out as nobody else in the community has it. Her giant red nose is a bomb that doesn't explode very easily. Her starry blue and yellow shoes are so gigantic that a mouse could die. Casey the clown woke up, feeling something unusual. What was that? A tiny little mouse that is chocolate crawled its tiny toes to her. Casey ran and screamed at the top of her lungs, thinking the mouse would harm her. The mouse was able to catch up to her, and she crawled to her green blazer pants that were minty. The mouse danced on TikTok shortly after. Minnie the mouse swayed her hips to Casey the clownś yellow gushy hand. Casey grooved and grooved all the way through. The community felt like there was a concert going on. Casey the clown and Minnie the mouse crept the way into Casey's house and felt like cops are chasing them. Never more than ever, terrified ness increased the worst because of Casey's fans arising to her. And then, a unicorn fell from the pink sky, jiggling her body. The unicorn was grooving to the beat, and later, Casey and Minnie joined. After several hours of putting on a funny show, all three were pleased. Casey the clown jumped out of joy, Minnie the mouse squeaked loud, and Uniqua the unicorn jumped out of joy too.

Math helps my mind be mentally stable. I need math in order to help me with my science subjects. Being in the medical field, I need to apply my precalculus concepts to the real world. Numbers are easy to read in my opinion. Basic numbers help me with anything I do in life. When I count calories, I do the math. When I count how many seconds of activity in general, I do the math. Numbers in math inspire me to learn new things. Graphing in math helps me understand the general picture. When I graph something, I love that I see a pattern going on in the graph. The shape of the graph, depending on how it looks correlates with the function. Whenever I edit a picture in order to print a photo based on that size, I use math. How do I use math to edit a photo? I crop the photo, see the dimensions of the photo I will print, and see if I could simplify the ratio. Whenever I printed a photo wrong, I reflect on what I did wrong for the photo to turn out wrong. Using math with editing photos are important to enhance the perfect photo.

I am involved in my church, Asian Culture Club, Medical Club, Peer Leaders, SGO (student government), color guard (which is a part of the marching band), Morgan's Message, and Athletes Against Bullying. I used to work at BurgerFi part-time to earn money. I also work out at my home gym on a daily basis. I played flag football for fun during my last two years of high school to keep myself in shape. I plan to get my doctorate degree in family medicine. I will make sure to pass all my medical exams to be certified. I will be kind to my patients and give them the best care possible for future patients to visit me. Positively giving the best advice to patients will make my reputation great, making other patients want to see me for appointments. I plan to also do some medical research on the side about finding some treatment for rare cancers. If my treatment works, most likely patients will use that treatment. I plan to watch some medical drama shows, like "The Good Doctor" to envision what it is like working in a hospital setting. A majority of my classes will be science and math classes valid to the medical field. As of right now, I apply my basic knowledge of science and math to my human anatomy and AP Bio class the best that I can. In college, I expect myself to do the same thing I am doing right now. If there is a medical club in college, I will join that club to get the most experience I can in the medical field. I will also do an internship in college to earn money related to the medical field. If there is an honor society and I am lucky enough, I will be a part of the medical honor society. Although I only played golf for one year, I loved the team. I may not be the best golf player, but I never gave up on trying how to play. I don't plan on being on the varsity golf team, but I may play club or intramural golf for fun. Golf has taught me to relax in a way to prevent my anger issues from getting worse. Not only that it will help me pay off my student debt in college, but I will worry less about the amount of money I owe my school.

As a high school senior, applying for scholarships can make a huge difference when paying for college. Since I am in a low-income household, having the most scholarship money is necessary as I want to keep studying to earn a lot of money. Scholarship money helps prevent student debt in college, preventing paying college back after borrowing money. As always, there are certain requirements for certain scholarships. First off, for many of the scholarships I apply to, I have to be a high school senior. BigFuture from CollegeBoard has steps to earn the $40,000 scholarship. I started off listing colleges I think I would apply to for an entry of $500. I try to finish the action as early as possible to increase chances. As I mentioned earlier about being in a low-income household, my chances of winning increase because I have two entries. Next, I practice for the SAT using Khan Academy in order to get a decent score. Then, based on the colleges I visited, I strengthened my college list to reduce the number of schools I apply to. After that, I explored scholarships based on personal info I inputted in CollegeBoard. Next, I apply to college and fill out the FAFSA. These $500 scholarships make a huge difference in paying off college. Some scholarships are just a click away, which means all it asks for you to do is fill out valid information. Others require some work, like creating an essay, creating a video, or other complicated work. Some scholarships have certain GPA requirements; your high school grades really matter as it increases the chances of eligibility for certain scholarships. Sometimes, scholarships require standardized test scores, meaning that you need a minimum of a certain number for either the SAT or the ACT. Some scholarships require that you are in a certain club in or out of school. Freshman, please get involved in clubs; you may love them and decide to stick to them. Some scholarships require certain fields of study, if you are undecided, start thinking of what your plans are after high school. It's okay to be undecided right now, but you have to start somewhere. Full-ride scholarships are really rare. To me, that means you really have to work hard enough to earn a full ride. Full-ride scholarships aren't always based on academics; sometimes if you are good at a sport, chances of a full-ride are high for D1 sports. Anyone in college can earn a full-ride scholarship, just work hard, and you'll be debt free in no time!