As soon as I walk out to the view of tall, green trees with my cup of elderberry tea, I’m able to breathe in fresh air without a worry of being harmed. While my kids, wife, and mother are inside enjoying the fruits of our labor, I reflect on the obstacles I’ve overcome and the memories I’ve made. Although my life is full of joy and tranquility, there is never a dull moment. Whether it be a travel destination, boxing fight, or a precious moment with my family, I’m always grateful for the life I’ve been granted. My younger brothers talk about me with a smile on their faces. My mother is filled with pride every time she has the opportunity to mention me to her friends. My wife and kids represent our family well and live out their lives with great values. They realize that life is finite and that tomorrow is not promised. This in turn fills them with gratitude for the present moment while simultaneously filling them with a burning desire to make something meaningful of their lives. Finally, as I lay on my deathbed, I can look back and cry tears; tears of joy remembering different periods of my life. From middle school where I thought that my girlfriend and I breaking up was the end of the world, to high school, where I finally began to learn who I was and wanted to be. As my eyes close for the last time, I’m happy to have been happy for a majority of my life. This is success to me. Sure I’d like a showerhead that sprays water on an area as large as a waterfall does. Sure I’d like to have a car that drops the jaws of people while they’re crossing the roads. But I know that these things only provide happiness like a shot of morphine. The purpose of life, in my eyes, consists of 3 things. I will list them from least to greatest: making your name known, improving the quality of life of others, and being happy. In order to achieve this vision, my focus will have to be concentrated on building my professional self up to the heights I know I can reach. Although, my focus has recently been divided into several categories: academics, electoral board duties, work, and boxing. I’m resilient enough to be able to handle it, but the dilemma here is my ability to be effective in any of those fields. For example, I’m a good student, but the barrier that stops me from becoming an even better student is the amount of time that my position in my school organization consumes. To put it briefly, I’m able to be a jack of all trades, but a master of none. This opportunity will allow me to work less hours than I do and put more of my time into academics and building my professional career. It will allow me to explore other avenues which will only open doors. Whether it be through networking, internships, or getting involved in other school organizations. Although this all requires time, this is what this opportunity will provide me.

The Black Box by Marquett Davon Burton. This book embodies the contrast between life within a ghetto and life after leaving for a better locality. The reason this contrast is important is it benefits people from both sides of the income spectrum: lower and higher income classes. For the lower-income folks, it gives them inspiration and examples about what’s outside of their often run-down, dangerous neighborhoods. A well-known saying goes along the lines of, “You can only be what you see”; many kids don’t know the great opportunities that await them around the world. For higher-income folks, it would be a great source of philanthropic inspiration and gratitude. The stereotype of a snobby rich kid didn’t appear out of thin air; snobby or not this book can open their eyes to the struggles many people go through. This realization has the potential to ignite a passion for community service within less fortunate communities, but even if it doesn’t, it can instill a sense of gratitude for the favorable position they’re in. Another reason would be because of the entertainment factor it possesses, which is surprising considering it’s a non-fictional book. There are numerous people who don’t enjoy reading or only enjoy reading if it has that entertainment factor. Since it’s a non-fiction book that takes place in a dangerous environment, there’s bound to be some profanity and violence. These elements can attract the type of readers who like to read more mature books (adolescents or adults). The most important reason is the lessons at the end of each chapter. After every chapter, the author has a takeaway of what he learned. The enlightenments vary from the subjects of comporting oneself in a given environment to learning what a true friend is. Lessons like the ones provided in the book are invaluable; he went through tough situations mentally and physically, some that the readers of the book may face in the near future. The evaluation he provides can help one navigate through said difficult situation or better yet, completely avoid it.

The moment my name was called up to receive the award for the most community service hours in my organization, was the moment I knew I embodied selflessness. Improving the quality of life for others, even if it’s just by a small margin, is something that lights a fire inside of me. The way I see it, if I choose to do community service, it leads to a person experiencing joy or a new resource that they otherwise would not have enjoyed. This past school year, specifically during the winter quarter, an obstacle popped up. I was almost homeless for the rest of the winter quarter. The troubling part wasn’t the obstacle, it was the fact that I had several other things going on. Aside from academics, I was preparing for a boxing match I had coming up; this meant working out two times a day for six out of the seven days of the week and having to travel to different boxing gyms to spar. Meanwhile, I also joined an organization called the Latino Business Association. Once I assimilated I knew this was the organization for me. I knew I didn’t want to join and only enjoy the events the organization held. I wanted to provide value to my fellow members, I wanted to help my peers and those in charge of the organization. This led me to volunteer for a majority of the community service opportunities they offered. Sometimes we were short on volunteers but I was always willing to help. Even when the organization held one of my favorite events, a Mexican dance party, I volunteered to monitor the entrance. I was doing all this while having housing troubles, exercising daily, and having a job. I could’ve been inconsistent with my organization and only attended the events with free food, but I wanted to accompany them throughout the school year. To top it all off, after I had resolved my housing troubles and finished the winter quarter, I had my boxing match. Since I was sponsored by a local cookie bakery, I received a batch of cookies. The first thought that came to my mind was to provide them for my fellow members during a meeting. I did just that and I was glad to know that many of them found the cookies to be delicious. Toward the end of the school year, the organization held elections for its 2023-2024 executive board. In the beginning, I was hesitant, since I knew that this upcoming school year would be busy for me. Although the desire to help my organization/community was too strong and I decided to run for a position. Thankfully I was elected and will now be able to help my fellow members form memories and bonds that will last a lifetime. As I mentioned earlier, I ended up receiving a certificate for the most community service done throughout the winter and spring quarters, I provided a batch of cookies for my fellow members, and I was elected into a position where I can better help my organization and those in it.

Someone who has seen great things they'd never thought was possible; things that remind me of the disadvantaged upbringing I overcame.

I plan on educating myself by surrounding myself with wealthy and healthy people. These types of people, on average, tend to have their finances in order with the added benefit of possessing positive circumstances and characteristics. Another way I plan to educate myself is through my college resources and the internet. In terms of educating others, I’d make sure to debunk all of the ways the media portrays wealth and the means to reach it. I’d pass down practical knowledge, something that a person can implement instantly or over the span of a few weeks. The most important part of this question is the first part; how I plan to educate myself on financial literacy. The reason is, I can’t give what I don’t have. Birds of a feather flock together is not only a cliche phrase. There’s a reason it’s lived on since the 16th century. If I’m going to learn how to manage my finances effectively, I have to learn from those who do just that. These people may have had a history of wealthy family members which is extremely beneficial, because not only do they speak about efficiently maintaining finances, but they also display it. This refers to their habits, mentality, and personality traits. Aside from the verbal knowledge I’d gain from them, they’d also rub off on me and I’d get closer to where they’re at, which is success. The second way is more straightforward; through resources. Resources these days are abundant, and I plan to make use of them. There are many offices on my campus that specialize in help for the money management of students. I’m also currently majoring in Economics, so it’s the main resource for learning about financial literacy that I’m using. Aside from school resources, the internet has a plethora of educational videos/websites pertaining to financial literacy. I’ve used plenty of them and currently listen to meritorious individuals such as Marquett Davon Burton, Graham Stephen, and StockDads. I’ve put their advice to use and I’ve entered the world of stocks and savings as a result. When educating others on financial literacy I think of educating the youth. The older the person, the less likely they are to adhere to or take advice. I’m aware of the impressionable and malleable nature of juveniles, so I’d first dismantle their preconceived notion of what a financially wealthy person is and what one has to do rather than what one has to become. At least in a large part of the youth, a common belief of what it means to be wealthy would be the “fun occupations". This term refers to influencers, rappers, athletes, and other spotlight roles in the entertainment and music industry. Of course, I’d encourage them to chase that if that’s their dream, but I'd expand their perception of available jobs and paths to wealth. After broadening their perception I’d give them the basics: savings accounts, Roth IRAs, 401ks, stock market information, credit, and other ways of building financial literacy. These are things they can implement right now or start preparing to do so in the near future. This is how I, Jonathan Iraheta, would educate myself and others on financial literacy. I’m certainly not an expert, but I’m on the journey to managing my finances well and I’d say I’m doing good. I plan to continue helping others wherever I can, and if that’s in financial literacy, then I will do so.

The quality I value in myself is my tenacity; although a synonym for persistence, it’s a totally different thing. Tenacity is the insatiable desire for a certain outcome/tangible object. It’s something that doesn’t accept any substitutes, it wants that genuine leather. It’s more than motivation, which is a short burst of dopamine. It’s an internal alarm clock; the type of alarm that zaps you back into wakefulness, only this one sets you back onto your path to your goal. This is a quality I’m proud of because of its extremeness. Whenever I fall I don’t just get up, I spring back up and sprint even faster toward my goal. This quality of mine has conditioned me not to accept failure, it doesn’t allow me to fall into a pity party or be a victim to the harsh nature of pursuing success. In my eyes, this also separates me from many and has given me a better self-view. When I do my 3-mile sprints at 6 in the morning in 50-degree weather, it adds to my self-esteem. Being able to balance academics, boxing, work, and social life is only possible through my tenacity. There are times when I just want to lay and use my phone or take a nap, but it grabs me by the noggin and takes me to complete my next task for the day. The reason I value this so much is because of the resources and internal victories it has provided me. It’s provided me with the privilege of attending a top university, it’s allowed me to get my hand raised after a brutal boxing match, and it’s allowed me to look in the mirror and be proud of what I see in it. The reason this quality will aid me in my life journey is that it gives me that competitive edge. I might not be the best at certain things, but best believe I’m going to strive for victory until my last breath. That’s what one really needs in this world, that ferocious nature when striving for your goals, the type of ethic that would make people look at you like you’re crazy. This quality has also led me out of my comfort zone, which is where I’ve found a lot of my success. I know this will continue to be the case because every time I’ve elevated I’ve seen greater destinations, levels you may say. Every time I see a new level that fire inside me reignites, and it shines brighter! In conclusion, I believe tenacity is an important trait that will lead many to success. This trait has served me ever since I came to a realization. That I not only want but deserve a better life situation. No income, staying home and playing video games, and inconsistently exercising; this would have described me a few years ago, but I’m proud to say the implementation of this trait has transformed my life. Thank you for this opportunity.

Athletics is a part of what makes me whole. I love the feeling of ecstasy when I’m doing my sport; the toxins leaving my body in the form of a salty liquid we call sweat, the pumping of endorphins, and the mental fortitude that develops as an effect of having a hard body. Without athletics, I’d feel bleak throughout the day. Sure, there are other ways to improve, but exercise/athletics hits differently, it provides countless benefits but is simultaneously enjoyable. I’ve been into athletics since I was a youth. My mind would regularly wander off in my elementary class to the thought of scoring a goal. At the time, soccer was my love, I would watch soccer edits, games, and the whole nine yards. It was refreshing to leave the dullness of 6th-grade academics and step on the field with my teammates ready to do my best. This was the introduction to the world of sports for me; I’m certain that if I was never signed up for this soccer team I wouldn’t have ever been passionate about athletics. I’d be okay with staying home and playing video games all day. In short, athletics has allowed me to participate in activities that benefit me spiritually and physically. The ultimate impact athletics has had on me is the characteristics it’s helped me build. These are the characteristics that have opened many doors for me: discipline, confidence, and strength. Whenever there’s homework assigned, whenever there’s a difficult workout, whenever my motivation isn’t present the only thing that keeps me performing is my discipline. I know that every workout I do adds up, and every day I miss my opposition is getting better. Discipline is crucial in my current sport, it’s a sport where missing a few days could cost one an injury or worse. I state this just to emphasize how much it’s been implemented in me. Every morning I make sure to make my bed and eat breakfast. I continue to be disciplined and have enjoyed the fruits of my labor, while still having a garden growing more. A lot of the time, confidence is about saying, “Screw it, I’m doing it anyway!”. The “anyway” is doubt, fear, and uncertainty. Athletics, especially now, has forced me to take risks involving all of those emotions I mentioned. There are times I think about getting dropped, there are times when my opponent has miles of experience over me, and there are times I don’t know if I’ll perform. Despite these feelings I move forward, even if I feel like my stomach is about to burst from all of the butterflies, I continue. In the end, everything turns out fine. The strongest trait of them all, pun intended: strength. There are times everything hurts, my body, my emotions, my brain, but the strength I’ve developed helps me push through. This isn’t advocacy of holding in something you know you need help in, this is about having the emotional intelligence, the physical strength, and the brain power to realize that whatever comes my way, I can handle it or I know where to direct myself. In conclusion, athletics is a blessing. I love it, and I will advocate for it. Without athletics, I’d be missing a large part of my identity. As I continue to grow as a human being, I know athletics will continue to be a part of that process.

Managing finances for me, a first-generation college student, is crucial. If I don’t, I won’t be able to continue attending university. Several costs are brought on directly by the college: tuition, books, and fees for their educational buildings. This is paired with indirect costs such as housing, meals, and transportation. These factors add up to a whopping dollar amount to attend. Thankfully, most of my expenses are covered by FAFSA, but there is still a portion of the money that’s pretty challenging for me to attain while I’m a full-time student. I currently work, and when I receive my check the first thing my mind goes to is setting aside money for my rent. Then come groceries, my physical health (boxing membership), and last and most certainly least important, luxuries, such as snacks, electronics, clothes, etc. I plan on not asking my family for financial support since I’m aware they have to take care of my little brother and another that’s on the way; I’ve not had to do so since my freshman year ended. That is another reason why managing finances is essential for me. I don’t want to bring up financial problems just in case they might be tight on money. Going into detail about what I do to manage my finances; as I’ve mentioned before, I prioritize. I’m logical about what I need and want, in my earlier age I’d splurge or worse, convince myself I’d need things that I didn’t. I learned to think critically before I spend by asking myself the following questions: Do I already have a similar product to this? Will this enhance my quality of life significantly? Does this factor into my everyday routine? Do I have enough for my priorities? 90% of the time the answers to these questions led me to not buy the product my heart desired. Another way I do so is by saving it, to me that money is non-existent; it’s for an emergency, an expensive purchase I need to make or to hold me down in case I can’t work for whatever reason. The final way I manage my finances so well is by not being afraid to spend. It sounds counterintuitive, but let me explain. If I’m too cheap I won’t enjoy life, if I don’t enjoy it, it’ll take a negative toll on my mental health. If I have bad mental health I won’t perform as well and will lack the motivation/energy to continue working. Enjoying myself and spending money with others to make memories and spread positivity is worth every penny. In conclusion, managing money isn’t difficult if you have discipline over your whims and you’re intelligent about where you allocate your capital.

“Lose Yourself” by Eminem. It might just seem like a cliche song used in motivational movie scenes, but it’s an important message for all human beings around the world. Eminem’s piece states, “You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow, This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo…”. This is essentially the message of the song. It’s promoting the notion of taking risks and capitalizing on every opportunity presented to you. The reason I believe this to be a crucial message, especially for western society, is that we’ve gotten too comfortable. A lot of us believe that if something causes any sort of discomfort it’s bad for us. Although that might keep us “safe”, which is an umbrella term for the following: saving ourselves from emotional damage, avoiding any risk of physical damage, or avoiding embarrassment, it keeps us in a bubble. This bubble makes us stagnant; we don’t learn much, we maintain a limited perspective of the world, and worst of all, it keeps us in the same position for years of our lives. I’m certain that this stagnancy/comfortability is a part of the equation that has led to the rise in mental illness in the U.S. This is the reason I believe this song to be of tremendous value, it affirms that the metaphorical “sweaty palms”, or the “weak knees” are a normal part of achieving our goals. When we realize this, we can get out of our mental rut and achieve what every one of us strives for.

There’ve been many moments when I’ve felt alone. I didn’t know who to go for regarding my feeling of being overwhelmed by the college experience. Getting into specifics, I didn’t know what path to take. “Should I take something related to business?”, was my starting point. The vast amount of opportunities offered by my college went unnoticed by me for the majority of my first year. This caused me to have to toil in a few of my classes, most of the time unnecessarily. Being a first-generation student has caused me nervousness, bliss, and a slew of other feelings. One experience I believe is common among first-generation students is nervousness. I certainly experienced that nerve-inducing doubt of fitting into a community that consists of students with families educated at a high-level, students that are more likely at a higher income class than me and have grown up in a radically different culture. The confusion I felt when assignments were astronomically more difficult and expected to be turned in earlier than the usual deadlines assigned in high school. Thinking back, I think this is why I traveled back home so much during my first semester; I didn’t feel comfortable in the unfamiliar college environment. Although many challenges came and went, there’s one thing I have to acknowledge. The sense of freedom and novelty. I’ve never experienced anything remotely close to the college environment prior. The first week every student within 5 feet of each other conversed; this caused me to get out of my comfort zone and it allowed me to grow exponentially. I made new friends, formed relationships, and got to learn about the culture, mannerisms, and thinking processes of others outside of my hometown. Typing it out won’t do the serendipities I experienced justice, but I’m confident being a first-generation college student heightened these positive emotions. I experienced the sophomore slump this semester; I was missing assignments, didn’t attend lectures for a while, and was more focused on work and boxing. Then one day, while I was sitting on my desk chair it hit me. I was living in paradise, the only reason I was able to go to work and box was because of the locality I was in, which was my college’s campus. The only reason I’m in this locality is because of my academic pursuit. That same day I organized my thoughts and put them on a list. It was a reminder that my academics needed to come first because if I were to fail, I’d be back in LA without the luxuries my college provides. I want to thank God because, ultimately, I still passed all my classes. This was a learning experience for me, and it was a wake-up call. I’m excited for next semester because I’m taking more credits and I now know what I must do. I plan to set a time for studying, at least 5 times a week. In addition, I know teamwork makes the dream work, so I will join/form study groups to be able to be held accountable and efficiently reflect on the material given. Lastly, I plan to lessen my time working because I understand that my college education is an investment to be better off financially in the future. In conclusion, a college education is a merit, I always want to improve, and adding accolades to my resume is one way of doing so. I know it’ll open many doors and allow me to build countless relationships. I take this opportunity seriously and I will continue to strive until I cross the finish line.

Thankfully, my everyday routine is fairly busy and productive. Beginning with strong leadership and communication skills, I mostly display this when I’m working. Certain tasks require more than one person or are better suited for more than one person to work on. When these tasks arise I communicate with my coworkers as to which activities I believe are best to focus on. I’ll let them know that I’ll focus on a certain section to make the process quicker and more efficient. This allows us to quickly get our job done and prevent an overload of work. Resilience is, in my book, when one can roll with the punches despite them coming fast and frequently. Being able to not crack under pressure. The sport I do is a great example of resilience. I mostly train 6 out of 7 days a week. It takes a lot of resilience since I’m tired from school and work. In the beginning, this caused me to get hit more than usual and sluggishly arrive at training sessions. I adjusted though, I got more sleep, spent less downtime (time on the phone/computer), and implemented more nutritious foods in my diet. This was difficult because the bad habits I had to change were comfortable. Since changing said habits, I now have enough energy throughout the day to handle all three of my duties. Sometimes my job gets hectic and it sometimes occurs when I’m about to clock out. Instead of doing the selfish thing and saying, “Deuces!”, as soon as my time is up, I’m considerate of my coworkers. There’ve been several instances when it was 10-15 minutes past my clocking out time and I’ve stayed because I knew my coworker would have trouble dealing with the workload alone. Determination and a strong work ethic, are something that hurts at times, something that involves moments where you have to drag yourself. The first thing that comes to mind is boxing. There have been countless times when I loathed training. I just wanted to stay in bed and sleep a few more hours, but I got up to run on the trails of Griffith Park at 4 AM. When I got there it was only more pain; the cold weather that lets you see your breath. There’ve been many more times when I’d still go to spar with my opponent, despite feeling like I was going toward death. The fear was something I’d never felt, the unpredictability of what can happen in the ring. I overcame this with determination, I knew this is what it took to get better, and I can say with certainty that I was correct. Having my own product-based business is my career goal, I want to be able to provide value to people with my innovations and creativity. I also believe that it aligns with my personality, I’m an active person that always needs to be doing something. This is why I’m pursuing a BA in economics. I know I’ll have to deal with numbers and be knowledgeable of the market and its quirks. Leadership is a combination of many things, just like the leader is chosen because of his many qualities. Leadership is first and foremost, leading others to greatness with an established course of action. Then it’s taking responsibility for your shortcomings, but also being a role model for those around you. Leadership is having many qualities that cater to your follower's emotional and physical needs.

The experience, contrary to the portrayal seen on social media and the news, isn’t one that is pleasant. There are many effects that it had on me and still linger; many that I hadn’t realized while growing up with a single mom. One that’s obvious but not spoken much about, is the anxiety it causes. When my mother was near a male, whether it was a colleague, friend, etc. I would always have an amount of anxiety. She’s a small woman and men are naturally stronger than women, so I would continuously feel like I had to keep an eye out for her. There wasn’t an older male figure in my life I could look up to and think, “I feel safe with you and I can let my guard down when you're around.”. I’ve since greatly improved in that aspect but there’s always a tinge of anxiety when there’s a stranger around any female person I care for. Another impactful effect was low confidence. With my mother continuously working and me lacking a strong father figure there really weren't many affirmations of the accomplishments I had growing up. The “good job, keep going” or “I’m proud of you”, I heard were far and few. This isn’t something I realized until my later teen years. I thought everybody was unconfident, that everyone had something they wanted to change about themselves. In my mid teens I realized that it isn’t like that. Many people, since their youth, have been secure of themselves, they’ve been socially successful, they’ve been comfortable reaching for their top-shelf goals. To me, this was a shock. I would always go the “safe route”, meaning I wouldn’t want to get anybody mad, I wouldn’t dare do anything that might get me in trouble with the authorities (authorities referring to school staff, parents, etc.), or I wouldn’t put myself in a position where there was a high chance of failure or embarrassment; I was a people pleaser. My lack of confidence pushed me to want to be liked by everyone. Since my realization I’ve dug myself out of the mud and have put myself out there. I’ve joined boxing, I attend a university where I knew 0 people going in, I’ve attended numerous events despite feeling discomfort. All in all, I’ve been doing good for myself. Though the impact it’s had on me is mostly negative I don’t want this to make the readers think I don’t hold my mother in high regard. I love my mother to bits, and she makes it apparent she loves me to atoms. She cares for me, checks up on me daily, and wants to spend time with me. Her love is something that inspires me; knowing that someone cares for me and not only says they do but displays it. Her level of dedication to my brother and I; when I’m hungry or need a favor she doesn't make a stank face or do it with disdain, she happily caters. When she’s coming home from work she calls me and asks if my brother and I want anything; consideration and thoughtfulness. The support she provides allows my brother and I to be able to focus on our goals and thrive in our given fields. In conclusion, my mother’s love and compassion is something I greatly admire. It’s something I’ve seldom encountered in this world, sometimes even I lack it. I will continue to succeed in academics, health, and wealth due to my will to win, the support from those around me, and last but not least, my mother.

Generational wealth is wealth passed on from one family generation to the next. I believe when most mention the term generational wealth they don’t understand the magnitude of assets and capital it requires. Generational wealth, to me, is being able to provide a different set of human beings with a comfortable lifestyle. A comfortable lifestyle means an abundance of food, clothing, entertainment, and most importantly, health. I think this is a beautiful thing, especially since you’re able to provide it for your bloodline. This is something great people achieve and are taking the first step towards establishing and securing the prosperity of their family tree. Attaining wealth is my major goal, but it’s too general, so I split it into sections. There are goals I have in the area of stocks, there are goals I have in the area of savings, and there are goals I have in my desired career path. Of course, there are many other tiny sections, but these are the main 3 things I think about daily. Stocks are long-term for me, I know it’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. Stocks are an effective way for me to build up money while hardly doing much. I might research a company, read a couple of news articles about them just to decide which company I think is worth investing in, but aside from that, it’s minimal work. So far I’ve had good ROI, and I will continue to hold and progress toward generational wealth. Achieving generational wealth requires saving, and I know I’ll have to be disciplined in my spending. This has led me to introspect on my purchases; I ask myself the following questions: Do I truly need this? Will this make me more money later on? Will this be a good investment in my health? Many times the answer is no to all those questions. I then stop myself from buying the product and save more money. A simple way of saving money for me is a high-yield savings account. I understand that it won’t bring back a significant amount of money, but it helps to earn a few dollars while my money is hibernating. The most essential factor of the 3 is my career choice. I’m currently an economics major and I’ve been getting close to deciding on my career choice. I’m set on being a product-based businessman though I know the market can be difficult to get into and is unreliable at times. This has led me to pursue a well-cushioned backup career in accounting. I will also consider using it to finance the products I wish to create, and when I’m eventually successful with a product I’ll branch out to solely being a product-based businessman.

Clean living means three things to me, the food I put in my body, my personal hygiene, and the cleanliness of my environment. Clean living is mandatory for good mental health. Eating Hot Cheetos for breakfast won’t fuel you up for the necessary tasks that come in the later day. Smelling like cheese won’t produce a mouth watering effect for other people, you’re not a pizza. Walking into a room that looks like it was used as a Rage Cage after a long day of work or school isn’t good for one’s mental wellbeing. Living cleanly is one of the major components of living a good life, many in the religious sector even say, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”. The food you put in your body results in the way you feel mentally, physically, and emotionally. When I eat, I make sure the foods I eat fulfill my daily nutritional needs and that they don’t possess too much fat or sodium. I also make sure to not eat too much in order to prevent bloating. This allows me to efficiently engage in my daily activities, which consists of academics, working, and boxing. If I were to not eat clean I’d feel sluggish and heavy, instead I feel energized and ready for whatever the world throws at me. This connects to my success; if I were to perform poorly on any of the activities above it’d certainly be because of tiredness or a bad mood, which my diet prevents. This is why I believe clean eating is essential. Personal hygiene is something I not only value in myself, but in others as well. I know people value it in me as well. I wouldn’t want to be around someone with poor hygiene, and I’m sure people wouldn’t want to be around me if I had poor hygiene. I’m certain the friends and people I’ve connected with wouldn’t have associated with me if I had poor hygiene. So I guess I’m coming to the conclusion that hygiene helps one form relationships, at least relationships with quality people. It also gives a confidence boost; walking through the door of your classroom smelling and looking like a million bucks does something to you. Personal hygiene is the key to a fulfilling life with fulfilling relationships, this is why it is essential. Last, but certainly not least, the cleanliness of one’s room/environment. There’s been studies done, and the results come out to a clean room correlating with a positive mental state, and cleaning your room has shown to improve focus. This in itself is proof of the importance of this point. Personally, before leaving for work or class in the morning I make sure to tidy up my desk space and make my bed. I don’t want to come home tired having to clean up. It also allows me to instantly relax, I get to have a clean space to do my work on or have a neat bed to throw myself on. In conclusion, all these correlate with each other and promote the well being of all health categories. I can guarantee that even implementing two of these will make a significant change in your life, and will eventually lead to you performing the third one. By being disciplined in cleanliness within these three categories, my quality of life has skyrocketed, and I will continue to do so by consistently performing these duties.

Learning is the key to greatness; everyone begins their journey in anything as a novice. In my 18 years on this earth I’ve learned many things: English, boxing, and many other joys in life. Learning these subjects have allowed me to thrive and be in the position I’m eternally grateful for. Elaborating on a subject I’m grateful for, one many find boring, and some might even mistakenly label it as trivial: English. To clarify, when I say English I mean in terms of grammar, words, and definitions. Learning English has allowed me to be able to communicate effectively. The reason I’m so adamant about its positive effect is because of the improvements in my communicating abilities from a few years ago to now. Previously, I’d always get frustrated at my inability to express my thoughts, whether it be when I was displeased or when I came up with an idea. I’d be verbose in my explanations with little success in making the other person(s) understand me. The big shift came when I started to read and do daily English activities. I also built a habit of searching up the definition of a word I didn’t know the meaning of. This allowed me to expand my vocabulary and enhance my writing skills. This in turn led to me writing more papers which only added to my skill. English has had a tremendous impact on me and I’m looking forward to continuing learning it. One of my learned subjects that may come out of left field for the readers is boxing. I wholeheartedly believe that almost every man on this planet earth would love to have the ability to fight. The only thing stopping them is the discipline needed and the fear-inducing nature of the sport. I started not even knowing how to move correctly, I was stiff, slow, and had little endurance. Despite the pain from punches and grueling workouts, there was something in me burning to keep learning. I continued to train, I went to sparring matches in other gyms; context: if you spar at another gym, it goes without saying the opponent is going to try to beat on you like a pinata. To be clear, there were many times I was deathly afraid of going, the anxiety I got on the car trip to the opponent’s gym was uncanny to anything I’ve ever felt. Despite these unpleasant emotions I went through with it, and as one of the greatest boxers ever, Muhammad Ali, said, “We can’t be brave with out fear.”. I plan to continue learning by indulging in the uncomfortable, it might hurt my brain from thinking, or it might hurt my body from punches, but I will enthusiastically continue to learn. I will continue to write, like I am right now, I will continue to read books that stimulate my mind, and I will continue to exercise until I can’t.

Life guarantees two things, hardships and taxes. When I think about hardships in my life I tend to take a few seconds to think of one. Not because I’ve not experienced them, in fact I’ve experienced many, but because I tend to forget about them and focus on the present and the future. A hardship that stands out is an episode of depression I experienced a few years back. Maybe right now it might seem miniscule to me, it might seem like a problem that was easily fixable. The more I ponder on it I start to realize that’s far from the actual case. I remember experiencing anguish, I remember feeling alone despite being surrounded by many. I felt like no one would understand what I was going through, I couldn’t enjoy my daily activities anymore. I can state this with certainty, this was the toughest obstacle of my life so far, and I’ve been through fractured bones, losses of loved ones, and heartbreak. God, time, and the Sweet Science (boxing) helped me out of this ditch. I remember coming to God and asking him to make the pain stop. I'd try to negotiate and promise to be on my best behavior eternally, if only he would just negate the pain. Over time the wounds healed, there were days where I still felt low and didn’t even have a sliver of hope. Even on those days I prayed to him, I had faith in him. Eventually, I felt the results, I would be able to interact better, I’d have a little more pep in my step, I actually saw a future for myself. Fast forward to today, I thank him, I’m grateful for everything I have. I’m grateful for my senses, my housing, my family’s health; there’s so many things I’m grateful for, and I owe it to God. Boxing came towards the end of my depressive episode, I remember watching a boxing movie called Creed. It inspired me to chase that glory one feels in the ring. That feeling of being able to have your hand raised after a fight. It allowed me to channel any extreme energy, positive or negative, into the ring. It allowed me to display and build character, and it helped me build confidence in myself. It’s truly a beautiful sport that requires everything of you, and I believe it’s the sport that fits who I am. Presently, I’ve gotten way better and continue to do so. I’ve been through waves of emotions from fear and disappointment, to joy and excitement. These experiences have allowed me to develop emotional intelligence. I’d say a higher emotional intelligence than the average person. Keeping my emotions under control has been easier since I’ve realized that I’ve been through much worse and came out on top. In terms of relationships it’s allowed me to make more friends and understand people. Sometimes a friend might not be talkative one day, it’s fine, I understand they might not feel the best or just want to have silent peace. I’ve felt that before and I understand people’s emotions fluctuate from time to time just like mine. When people worry about their circumstances, instead of downplaying it, I listen, I listen intently and offer help. I’ve learned from my experiences that sometimes we humans tend to overthink. These hardships have made a better brother, son, and friend. The only thing I can do now is continue progressing towards my goals and thank God, my family, and those who’ve provided me opportunities like this scholarship. Thank you.

Growing up in “Little Mexico”, also known as Boyle Heights, hispanic culture is tattooed to my soul. I’m currently a sophomore at UC Santa Barbara, and my family is from Acapulco, Mexico. I remember fragments of our living situation when I was a child. Cockroaches, having to share a room with more than 1 person, and moving from place to place. It wasn’t horrible, it just wasn’t ideal. Aside from that aspect of my upbringing there’s something I’m truly grateful I grew up with. The perspective I gained from being in a Hispanic household and community. A perspective that consists of toughness, intelligence, and good ol’ hard work. Toughness comes from adversity, and my family faced financial troubles, people trying to take advantage of them, and many other challenges. Growing up in this, I’d say it gave me thicker skin. I don’t crumble under pressure, even when I’m anxious about whatever I’m going to do. It also has allowed me to be grateful for my blessings, big and small. For example, I’m joyous that I’m able to have breakfast under a roof, after getting out of a comfortable bed, and being able to choose from a selection of foods. That’s why any minor inconvenience is nothing to me, since I’ve faced greater problems before. Then comes the other side of toughness, that physical toughness, that grit. My family and I had to figuratively fight tooth and nail, and to me those times where your emotional and mental health is strained, is more painful than any physical affliction. This led me to join boxing, the only sport you don’t play, the only sport where your objective isn’t to evade the opponent, but to hurt them until they can’t fight back. There was a significant amount of fear that I faced before I started, even now, I still do at times. Though the grace of god and toughness that was built into me has allowed me to continue in this beautiful sport. Intelligence and hard work are connected for me. I know there’s no cheat code to success, hard work is part of the equation, but it doesn't add up to the answer without intelligence. It’s common knowledge that Hispanic households, especially Mexican ones, value hard work. For Christ’s sake, my mother worked while she was pregnant with me, and it wasn’t the early stages either, I’m talking about baby-kicking pregnant. Seeing my mother work day in and out rubbed off on me. It showed me the value of money and where it comes from. At the same time she had to work hard, too hard in my opinion. She would come home exhausted and wouldn’t get to spend much time with me while I was growing up. This allowed me to develop enough intelligence to not have to work a full time job, while being able to diversify my money, (e.g stocks, high-yield savings, etc.). This has given me the perspective of the old saying, “work smarter, not harder”. In conclusion, I’m appreciative of my upbringing, and believe the way I see the world is beneficial to me and will continue to bring me great things. I will continue to display the values by working hard at my job, while being an intelligent full-time student, and being tough in and out of the boxing ring.

Mental health is the foundation of a human being. One's morals, values, and actions all come from the brain. There are many wealthy people who have access to a lavish lifestyle, a lifestyle that many would look at and think, “If I had that lifestyle, I’d never be sad.”. Unfortunately that is not true, as we see many of these wealthy people committing suicide or falling into addiction. My point is, it all starts with mental health. I will elaborate on why I believe mental health is essential and what I do to maintain mine. Whenever you wake up and see your schedule is filled up, a healthy mind can appreciate it and execute the tasks excellently throughout the day. Contrary to the healthy mind, an unhealthy mind might not even complete any of the tasks, and if it does, it would do so with disdain and laziness, resulting in subpar results. This becomes a domino effect in which your performance in daily activities affects the quality of your life. If you do school work with no effort, your grades will suffer. If you exercise when you feel like it, you won’t see any results. If you’re not willing to do more than the bare minimum, your life will provide you with only enough to live. Those around you are also affected by your mental health. Some people call it energy, others call it mood. If you're constantly in a state of depression because of poor mental health, it will eventually affect those around you. It will most likely cause them to distance themselves from you, sending you further down the spiral of depression. For those who would try to work their way through it with you; for example, your family, it would bring them down as well, and in a way you’re indirectly bringing down those you love. I’m not always in the best of moods, it’s normal, humans have fluctuating emotions. Though, my goal is to be happy most of the time, and what I do to achieve that is to have a routine. A routine that focuses on the following: physical health, emotional health, and progression. Each of these is a major contributor to a healthy mind. For physical health, I do boxing, this is one of the most rigorous sports in the world, and with the amount of dedication I’ve put into it, it has granted me great physical health. One and a half hour boxing workouts paired with running 3 miles under 23 minutes, makes for a healthy body to mind connection. For emotional health I make sure to surround myself with friends. I either study, eat, or find some other way to bond with great people. Humans are social creatures and isolating ourselves will only eat away at our brain. Progression, I believe this is the most important one of the 3. Complacency or being stagnant has an adverse effect on the human mind. I’ve read somewhere that the reason time passes too fast for some people is because of repetitiveness in an individual's schedule. It would have hurt me to not go to college and see everyone else moving up in life while I stayed behind. It would hurt me to have the same boxing ability I had when I first started. It would have destroyed me to hear about people’s experiences while I laid in bed back home. I always like to do at least one thing everyday that is aligned with my long-term goals. It gives me pride knowing I’m not in the same place, even if the move wasn’t major.

The feeling of dirt ground before going to sleep seems, to me, a very unfortunate feeling. Bugs, dust, and allergens having easy access to you; back pain, sleepless nights. Now, picture the relief of living in a house, with air conditioning, beds, and a shower, after having to go through, not only the aforementioned situation, but the grueling labor needed to get out of it. This is my family’s story, one that inspired me; one that molded my values and beliefs I presently possess. Having my own room is a privilege I acknowledge; having to not only sleep with an excessive amount of people in the same room, but sleeping on the floor as well, is a very uncomfortable thought for me. This portion of the story has implemented gratitude in me, because I’ve grown up appreciating my situation. Knowing billions of people around the world live through tragedy everyday, I make sure not to take precious moments with those I care for, for granted. It is one of the reasons I adamantly believe in memories over materialistic gain. Proceeding that story, we run into blood, sweat, and tears. My family escaping that situation wasn’t an overnight fairytale, they had to go through ugly livelihood circumstances, 12+ hours of work, and the incompleteness of healthy familial relationships. After all the heartache, they now reside in the land of opportunity, have steady income, and live in a house with food in the fridge. To some this might seem simple; to my family this is what they dreamed of. This has implemented the, “There’s no substitute for hard work”, and, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.”, mindsets in me. I know to reach the luxuries in life one must toil for them, if it was easy to obtain, everybody would have it. This is why I make sure to perform in what I do, because I desire greatness, I know what I need to do. This has led me to wanting to be an entrepreneur. Elaborating, to prevent any eye rolls, I want to run a product based business. The steps I’ve taken so far are involving myself with a successful businessman and surrounding myself with a community of those who, not only want to do it, but are actually taking action. I’ve also taken a course on economics and will continue to do so as I progress in college; all this while taking practical advice from said businessman. I’m currently exploring products that would be of popular demand in the upcoming years. This all ties into my life mindset, because the purpose of entering this field is to create passive income. I want to open my time up in the future to create memories; to be able to experience the world without worrying about waking up early or having to set up events on a constricted schedule. This, to me, is one of the most blissful things in life. In conclusion, my family has provided me with a good foundation in terms of success. I will make sure the several depressing years they’ve experienced will not go in vain, and when they see their son on top of the mountain, they will cry, not ones of anguish, but of joy.

A change in culture for those in low-income/colored communities is a necessity for a major change such as this one. Violence, mediocrity and negativity is widely accepted in these groups. We as a society need to get away from promoting things such as unrealistic celebrity lifestyles or rewarding immoral behavior. It all starts and ends with the education system. One might say that focusing on violence in colored communities is too narrow, since it only affects those in the community. That claim would be false, increasing violence anywhere should be seen as a cup being filled; eventually it’ll spill all over the table (other communities). Whether it’s out of neighborhood crime or an influence in other communities, it’s certainly a problem we should all address. The change here would be to provide a contrast to that of childrens’ daily dangerous lives. Safety, security, and attention is all a child craves growing up, so if the government could strictly enforce good standards to public schools, I can guarantee that there will be much more people effectively garnering education. Mediocrity is a harsh word, but it is an accurate one to describe the standards of many today. Public schools are content with the bare minimum; attending school and passing is enough. Scholarships, internships, and education based programs should be advertised and to a certain extent, mandatory. Specifically, the requirement of completing one scholarship each month or one internship each school year. This would certainly open many doors for students and prepare them for college/adult life. Lack of self-belief/negativity is something I believe plagues our communities. Not being able to see yourself getting any further than going to work, coming back, maybe going on the occasional vacation. I’ve been there and have been around people who’ve thought like this. Exploration/Resources are the cure to this disease, see that there’s a world bigger than your hometown, see that there’s people who look just like you achieving extraordinary feats. Once we realize our potential is when we truly start living life.

Everyday, when I wake up I set daily goals, things that need to be done before the end of the day. Accomplishing these goals doesn’t go in vain. I make sure that these goals lead to a greater goal. Connecting this to the prompt, I consider this brave, because everyday I get closer and closer to said goal. It might sound ridiculous but aiming for a large goal is intimidating. Failure, pain, and obstacles are guaranteed in this process. Missing the mark could produce severe thoughts of low self-esteem and have other real world adverse effects, which is the scary part. Extreme effort into this goal and still failing could lead to a very low point in life, but my courage and certainty of success allows me to proceed like a fire walker crossing a path of scorching stones. One goal in particular, is to have my first boxing amateur bout before the summer ends. The bout in itself is already a guarantee of physical pain, but the performance anxiety prior to stepping in the ring stings much worse than any punch. I’ve been training week after week, not just physically, but mentally. Going into a sport where the objective is to hurt your opponent as opposed to scoring a goal; Where training as hard as possible still may not be enough to win, is in my opinion, living boldly. I don’t want to live a life contemplating what I could’ve or should’ve done, this life is one of a kind and I plan to reach the stars.

Struggle was common to me, similar to other kids of single mothers. Unfavorable housing conditions, lack of feeling safe, and missing out on the crucial experience a child has with a father. Growing up, I couldn’t describe what I felt, all I knew was that I was scared for a reason I couldn’t pinpoint, I felt left out and unable to relate to many kids. Throughout all of this though, the perseverance and grueling labor from my mother was implemented into me. Raising a kid isn’t something to play with; it isn’t a walk in the park. Nine times out of ten, a single mother isn’t going to have the capacity to have enough money to live on her own and/or be able to spend time with the child. This being the case for me, we lived with many people growing up. We started at my biological father’s place, we then had to move to my mother’s aunt’s place, due to unfortunate reasons. Now, you’d think that moving into a family member’s place of residency is guaranteed safety. Sadly, that wasn’t the case; I won’t go into detail, but let’s just say, sometimes those closest to you have the worst intentions. Now that I’m able to reflect logically, I can come to the conclusion as to why I’ve always felt anxious and continue to slightly struggle with the same emotion presently. It’s because I’ve never had a stable, stress-free environment growing up. Knowing what the root of the problem has definitely helped me, and I know I might not ever be fully fixed, but I’m certain I’m on the path to live a minimal-stress life. The problems I had at home made me become a mommy’s boy for a while, (not that I had a choice, get it, because I’m literally a mommy’s boy). Mommy’s boy, to me, means afraid of failure and lack of boldness. Growing up I was always a good noodle, the thought of receiving a bad grade or getting a red card terrified me. Another symptom of mommy’s boy syndrome was that the only person I would truly feel comfortable with was my mother. Around other adult figures I would be meek and scared to request anything. I bring this up because I believe a healthy child, especially a healthy male child, should be bold and is inclined to rebel every once in a while. This led to the dynamic I had with my then friends, I was the one they cracked the most jokes on and I wouldn’t say anything most of the time due to fear of retaliation. Through the years, I do believe this led me to acting up, specifically in middle school by performing poorly in classes. Learning to be bold and get rid of the fear of failure/rejection has been a rough journey but I’ve definitely improved and will keep doing so. Regardless, I garnered positive attributes from my experience. Going through these experiences has definitely allowed me to be able to gain knowledge on what to do and what not to do. The inspiration I got from my mother was her consistency, she had to go to work 8+ hours at least 6 out of the 7 days in a week. She was able to obtain necessities and luxuries for us, which allowed a form of enrichment for me, since I never had to experience homelessness or starvation. Overall, I want to appreciate my mom for never giving up and making it to where she is now.

Knowledge is power, goes the famous saying. Which is technically true, but it is only a portion of the equation to success. Taking action and implementing that knowledge garnered is the true key to greatness. This is what education has allowed me to do, to practice my knowledge on assignments and projects. Education has also allowed me to thrive in today’s information age, while opening up vast opportunities to me that I'd otherwise would have missed out on. Learning about English seemed pointless to me. Why would anyone need to learn about the English language to an extent where there’s a course dedicated to it? Expression is the answer to that. Humans are social creatures and love to express themselves, while also admiring those who confidently do so. This subject in education made me realize that English/Language is essential, essential for one’s mental health, avoiding conflict and the ability to interact. After this realization I’ve been keen on pronouncing and enunciating my words, paired with speaking in a calm tone and appropriate pace. Math was always a challenge for me, I knew it was important, but as I grew up I realized the world revolved around math. Measurements of buildings, commercial plane piloting and so much more. It’s such an intricate practice, one that requires patience and being able to spot errors like a hawk. As math has started to become frequent in my life, due to my major, I realize that many high paying jobs require math skills, so I’ve come to the conclusion that one cannot escape from math. Even in the daily life of the average human being, math is required: taxes, paychecks, bill calculations. Being educated has opened my mind to realize the importance of mathematics on this earth. Reality is a byproduct of education, knowing that great things in life require sacrifice. Knowing that whatever seems too good to be true in all likelihood, is too good to be true. Knowing what’s wrong from right to avoid tragedies and avoidable mistakes. Essentially, education has saved me from committing many unnecessary faults, ones in which I see many who didn’t have the opportunity for an education, commit. I’ll make sure my future kids will be as educated as possible, not only for themselves but to aid those around them. In fact, I believe all should strive to be educated, for we cannot stay in power and continue this privileged lifestyle (in America) without being educated.

Each individual dollar is an employee, make it work for you. Before learning this I thought that keeping cash was useful. Though it can be, it’s not useful considering my income level. After learning this I’d started to look into passive income opportunities and investments that open up other money gates. The first topic I researched after receiving this advice was stocks. Since I’m a novice and understand my limitations I’ve been using Cash App stocks. Aside from that I’ve been taking trusted advice from those experienced in the area. I’ve also been looking at lectures about stock and have learned the basics. Which consist of only focusing on stocks with a downward trend, looking into what the purpose of the company is, and looking at the latest news regarding said company. So far I haven’t had to cut any losses and I’m confident in my investment selections. Secondly, looking into investing into ideas that have the potential to produce financial gain. One I’ve recently thought about is producing my own garment, specifically a track suit, possiblly suede. At first I wanted to produce it because I’d think it’d be stylish. After taking the advice mentioned, I believe that this is something many would be interested in, especially women, since I believe they are more inclined to appreciate the fabric of clothing. In conclusion, there were many other things I was thinking of mentioning, one being real estate, but I didn’t because I don’t want to delve into something I’ve not yet thoroughly researched and am knowledgeable about. Still, these two mentioned will certainly be making my dollars work for me, now and in the future.

My favorite book is “The Black Box”. This book contains a series of anecdotes of the life of a great man. His name is Marquett Davon Burton, who also happens to be the author. As he and many other readers of the book have stated, “It reads like a movie”. One reason I’m enamored with this book is because of the sequence of the stories. Though it is not exactly a day by day process, it goes in depth into his youth to adulthood journey. As he recounts his experiences, each individual chapter contains a lesson, something the reader should have picked up, and something he learned. This is a major contributor to the readability of this book. It isn’t just exciting stories with a lack of substance, it’s actually educational; as he likes to say, it’s “edutainment”. I’m connecting this to the sequences because you can analyze how he has implemented the lessons he’s learned over his years. While he changes his life for the better. You’d expect these exciting stories to be fiction, which in a sense takes away the joy you get from reading it, at least in my opinion. To the probable surprise of many, it’s all real. I have no doubt of it because I’ve personally interacted with him and have seen his personality/merit. All these stories being non-fiction only helps create the image of what you’re reading. In conclusion, this book is almost as enjoyable as watching a movie, a book that I have garnered knowledge from while being entertained. This is a fine read I recommend for all, especially young men.

I’d say the biggest problem plaguing the world currently is world hunger. There are many of those in third world countries with limitless potential, but unable to put it to use because of lack of resources, mainly the basics, one of which is food. We, as in the human race, are already taking action through charities and other philanthropic measures. Although I know we can do more, and I have come up with 2 courses of action we can implement as a starting point. Seven hours of mandatory philanthropic work a week from all, I know the obstacle of daily life for the average person could get in the way, and that’s where we provide some sort of pay. It doesn’t necessarily have to be money; food stamps, gift cards or coupons are three of the many available options. This would allow people to work at least two hours less than usual, which is more than enough to be able to get in hours for the seven hours of work before the week ends. If even half of the world were to participate in this, it would make a major impact on those without food in their community, which would significantly decrease the food-deprived population. My second would be supporting farm placements in the environments where it’s needed. Not only will those in need be receiving food, they’d be receiving fresh, healthy food. Small taxes on businesses around the world, of course the tax differentiating depending on income level, would be the ideal source of income for the organization, while also slightly raising sales tax to involve consumers in the fight against world hunger.

“Persistence overcomes resistance” - Marquett Davon Burton. A time I vividly remember is when I started boxing. Watching boxing fights and documentaries had me believing that I could get near their level in a short amount of time. During my first few months I was doing well, possibly due to the level of competition I sparred. One day this guy walks in, with the most prestigious boxing gear with a boxing organization shirt. Now me, being a tad bit overconfident, believed it would be either a competitive fight or I would totally destroy him. As I step in the ring I’m already setting my game-plan; the timer rings and we touch gloves. My first few punches miss, I don’t think much of it, after all I was warming up. The second round commences, I keep missing and start to get tired because of how much I’m thinking and missing. The third round begins, I throw a right hand and hit air, I throw another, he catches me straight on the nose, no big deal, I throw another right and miss, and he again catches me on the nose. Though this time, my nose is busted, I start leaking like a broken pipe. By the end of the fight I realized what happened, he completely outclassed me. After this, my ego was hurt, I questioned if I was even getting better. Despite this unfortunate event, I didn’t quit. I kept training, even with a sore/sensitive nose. In each training session after that I focused on fixing a miniscule problem. This led to the avalanche effect of getting a great result out of small improvements. Recently, I’ve put on the same performance against someone I’ve previously had competitive matches with, so it’s safe to say I’ve overcome my stagnancy of boxing skill.

Generosity means contributing to the advancement of others with little to no benefit for you aside from spreading goodness. Philanthropy is an example of generosity, donating to organizations, volunteering for events, etc. Diving deeper into what generosity means to me; generosity is a show of great character combined with expressing gratitude for your own circumstances. Elaborating on the first part mentioned, one of great character wants to see others doing well. Great, wealthy and well-liked people have always done some sort of philanthropic work. In order for one to get to the “top”, metaphorically, they need to build connections with others, and in order to form relationships with others you have to possess positive traits. In this case, generosity would be a trait that aids in making a great person. Basically, generosity is something someone with a top tier personality has. Generosity also is sharing abundance, giving what you have much of to those who lack it. It doesn’t have to be material, it could come in the form of emotional support, knowledge and more. Sharing abundance alludes to wealth, richness. What I’m saying is, one who is generous most likely is wealthy, meaning that generosity, to me, is abundance within oneself or externally. Being grateful for your own position in life is also a reason I believe generosity occurs. One is happy with where they are at and want to see others experience what they have. A real life example I think of is a successful businessman, who takes time out of his day for consultations to guide striving businessmen. He’s tremendously busy and could relax instead, he could be making more money than he does from his consultations, but chooses to spread invaluable knowledge instead. That is why I believe that generosity comes from happiness in one’s life.

The wisest thing I’ve heard came from my mentor, Marquett Davon Burton. “Be yourself, Be good to yourself, be good to good people. He calls this the “three sentence bible/torah/quran”; I’d assume he calls it that to allude to it’s short yet impactful teachings of values. Inadequacy is something many feel in their lifetime, specifically inadequacy within themselves. This causes many to put on a fake personality or lie about their possessions. The first line encompasses coming to terms with reality and loving yourself, so you could live life with maximum inner happiness. Sometimes we get caught up in wanting to help everyone else besides ourselves, this causes us to stretch ourselves thin and not be able to efficiently help. Alongside that, we can’t give what we don’t possess, ie, if we aren’t happy we can’t spread joy, if we don’t have resources, we can’t fund those who lack it. That’s why I believe that second part is so critical. When we grow up, it’s heartbreaking to find out that the world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. We come to learn that there are many evil-natured individuals roaming the streets, there are going to be many who dislike you, sometimes for no valid reason. The rhetoric you heard growing up about always helping family no matter what, will be something you have to subside from your mind. “...be good to good people” is a worded form of exchanging positive energy. Sharing wealth with those who have your interest at heart, those who will not kick you while you’re down. This part impacted me the most and saved me time, money and other resources. Shoutout to Marquett Davon Burton, The Saint and the Sinner, The Big Homie, The Mayor of Las Vegas, I truly appreciate the wisdom, Saint.

One of my biggest goals for the future is to create passive income. The common reasoning for many who want to achieve this consists of wanting to avoid labor, specifically a 9-5. This is true for me as well, but it is paired with other reasons. I want to be able to fulfill my life purpose, which is to enjoy life, and the way I find enjoyment is by giving experiences to those I care for. I strive to be able to play a significant role in my kids’ lives, I want to be able to take my mom out of the ghetto and show her things she’d never thought she’d see. Elaborating on my passive income goal; whether it’s through stocks, a product based business, or an index fund, the ultimate goal is a reasonable amount of money to allow those around me and I to enjoy at least 2 vacations each year. I’ve already began by investing in certain stocks and inquiring about index funds through those who’ve invested and the internet. On the flip side, I’ve been obtaining knowledge from a successful businessman about product based businesses. I’d say I’m on a good track to my goal, and my progress is only going to rapidly increase; I know I will reach my destination.

Nature is grand, yet natural; it wasn't man made. The mountains you see didn't come from a 3D printer, the trees you see aren’t made of plastic, the rivers you hear are flowing without a machine. Nature is a great escape from our now tech advanced world. Sometimes solitude in our apartment isn't enough, that's what nature is there for. The love I have for nature is one that arises when I lay my eyes on it. When I would go running in the trails of Griffith Park, getting to the top for the first time felt primitive. It felt primitive in a good way, a sense of gratification video games can’t give me. Relaxation is also a huge part of why I love nature. Jobs, social pressure, or school can’t reach me while I’m on the trails, I can’t hear the news notifications on my phone over the raging waterfall. In short, it’s an escape from the real world; which is ironic because nature is the “real world”, but we as humans have strayed so far from our roots that it is now seen as a luxury. I appreciate nature by spending minimal time on my cellular device, actually, all devices. I like to have silence and let nature produce it’s unique ambience. A major way I appreciate nature is by doing my part in keeping it clean, I will not litter, disturb natural habitats, or I will pick up small pieces of trash and discard them appropriately. In conclusion, nature is a form of therapy to me, and I know as I have more time available, I will increasingly indulge in it.

Treating others with empathy separates one from the average person. Many like to say they’re empathetic, but let an ounce of a negative emotion arise from a situation and they will automatically disqualify you. I’m a natural analyzer, when I see interactions, conversations, etcedera, I tend to take note of everything. Everything meaning, body language, context and tonation. When I practice empathy, I make sure it’s appropriate. If someone is late for uncontrollable circumstances, I let them know that I understand where they are coming from and I’m not angry. If someone during work looks down and is in a negative mood, instead of pushing them to work harder or talk about it, I let them enjoy the silence or converse with them on positive topics to get their mind out of the gutter. In short, I take note of their situation, if negative, and accommodate my approach to them. Another is just listening, keeping my mouth shut and allowing the other person to speak. I do this without offering unsolicited advice, because I know sometimes people just want to vent or I don’t know the whole story. So I just sit back and listen, then if I do speak, I make sure it’s appropriate and meaningful. This is how I’m empathetic towards one's feelings and words.

Confidence is a strong thing, it’s something many purport to have, but few genuinely possess it. In terms of social settings, confidence is being happy with your personality, expressing yourself with no fear of judgment. Career or hobby confidence is positivity in your ability to perform in whatever needs to be done if it’s in your area of expertise. Those two elaborations are what confidence means to me, being able to express yourself and confiding in your ability to perform. When I think about what I do to improve my own confidence I realize I do it everyday. Not long ago, I was a very shy person, who’d never initiate a conversation with a stranger. Now I find myself talking to random people on the elevator ride to my floor. This has allowed me to be around interesting and intelligent people. If I don’t know someone and we’re waiting for the same thing or have to be in proximity for any reason, I strike up a conversation. That’s how I improve my social confidence. The confidence in my ability has only improved via one method, trial and error. When I box I have to go in the ring and spar in order to be ready for an official sanctioned fight. I might get punched a few times, but I now know what to implement when the time arrives. When I get assigned to a station in my job, I have to repeat the process of work I’m instructed to do. It’s nerve-racking at times but those who don’t risk don’t succeed.

Encouraging those around you not only benefits those on the receiving end, but you as well, sometimes to a greater extent. When I encourage those around me I make sure to analyze the following: are they worthy of encouragement or are they in need of it? Those are the only ways you’ll get encouragement out of me. It sounds a bit harsh to raise the question if someone is worthy of encouragement, but it’s a reasonable one. Sometimes a person doesn’t deserve it, sometimes what they're doing isn’t mertiable for receiving praise. What I give positive encouragement to is smart work, philanthropy and success. For example, I work in a dining commune in a university, I understand it can be a fast paced, stress inducing environment, so when someone takes the time to help another worker who’s struggling with their station, I encourage and praise them. I make sure to either complement their work ethic or thank them, just to let them know I acknowledge their helpfulness. In short, I make sure to point out and complement positive action, this in turn encourages them and reinforces their behavior. Sometimes a person is feeling under the weather and it’s noticeable. That’s when you rationalize and give the person a few encouraging words. It might not turn their day right side up, but it can definitely get closer to that. If someone I know is obviously feeling bad I bring up positivity, but positivity that involves them. If they're feeling worried about an obstacle, I’ll remind them of the many other challenges they’ve triumphed over. I reaffirm that the problem is just a bump in the road, and I know that they’re one of those people who can continue to prosper.

The meaning of life is something I’ve had to experience 18 years of life in order to define. Happiness; sounds vague, I know, so I will elaborate. Happiness in relation to the prompt is memories and avoiding unnecessary stresses. Memories should almost always be prioritized over material things. When one is older one isn’t going to look back at the materials they should have purchased, but rather the places they should have gone to or the activities they should have participated in. That’s also why it’s common knowledge to not invest much energy into a career path that you won’t enjoy, that’s why 9 to 5 jobs are looked down upon. These things are seen as stress factors preventing us from reaching happiness. One of the more common practices I engage in is avoiding unnecessary stress. An example would be someone radiating negative energy. I just ignore them or stay away from them as much as possible. There’s no reason to grow gray hairs for a random human being. This is fairly easy, especially if you have a good level of emotional intelligence. The other method is going out, obviously my priorities need to be complete before I go out though. If I’m only missing 1 or 2 things that aren’t important to me I’ll go out because I know I could get around to completing it. The potential of creating a great memory is something that only comes a few times in life.

Gratitude is an emotion I’ve recently started feeling with more frequency. This result was a combination of enlightenment and experience. After being in an unfavorable environment then transitioning into one that many would consider paradise, it allowed me to come to the conclusion of implementing gratitude into my life. Everyday I wake up in a bed, looking out of a window of a 10 story dormatory while having a dining common readily available. One that lacks gratitude might not find anything spectacular or gratitude worthy in my sentence. That’s where the difference lies; I’m grateful for waking up in good health, knowing that many don’t, some don’t wake up at all. I’m grateful for waking up on a bed considering many here in America wake up on a thin layer of cloth separating their bare skin from the cold, hard concrete. I’m grateful for being in a place of social abundance, knowing some don’t have the opportunity to be around good people. Simple things aren’t so little to me, I know there’s a certain process and privilege that leads to where I am presently. Once I’m out of bed I kneel and thank God for taking care of those around me; my daily message of gratitude to God always ends with the following, “Thank you for taking care of my family, those around me and I. Please keep doing so and I love you so much.”. In short, the way I live with gratitude is by appreciating the simple things and being knowledgeable about the conditions of others.

I interpret that the prompt is referring to sticking to one's own principles, or as it is called in slang, “keeping it 100”. Every time I speak or take action I make sure it’s true to who I am. An anecdote of mine that demonstrates my claim takes place in my university dorm hall’s lobby. There was breaking news regarding Will Smith, his wife and a comedian named Chris Rock. Will Smith had “slapped” Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife. Everybody believed it was real; anybody with an IQ above 3 could tell it was staged. Everybody believed it and were talking about it in the lobby. They were shocked and the majority agreed with the popular opinion. I then speak up, obviously not using harsh language but also not wanting to insult my own intelligence, and state that it was obviously fake and used to gain viewership for the Oscars. I came to this conclusion, not only because of the blatant acting; I brainstormed the reasons why they would stage this. These are the following reasons: Nobody (exaggeration) cared about the Oscars (leading to low views), Hollywood is known to have a specific agenda and since they know many are easily prone to distraction and being fooled, they can create financial opportunities for those involved in the situation. Of course some objected to my claim, I made sure not to debate but to state my reasons for my belief and left it there. Essentially to stay committed to speaking my mind I think the situation through and speak my thoughts.

My bucket list revolves around physical, mental and social greatness. I’ve already accomplished some of my desired goals, but that hasn’t deterred me from tenaciously pursuing the rest of them. Beginning with my physical goals; physical excellence in terms of performance and aesthetic is something I take very seriously. There’s no amount of labor I won’t go through to achieve my athletic desires. To specify, I want to win at least 2 significant medals/belts in amateur boxing; boxing is one of the hardest sports in the world, and to be on top you have to possess great endurance, superb ring IQ and unmatched dedication. I know once I achieve that milestone it will be an indication of above average achievement. I’m not there yet, but considering I’ve just started in December 2020 I’d infer I’m on a fast track. Mentally; a term referring to something relating to the brain or within it. I strive to be an intellectual, to get rid of as much ignorance as possible. “Ignorance is bliss”, they say; no. Ignorance can get you hurt (referencing a statement from my mentor, Marquett Davon Burton). You can get hurt physically, emotionally and in many other ways. I’d rather be hurt with the temporary sharp pain of disappointment than be stained with the lingering consequence of ignorance (I will definitely trademark this statement). To summarize my mental goal, I want to learn as many useful subjects as possible. Socially, I’ve achieved a great part already, transforming from a kid who was afraid to ask for ketchup at the counter to one who starts up random conversations with strangers. Of course the job’s not done yet and I still have more I want to accomplish in this field, but I’m proud of my progress and consider it an achievement.

Relaxation is subjective, some relax by being alone while others are more inclined to socializing in order to relieve themselves. Being in college does put a lot of stress on an individual, so I find myself engaging in relaxation a little more than I did previously. I’d put myself near the middle of this spectrum, although I lean toward alone time. Elaborating on my methods of relaxation I’ll start with my alone time. Breakfast by myself while watching some form of entertainment is one of my more common ways of relaxation. Warm water, eggs, fruit and whatever’s on the menu in my college’s dining commons. This allows me to physically relax and get my mind to recharge from the academics and work that come with college. Another one that involves solitude is working out, of course by myself. Working out has been an essential part of keeping my mental health positive. When I partake in physical activity I either reflect on my challenges or think about the sport I love, which is boxing, there’s no in between. Also the thought of physically improving and getting better at combat comforts me. In terms of socializing, I usually partake in this after an extreme week of work or school. Especially when there are midterms or finals; after I’ve finished and have little to no work left I make time to hangout with friends, whether it be dinner or a party, it allows me to enjoy their presence and make memories.

The Sweet Science, also known as boxing; I thought of saying physical activity but it was too general. Boxing is something so barbaric yet intricate, from the outside it might seem like a slugfest, but the best way I could describe it is a painful chess match. Boxing is physically demanding, it isn’t like a lifting workout where you train 1-2 hours and call it a day. Boxing requires you to be in the best shape possible, in terms of cardio, strength and mentally. In order to reach these goals I workout almost everyday, 6 days a week, rarely ever less than that. For cardio I go on runs that consist of a minimum of 6 miles; this isn’t only for cardio, this is for my mental reassurance. I truly believe if I’m running less than 6 miles my competition is closer to beating me. No matter the negative feelings that arise from these runs my body and mind just can’t stop. When my merciful inner voice tells me, “4 miles is enough, you have to do other things today too.”, my fighter voice then responds, “Those things can wait until I’m done, nobody’s going to outwork me.”. For strength I spar and hit the heavy bag with gloves heavier than those used in a sanctioned bout. The ones for training are either 14 or 16 ounces, this then allows me to throw with more speed while having a higher punch output during a sanctioned bout, in which the gloves weigh 10 to 12 ounces. I also make sure to study the sport like it’s a college course. I analyze high level fights, implement the training of the professionals into my own, while making sure to perfect the style of fighting that’s natural to me.

In order to give love to those around me I give them C.A.A; consideration, attention and appreciation. Each of these are similar and if you want to be broad, can be grouped into the category of attention. Although, each has its moment of implementation. Consideration, consideration is taking note of someone or their current situation when taking action or saying something. An anecdote that comes to mind is when I asked for help on an assignment from a friend. I kept in mind that prior to asking, he said he was going to get dinner, but he helped me and missed dinner. I then invited him to accompany me to a liquor store; after picking out what he wanted, I paid for it. If I didn’t have consideration I could’ve dismissed myself and bought myself something, but I acknowledged he took out valuable time to help me, so I returned the value. Attention, something many strive for, yet little genuinely receive. Something subtle I do to show attention to everyone, especially those I care for, is look at them when they speak, and let them finish. This is to display attentiveness, to non verbally say, “I hear you, I’m interested in what you’re saying”. It’s something that’s surprisingly uncommon, so in turn it makes the other person appreciate your rarity. Appreciation, verbal appreciation is my most common form of appreciation. This is not to be confused with flattery, when I verbally commend a loved one, it’s genuine. I went to a Mexican dance party, and the type of dance we did requires skills. A friend of mine was tearing up the dance floor. I complimented him on it the next time I saw him, because I genuinely admired his skill. It’s simple but impactful.

Joy is happiness; being at peace with your current situation. Joy is partaking in things you desire. It revolves around positivity, and positivity can be spread and received in many ways; mentally, physically or emotionally. Although there are certain environments where joy is void from. I’m connecting this to how I seek out joy, I avoid these places. Maybe I can’t change that environment, but I can surely allocate my presence to more positive environments. A more specific way I seek joy is by reflecting, life moves so fast that it leaves me dizzy at times. I make sure to make a limited amount of time for myself in order to think. There might be a problem I inflated in my head and then realize it isn't a big deal. There may be an upcoming deadline that I should prioritize in order to not be all over the place. It’s essentially organizing my brain’s binder. The most impactful method of joy seeking for me is self improvement. I see myself as a RPG character that increases in levels every time I go through a valuable experience. It could be taking an extra class, researching an important aspect of the career I’m pursuing, reading to improve my diction. There’s many ways I continue to better myself and I know I’ll likely never stop.

I’ve learned that I don’t lean towards giving up during difficult times. When I shoot for goals I know failure is involved in the process. An example that comes to mind in relation to this is my boxing journey. I remember when I started getting into it, I would watch boxing related youtube videos and boxing fights. I imagined myself being as good as what I was watching; being light on my feet, throwing punches at the speed of light, dodging like I was in the matrix. This, I guess you could say, motivated me. As we all know though, motivation is one of the least reliable sources of success. One is not always going to feel their best, one is not always going to feel like a million bucks. That’s when discipline comes in; I possess this trait. There were times my body hurt after training the whole week, I remember not wanting to wake up at 4am to run on the elevated trails of Griffith Park, there were times where I was petrified leading up to a sparring match. All these negative emotions, paired with moments of doubting my improvements, made me question why I was doing this sport. If I quit I could rid myself of the anxiety and turmoil that came with boxing. I didn’t owe any dedication to my trainer, right? Right, but I owed it to myself; I knew I was going to improve, I knew the pain would lessen and the amount of joy would skyrocket, and it did. Aside from the negatives, they were ants compared to the positives. The appreciation I have for the art of the sport, the adrenaline and the confidence it gives me is unmatched. To summarize, discipline is a valuable trait I learned I possessed.

Unfavorable stagnant circumstances motivate me. The thought of being in the same position years from now hurts me. When I wake up in the morning I sometimes get distracted and start scrolling through social media; it happens I’m human. Shortly after I realize my mistake I get up and get to my daily goals. I make sure these goals always contribute to my next major step even if it’s minimally progressive. Another motivation is the feeling of progress. The feeling of progress is a beautiful thing, especially when you’ve been practicing your hobby for a while. In the beginning it’s like trodding through mud, you might see some improvement early, but after those newbie gains the process of elimination begins. The process of elimination refers to the elimination of those who weren’t serious about the goal in the first place and keeping those who are. This occurs due to the dedication and discipline required to achieve a major goal, and when I get through that part of my journey it builds confidence in me. Lastly, the sacrifices people have made for me. Not just my mom, even though she’s the one who’s made most of the sacrifices, but my close friends, those outside of my immediate family and many others. Giving up would be an insult to them, it would be me taking their generosity and throwing it on the floor then stomping on it. This isn’t to say I’m reaching for success for others, but they are definitely a factor in my reason.

As I type this I’d like to think I’m in a pretty healthy state of mind, but I’m still positive it could be better. Although mental health is essential, it isn’t something I’ve handled with great care until my mid-teen years. My experience has influenced the way I handle situations, it has allowed me to be able to relax more and realize the importance of my future. A major belief that I gained from going through a time of mental turmoil was God. There was a period in my life where I was going through, what I describe as internal hell. Looking back at it I know it was something so simple, a thought that struck fear in me. Although so simple I couldn’t escape it. During the early stages I portrayed a happy high school student, thinking I just needed to keep up the act for a short period of time because it was going to pass. When it didn't, that's when I started to deteriorate; I couldn’t hold up the image any longer. I became erratic, closed off and depressed. I was sure the rest of my life was set to be like this, which is when I turned to God. I was ignorant in the beginning, thinking the change would be right away, which led to my first ever mental breakdown. It was something I’d only ever seen in movies, I would always think, “That’d never happen to me!”. I didn’t give up, I knew he could help, I knew the process of healing was going to take time. It did, it did take time, it did put me through pain, but it did heal me. Through God I learned gratefulness, for health, family and my current position. He also taught me mindfulness, working hard; previously I wouldn’t be busy which led to panicking and thinking irrationally which led to anxiety attacks. Fast forwarding to now I truly believe in having a daily schedule, gratitude and God; I know through him and these principles I will continue to prosper and get to where I’m destined to be. Relationships were also something I've never really put thought into until recently. I didn’t realize the effort they required, not saying you need to be bending over backwards for them, but rather sometimes having to make time out of a busy day for them, to understand them on their hardest days. I’m sure when I was going through my journey some had to be patient with me, a few had to see me at my lowest. Even now there are times I don’t feel uptempo which is where the critical thinking/emotional intelligence I’ve gained comes in. I’m human, everyone else around me is as well, if I’m prone to these emotions and I know they can vary from day to day, so are those around me. So if someone isn’t up for talking I won’t force it, I’ll take the hint and maybe even try to cheer them up indirectly. It could be bringing up something positive, buying them a snack they like, something centered around them. My career aspirations revolve around mental health; I’m pursuing an occupation that allows me to focus on my mental health. A businessman, one who runs a product-based business. I know it’s going to take hard work, but so does a difficult life resulting from a lack of ambition. Once I’m set on a product I and others interested in or need, make it the best in the market and handle the aftermath, I know I’ll have time on my hands. Time to spend with my family, to show them that their grueling hours of labor paid off. Time to spend with myself to appreciate my experiences. Time to spread love to others, so they could live a life like mine. Mental health has allowed me to realize my purpose in life, to be happy. (Rhetorical question ahead) Why else would we be here? As I continue to progress in life I will make sure it’s toward my career, because I know that will open the door of eternal bliss for me. There’s a saying; “You can give what you do not have”. If I didn’t have mental stability I couldn’t give out positivity, and that’s not the person I want to be. In conclusion, mental health is my top priority, without it I couldn’t function and life wouldn’t be worth living.

If we’re focused solely on my K-12 experience, meaning excluding any outside programs, I’d say no. Since my school and place of residence is in a low-income neighborhood, the focus is on the process of getting to college. Additional accolades such as joining clubs, taking extra courses and running for student president aren’t promoted or available. I’m basically saying their main focus is getting to the destination but not preparing you for the things you should do once you arrive. In terms of academics, there really weren't many tutoring opportunities in school, there were about 1 or 2 programs, but even those were limited in manpower. So if I didn’t understand a homework assignment I’d wait until the next day and ask the teacher, which isn’t efficient since she had to teach a class and most of the time could not give me an adequate explanation. This is not to insult their intelligence, but to point out the constraint in teachers’ time; (Most of what I describe here will be alluding to high school). Since I wanted to prepare for college I had to go out of my way to join an outside organization called College Track. A blessing to me and an opportunity I believe isn’t taken advantage of enough. This organization offered tutoring, guidance on the road to college and college-related opportunities. I truly believe without this program I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. The influence this program had on me was tremendous, despite me spending a limited amount of time in comparison to my high school. Socially, throughout my K-12 experience I’ve never felt or noticed a college culture. No one ever talked about college in depth; I’m largely referring to students. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard anyone discussing college requirements or discussing college in general in an excited manner. The culture was more about hanging out with friends and going to the Friday football games, especially with me since I was in the football team. During the season (essentially the whole first semester) the team and I focused on weight training, practice and the games. The team would require us to leave early on away games, obviously it wasn’t against our will but I and others wouldn’t think twice about missing out on our education. Emotionally, I wouldn’t say it was the school system that prepared me, but rather the circumstances and people I knew. If I lived in a low-income community it was because of unfavorable circumstances, but if I got out of those circumstances and made it to one of the top public universities it was because of resilience. My culture revolves around hard work, my mindset rejects complaining and excuses. My situation allowed me to develop problem-solving skills, emotional intelligence and among other things. The people I was around weren’t all positive but I only used them as an example of what I didn’t want to be. The positive ones I stuck around, picked up knowledge from. In hindsight, my experience was a memorable one, one I wouldn’t change, but to say that it prepared me for all the aspects of college life would be a fib. I’m still grateful for all those that have helped me and wish success to them as well. I will continue to excel and control my destiny.

My mother essentially was the only influence I had growing up. Hard work, punctuality and not being content with the average. The reason these traits were accentuated is because she was a single mother and had to work. There’ve been many times I’ve had to go to work with her because nobody could take care of me. This paired with her being an immigrant that didn’t speak english very well while most of her family wasn’t in the U.S, makes her triumph in leading me to where I am today remarkable. All the cards were stacked against her;her own words, there were many work shifts where she would just break down. One challenge she never mentioned much was her working while she was pregnant with me. This is heartbreaking to me, I’d never want to see a woman I love working while there’s a baby inside of her, feeding from her, taking her energy. When a woman is pregnant she should be able to relax, avoid stress, not only for herself but for the baby. Unfortunately life wasn’t on the side of my mother at the time and she had to. This has led me to perceive challenges I have today as miniscule compared to what my mother endured. I’ve developed the mindset of not complaining, rather finding a solution or moving on. I’m now a student at a top public university, so I believe this is a merit for the traits I’ve garnered from my mother.

The most inspiring book I’ve read is The Black Box by Marquett Davon Burton. There are many contributing factors that make it an inspiring book. The biggest one was the fact that it was all real. When I read a book I like realism, because I could relate to it and this book being non-fiction but so action packed, doubles its readability. Another reason is that the book is written by and about my mentor; since we share the similarity of growing up in Los Angeles and low-income neighborhoods I can relate to some of his experiences in the book. To elaborate on what made it so inspiring was the short anecdotes that revolved around success; success in academics, conflict, and women. The detailed and powerful diction used paints the picture in your head; like I and many of the readers have said, “It reads like a movie”. There were also lessons at the end of each chapter, of what he should’ve done, what he did right and what the reader should have gained from reading said chapter. In conclusion, it’s a great read, one I’ve read twice and will surely get around to a third time.

I was born into many circumstances that were disadvantageous, but being born into them and choosing to stay in them are two different things. I’ve chosen the latter by not becoming a statistic of single mothers’ sons ending up incarcerated. In fact I didn’t just not become a statistic, I became an anomaly. I’ve also chosen to make it out of my low-income neighborhood, instead of being complacent and accepting sub-par opportunities. Now that I’ve overcome the expectations of many, the only thing I’ve got left to do is overcome my own. Elaborating on my upbringing in relation to single motherhood, despite the fact that my mom had to have a full time job, she still had enough time to allow us to create fond memories. Since my mother was fairly busy growing up the “extra” parts of my neighborhood are nearly non-existent. “Extra” refers to being in sports, attendance at certain school events, and the time spent together outside of her days off. During these times I’ve had to find resources and do most of my homework by myself. I’ve had to be resilient from a young age and I believe this to be true because during those times I was placed in honors class since kindergarten and received many medals for my academic achievements. My hometown has section 8 housing so I don’t think I need to elaborate on the income the average household had. Although a beautiful place and one I will always hold near to my heart, I knew the opportunities for networking and new experiences were lacking. I could’ve taken the safe option and went to Cal State LA, I would’ve lived near my house and been able to go back anytime I felt overwhelmed or homesick. I could have gone there and stayed in my comfort zone by hanging out with my friends I knew from high school. Through mentorship and the pursuit for greatness I went to UC Santa Barbara. An intimidating place where I knew virtually no one, where the demographic was much different than where I came from, a place where I was certainly prone to imposter syndrome. As soon as I was dropped off for my first day there, I was alone. My parents were on their way back to Los Angeles, while I sat down on my bed, pondering my next move. I said to myself as soon as I finished setting up my room, “I have to go outside, I either talk to a few girls or make some friends. I’m not coming back inside until I do either.”. The rest is sweet history. I plan on using my education to inspire others in my community and demographic. I know it’s intimidating to dive into the unknown, but most of the time the best of life comes out of that. I will help those in my immediate family as well, since they’re the easiest to reach and live in my area which allows them to take advantage of resources I’ve utilized or missed out on. Finally, I will donate to my high school and college program I was in since I know the richness of both of those resources and without them I wouldn’t have been where I am today.

To convince someone to do something you should first find out if their driving desire revolves around making themselves happy or others around them happy. I will start with the scenario in which the first option is the situation. I would first describe the magnitude of social life that college has to offer. You’ll have the opportunity to travel to places you’ve never imagined existed with friends you’d never knew you’d make. To put it in a metaphorical way, college social life is a roller coaster of emotion. The amount of fun you’ll have meeting people from different backgrounds is something only college offers, not to mention the doors it opens for you. This is known as networking; I’m sure you have a life/career goal, all people have one whether they know it or not. Now think about it like this, would it be easier to find connections that help reach that goal in a 9-5 job where the people are too busy working to form relationships with? Or would it be easier to find connections on a college campus where many have enough free time to converse or might even share the commonality of having one or more of the same classes as you? Exactly. Many tell you that you don’t need to go to college to be successful, which is true, although does it make the road to success way easier? Yes, in fact it’s literally a guide to get to the career/job you’re pursuing. Now, let’s flip the script, we’ll focus on if the person’s driving factors are the happiness of those around them. Your family may not be in the best financial position, obviously the costs of college won’t help that but, the prestigious job you get as a result of college will. So do your parents, grandparents, and all others in your family a favor, and help them retire comfortably. Not only is college a financial help to your family but it is also a way to boost their own self-esteem and happiness. Imagine how good your parents feel when their friends ask them about you? They get to talk about your accomplishment of going to college, which can also be a good reflection of them. What I’m alluding to is that they and others around them will infer their parenting led you to a higher education. Closing my case will also be the peace of mind it would give your family, especially your parents. They know their kid is safe and isn’t doing anything that would put them in danger, since you have to have a certain level of wits and moral compass while you’re in college. In conclusion, college is full of opportunity, and some even call it some of the best years of their life, so it’d be silly not to take advantage of it, especially with the many programs that aid in the process of going to college and assist you while you’re attending college.

One experience that has shaped who I am today is my entire senior year of high school. Before then I had limited experiences in all aspects of life, from going to different beaches and attractions to life philosophy. During my senior year I got out of my shell and started to meet many people. I started to make decisions to be a part of events such as being a dancer for a girl's 16 birthday, which allowed me to meet others and put myself out there. I decided to join a sport that I enjoyed watching but was deathly afraid of participating in, boxing. Getting into the ring and traveling to different gyms in order to fight against others who wanted to rip my head off. It was something I never imagined I could do, a fear I never thought I could conquer. I watched boxing and imagined myself fighting like a warrior, but I'm glad I took the step to turn it into reality. I believe this built character in me; bravery and confidence. The other part was attending large school events, like prom and a senior sunset. Attending these events allowed me to build a friend group in which I built unforgettable memories with. This was also something I was afraid of, putting myself out there and being "rejected". When I say rejected I mean people turning down my offer of friendship or out casting me. So prior to this I would shell myself up and make excuses as to why I shouldn't put myself out there. These instances allowed me to explore the notion of unreasonable anxiety, which now allows me to control my overthinking better, making me a calmer person under pressure.

I'm currently a first year student at UC Santa Barbara majoring in Economics. I've experienced drastically different environments/communities. A bustling city (Los Angeles) to a relaxing, almost retirement community in terms of peacefulness, area (Santa Barbara). The amount of differences is comparable to night and day. As I continue to spend more time in both locations I continue to expand my knowledge in academics, finance, and life. I'm pursuing the ultimate utility from my journey to college graduation. I want to make sure my time here is enriching up until I achieve the milestone of acquiring a Bachelor of Arts. I want to learn the ins and outs of business, what goes into starting or maintaining a thriving one. My educational pursuits consist of cementing the aspects of economics I've learned in my mind, enough to teach it to others in my immediate circle. This is one of my aspirations because I want those who have been good to me, those I care about, to excel in life, to have a source of knowledge like I didn't necessarily have growing up. I'm closer to my aspirations day by day, I've just passed my 1st Econ class and I had fun doing so. I want to run a product based business, preferably selling a product I'm passionate about, although I know business isn't about giving others what you want, rather giving what others desire. Either way would suffice because my liking toward this subject overcomes that. My vision is to produce two products, one being an essential good and the other being nonessential. The reason being one would most likely be priced at a lower price but bring steady income. The latter of the two products would allow more creativity while being priced higher. My life aspiration is simple yet intricate. It's to live life to the fullest, to enjoy the beauties of the world, as my mentor said, "I want to smell my flowers while I'm still alive.". Overlooking the lights of Downtown LA from a penthouse, soaking in the warm water of the beaches in Mexico while chewing on some mango, going out to eat with the family. A commercial asked something along the lines of, "Do you think people will regret the things they didn't buy or the places they didn't go?". This coupled with having a family to be able to pass knowledge to and benefit my future generations. I've been involved in my hometown's community since the beginning of my high school career. I've helped clean the local park twice, recruited incoming freshman to join a very helpful college program, volunteered at a homeless shelter in Downtown LA, and have given turkeys out at the city hall. My major accomplishments would be maintaining a 3.0 or higher throughout the entirety of my time in high school, getting into my current college (one of the top 6 public universities in California), and graduating with honors. The purpose for the money I save with this scholarship is already planned. First would be for textbooks since most of the time I start a new class at my college it requires me to buy a textbook for that class. The other would be for an increase of quality for transportation, since a bike is essential for getting around my college. Another major I'm saving for is a car, so my mom won't have to drive 2 hours and take time out of her job or I won't have to spend excessively on Amtrak's trains to and from my hometown.

I would stand for success in locations and demographics where there are few examples of. Places where success may be seen as "boring" or "limited to those outside of the community". Without being verbose, low income communities, specifically those with a high percentage of people of color. Since I come from a community that fits the criteria previously mentioned this cause is near and dear to my heart. Seeing kids with so much potential fail to see the greatness that lies ahead of them is a great tragedy. If only they had confidence, perhaps confidence that they didn't develop due to problems that plague communities like mine. Problems like single parenthood, gang activity, and households with unhealthy environments. Continuous exposure to an environment like this develops a narrow view in the youth. Promoting healthy actions in all aspects of life would be a priority for me, instead of promoting certain poisons that many in the celebrity community promote. It would consist of actions such as implementing a better diet, staying away from unnecessary medication, or being minimalist. When I say I stand for success I mean not settling for mediocrity. To not just say "oh well it is what it is, let's just accept it", when it comes to negative circumstances. Restricting oneself to certain circumstances in life will only lead to dissatisfaction; the world has so much to offer. There's so many destinations that people in low income communities would never believe exist. I stand for a perceptive vision, to be able to see yourself doing what you dream of, while actively working towards that dream with hard work in academics, physical activity, and maintaining mental health.

Coming from a single parent household has brought forth many challenges, emotionally, mentally, etc. Education was one of the few aspects it's had the least effect on, although that's not really saying much. Before I proceed, I want to give a shout out to my single parent (my mother). Despite the hardships that came from our position through the years I know she put blood, sweat, and tears into raising me and making sure she could give me everything I needed and wanted. My educational journey was fairly smooth sailing for the first few years, the homework was easy, all we had to focus on was addition, snacks, and naps. If there was a small project my mother would be there and help me and make sure I got straight fours (considered A's in elementary). Actually, I would say I excelled in elementary, I would rarely get a 2(D), never mind a 1(F). I received certificates, student of the month awards, medals, etc. When I got to my middle school years is when problems started to arise. I'm assuming my mom saw me as old enough to be without her a little more, so she started to work more hours and I would come home to my grandma. This paired with her being an immigrant with limited education she would no longer be able to attend certain school events and help me with some kinds of homework. In my 7th grade year I held it together fairly well, but in my 8th grade year I would start to see a decline in my grades. I got my first D, and the rest Cs or Bs with only 1 or 2 As. This was new to me, I was so used to excelling and being one of the top students. During this time since I was spending less time home due to my mother not really being home and me getting older. I began to hangout with friends and a girlfriend at the time, the majority weren't bad influences but always being with them meant time away from studies, so it impacted my grades. I ended up graduating middle school with average grades. My mother checked me on my average grades and lectured me about being responsible for my future. It took a while but I finally realized that I want to excel, all this that I'm doing is for me, not for someone else. This mentality ended up getting me valedictorian in my first year of high school. I've now graduated high school with honors and attend one of the best public universities in California, so it's safe to say I've excelled like I wanted to. Before I moved away for college I was able to do my part in community service. I volunteered at a homeless shelter called the Midnight Mission, I helped clean up Hollenbeck park twice, and have informed incoming high school freshmen about College Track to give them a head start. When I return and achieve a higher financial status I plan on giving back to my community by donating to tried and true resources, ones that have helped me tremendously. Resources such as College Track, high school sports, and of course my high school. I also plan to introduce those in my community to grander opportunities. Opportunities outside of the community, since sometimes it's easy to develop a narrow perspective when all you've experienced is your own community, especially when a large portion of the population is in less than desirable situations.

Something specific I love about myself is my dedication to exercising. Specifically to my dedication/infatuation with boxing. The reason I love this about me is the workouts I perform and how much I work out is borderline abnormal, I'd even say extraordinary. I enjoy the surprised tone people have when I answer their question of how many miles I ran after seeing my come back drenched in sweat. A bigger part of my love for my dedication is the fact that I proved myself wrong. I started boxing in December 2020, before then I'd never even thought I could run 6 miles if I didn't have to, much less multiple times a week. The idea of giving and receiving punches as a hobby was terrifying to me. Studying a sport like it's a college course seemed like a waste of time and something I could never focus on. Now I'm doing all this and continue to exceed my expectations every time I train. Last but not least, my improvement as a result of my training. It's so motivating to see the fruits of my labor. It could be a specific punch that I work on everyday, then the day suddenly comes when I land it at will on the person I'm fighting. When I compare videos of me fighting from the past year, I'm filled with pride. My improvement is also affirmed by others, as I have had people approach me (in college) to ask where I box or if I could give them a few tips. I have other things I love about myself but this is one of my most loved ones; although I will continue to improve as a person and have many more things to love.

Independence is the ultimate booster for one's confidence and potential for greatness. To be independent is to be able to hold your own financially, emotionally, and mentally. Financially, you can't keep relying on your parents your whole life. I believe the limit of major financial support from your parents should end when you're out of college, ideally 1 or 2 years before college ends. After that you should at least have a job and means of transportation. On the emotional side you should be able to make it through challenges without breaking down at every single one that comes your way. I say this because life is full of hardships, no one makes it out unscathed but being resilient allows you to be able to achieve greater things in life. Mentally independent is being mature, knowing what your priorities are and being disciplined. There could be a time where you want to go out and eat at a fairly expensive restaurant with your friends, but you know you have to save money for an important expense, what would be correct? Obviously saving the money, this would be a mentally independent decision. You're not easily swayed by the crowd or scared of the feeling of being "left out". Now, this is not to be confused with not having fun or not trying different things, since life is about experiences, just make sure a “fun” decision doesn’t break the bank. The impact independence has on me is a feeling of confidence and security. I love to go out without having to rely on anyone, I like to have my own income to supply for my needs and wants. Independence is something I'm getting closer and closer to fully achieving everyday.

"Look at the bright side" is a saying we commonly hear but rarely practice. There was a time I was suffering mental health issues and the symptoms were so foreign to me since I'd never researched or experienced it. Saying that I had to be resilient and figure it out as I figuratively walked through the thorn filled path. The major factors of recovering was realizing I needed to be strong for my family and myself, and staying optimistic through God. Elaborating on my feeling of needing to stay strong was probably not healthy at first but overtime allowed me to realize I've been through things worse than this and I was good enough to pull through. This taught me to confide in myself, to be confident in my abilities, whether it be physical, mentally, or emotionally. In terms of my faith in god it was more of a realization of how blessed I am. How many people have lost one or both of their parents? How many have a family member with a severe disability or injury? Over time I realized how blessed I really was. I had a healthy family, both parents, a place to live in, food on the table, and many other things. Through God I've learned about gratitude, being happy about what I receive. Now I always think to myself, when I wake up in a prestigious college's dorm with a window overlooking beautiful scenery, while living walking distance to a beach, how blessed I am to wake up in this life.

An inspiring figure to me is Marquett Davon Burton: a UC Berkeley Alumni, successful entrepreneur, the Mayor of Sin City. Marquett has led me to find the winner within me. Prior to finding Marquett I had a stagnant life. I never took any risks, was frightful of opportunities, I stayed in my comfort zone consisting of video games, food, and sleeping. I had this boring outlook on life before him, (context: I learned about him in my senior year of high school). My thought process was just finishing high school, getting into a local college even if it meant limiting myself to certain experiences, then getting a job in whatever major I pursued despite not knowing what I wanted to pursue. As you can infer it was very bleak and unambitious. Now I’ve taken opportunities and risks the old me would never even fathom. I’d bet the lottery that if the previous me saw me right now he wouldn’t recognize me. One of the biggest risks I’ve taken because of Marquett was to join boxing. I was nervous before joining, I’d always want to do all these programs and sports but never joined out of fear of failure. Boxing was the first outside of school sport I pulled the trigger on. Although this sport was scarier for me than the rest because if you mess up you pay for it with pain. Another aspect was the hard work that goes into boxing. There’s 5 mile runs at 4 in the morning, 5+ rounds of continuous fighting, and cutting down weight which is one of the hardest things to do when you’re already relatively fit. Hard work is what scared me, I wasn’t sure if I could keep up, it would hurt physically and mentally to get out of my safe space consisting of what I mentioned previously. Through Marquett’s words and philosophy I realized that the best things in life require discomfort, the best things in life involve pain in the journey to get there, if your long term goal doesn’t involve hardship then most likely it’s not worthwhile. There’s a saying, “If it was easy, everybody would do it”. I am now in love with boxing. I'm entranced by the boxing matches of the past and present, I don’t regret joining one bit and train almost everyday of the week in the pursuit of becoming the best I can in this sport.

The Sweet Science, the sport that you don’t play:boxing. Boxing is barbaric yet calculated, it has the veneer of raw entertainment like gladiators in the Colosseum, yet encompasses the complexity and thinking of chess. Boxing is similar to life, tiring, punches you, and sometimes knocks you down. Although, life (boxing) also has something that joys my soul, the ability to improve every time you face adversity. Whenever I train or fight I can feel myself getting better, I can feel my punches getting sharper, my movement getting smoother, and my defense getting tighter. It makes me feel like I’m in an RPG, always improving on certain qualities. I love it when I get the better of the person I’m fighting, when I land those air-sucking left hooks to their liver or head snapping right uppercuts it fills me with adrenaline. When my opponent throws 4 lightning punches in a row but only hits air, I honestly feel like spider-man has nothing on me. When I get in a slug fest where we swing with no defense until one falls I know Rocky Balboa couldn’t mess with me. Winning in boxing has something all men desire but few garner: glory. When I say glory I don’t just mean pride, I mean winning and recalling all the bloody noses, black eyes, 4 am runs, hours of repeating the same combination of punches. It makes me emotional seeing a boxer finally get his opportunity at a championship and seize it. When they burst into tears and fall to their knees, to them, it’s a flashback to the ugly side of obtaining that glory. Even though I started December 2020, I will likely begin my amateur career this summer. I’ve improved through hard-work, and I will continue to do so through the same means.

My favorite hobby, the Sweet Science, the sport that you don’t play:boxing. Boxing is barbaric yet calculated, it has the veneer of raw entertainment like gladiators in the Colosseum, yet encompasses the complexity and thinking of chess. Boxing is like life to me, tiring, punches you, and sometimes knocks you down. Although, life (boxing) also has something that joys my soul, the ability to improve every time you face adversity. Whenever I train or fight I can feel myself getting better, I can feel my punches getting sharper, my movement getting smoother, and my defense getting tighter. It makes me feel like I’m in an RPG, always improving on certain qualities. I love it when I get the better of the person I’m fighting, when I land those air-sucking left hooks to their liver or head snapping right uppercuts it fills me with adrenaline. When my opponent throws 4 lightning punches in a row but only hits air, I honestly feel like spider-man has nothing on me. When I get in a slug fest where we swing with no defense until one falls I know Rocky Balboa couldn’t mess with me. Winning in boxing has something all men desire but few garner: glory. When I say glory I don’t just mean pride, I mean winning and recalling all the bloody noses, black eyes, 4 am runs, hours of repeating the same combination of punches. It makes me emotional seeing an upcoming boxer finally get his opportunity at a championship belt and seize it. When they burst into tears and fall to their knees, to them, it’s a flashback to the ugly side of obtaining that glory. Now that I’ve talked about the intricate/important part of my love for boxing, I’m going to get into the surface-level reasons. First, it’s just cool, it gives confidence, a powerful aura. When you walk, you have a pep in your step. When you realize you got dangerous hands it’s different. Then comes the aesthetic reasons, when you’re fighting and look back on the recording it’s eye-opening, like wow that’s really me throwing those punches and looking good doing it. Then the gear, there’s 2 different things sparring and fighting, one is “practice” but it rarely ever is light punching, the other is sanctioned by a licensed organization such as the World Boxing Council. In sparring (practice), you get to express yourself through your gear. I mean how cool is it to have white and gold headgear, gloves, and a groin guard with your name embroidered on each piece in cursive? In conclusion, I love boxing, even though I just started in December 2020, I will most likely begin my amateur boxing career this coming summer. I’ve gotten better through hard-work and dedication, and I will continue to do so through the same means.

I was fine in high school from 9th to 10th grade. I've always heard of mental health and although I didn't dismiss it I thought it was rare or that they would occur in others but would never affect me. I was wrong; ending my 10th grade year I started having these thoughts, thoughts I couldn't shake for the life of me. Every time I thought these thoughts my head would hurt and I would start to feel dread. Of course at first I chalked it up to being something out of the ordinary, "Maybe it was just an off day.", I told myself. When I woke up the next day they were still there, so I again dismissed it and allowed these thoughts to flow freely in my mind. After a couple of days I started to deteriorate, I couldn't believe simple thoughts could be so damaging. How come I couldn't just stop thinking about them? How come every time I thought of them my mood would be ruined? This led to me trying to escape, escape in the form of sleeping, because when I was sleeping I wasn't thinking, and reminiscing of the past, when I was "happy". Which honestly my mind exaggerated because at the time anytime besides that one would have been better to me. I was essentially participating in escapism, I didn't want to further dive into my issue and attempt to fix it because focusing on it only brought pain and anxiety. Towards the end of the summer, entering my 11th grade year is when I reached my breaking point. At this point I was in a bad mood everyday with sprinkles of joy, until they inevitably were shot down by the thoughts. One day I was in my room, getting ready to go to football practice, again the thoughts poisoning my mind, and I was looking into my mirror, bag hanging from my shoulder, tank top, and some shorts. Such a simple reflection, but inside seething with anger from the pain. I suddenly lashed out and punched a picture frame multiple times, it was almost like I couldn’t control it. Once I had stopped and feasted my eyes upon my bloody hand I broke into tears. I was certain this was forever, I was certain I’d never escape. I couldn't believe it, was that a mental breakdown? I've only seen those in movies. I ended up not going to practice and staying in my room for the rest of the day. This despair lasted for almost a year. Something I didn’t mention while I was going through it was that I turned to religion. I turned to God. I was angry at first because I didn’t feel any change, and that picture frame I had punched was a picture of Jesus. What stayed consistent though was my faith in God, even when I was at my lowest point I would still thank him for giving me another day to live and taking care of my family, those around me, and I. As time went on I was getting better, I would have less of the thoughts and be able to make out what was real and what wasn’t. Of course there were additional measures I took like spending more time with others (family, friends, and in social spaces). These things were essential to my recovery, and help me stay in a good mood today. I still thank God everyday and recite this at the end of morning prayer: “Thank you for taking care of my family, those around me, and I.”.

In a penthouse, looking over Dubai with my girlfriend, thinking about the next place I'm going to visit, possibly Tanzania. I want to always have places available to me, have access to private events like pre-screenings of the newest popular movie. I'll have tickets to one of the biggest boxing events of the year and rejoice along with the deafening crowd when one of the two fighters tastes the canvas. I'd take my family to one of the nicest restaurants, possibly Dorsia, although nobody goes there anymore (referencing American Psycho). They'd see things they'd never see in their wildest dreams, they'd have a moment of comparison, along with me, of their beginnings to now, sleeping on the floor with a leaky roof to feasting on Wagyu Steak. I'd have a few titles to showcase from my achievements in amateur boxing. To sum it up, my dream life would consist of experiences, of things not even the most detail-oriented author could rewrite.

Growing up I always thought life was what you were born/conditioned into. As I grow older I’m certain it’s not. The life lesson I learned was when I was playing my video game console in my room. Life was “good”, video games for most of the day, sitting on my bed only getting up to grab food. While playing GTA I suddenly experienced this sudden wave of sadness, this dread of not doing anything with my life. My schedule consisted of homework, working out, and video games. It had started to weigh on me that I wasn’t growing, and if I was it was at a turtle like pace. I craved this life that included luxuries, memorable experiences, and achievements. I wanted to go out with friends and have a night we frequently recall, I wanted a nice car that turned heads like a chiropractor, I wanted to be recognized for excelling at something. “I wanted”, but I didn’t, I didn’t want it bad enough, I didn’t take action, I didn’t take opportunities. As the feeling of sadness slowly started to take over me I decided to turn off my console and sit down and reflect. I was young, I was relatively fit, I’m blessed to have enough money to enjoy certain luxuries outside of electronics. I see so many people living the life I want, what do they have that I don’t? Looks, money, charm; why couldn’t I have that? Why do I have all this stuff, but only in a stinkin’ video game? The answer was a simple thought process away: my comfort zone. I came to the realization that I’ve never really gotten out of my comfort zone, whether it be talking to a pretty girl, joining in on outings when offered, participating in activities I had wanted to but was too scared to join out of fear of failure. When I say I never imagined I’d be doing the things I’m doing right now; that me from 3 years ago would never even think about getting out of my comfort zone the way I do, I mean it. Of course I’m a work in progress and still have a lot to improve on, but even this “ work in progress” has managed to enter one of the top 3 public universities in California with one of the most aesthetically pleasing campuses in my opinion. This “work in progress” gained the bravery to join one of the world’s most brutal sports (boxing). The lesson of getting out of my comfort zone will always continue to help me and it still does. I always think of this lesson when I have butterflies about doing something, and when I remember that moment, that moment of loneliness, emptiness, all the sad words, in my room, I run away from it in my mind and head towards something greater.

I am a Mexican-American from Chicano central, Little Mexico, the hometown of the one and only Oscar de La Hoya; East L.A. Ironically, I also box so I might be the next Oscar but with a college degree. Growing up in East L.A had its benefits and downsides. To keep it short, one downside was the lack of opportunities, meaning you couldn't really learn how to network professionally in an environment where slang is the norm and connections to higher institutions are uncommon. A benefit was the character it helped me build. Since I lived in the more urban parts of East L.A there were many instances where I had to have thick skin. Whether it be teasing, rejection, and overall not super-friendly culture in school, these things taught me many life lessons. Now that I've passed the life milestone that is high school, I'm in my first year of college at UC Santa Barbara. I'm an Economics major and will use the knowledge I receive to become an Entrepreneur of a product based business. The positive impact I'll make will start with my family, those around me, and I. I will bring wealth to my family and opportunities to my true friends, whether it be connections or sharing knowledge I've gained. When I say I'm going to share knowledge I will start off with my little brother and my 2 cousins who are basically like my brothers. Since they're fairly younger they still have time to learn and take advantage of the opportunities that I missed and learn about. I would guide them to be great men which would only multiply the people we could help. Sharing connections is in the same boat, if they didn't know where to go for a project they were doing or they needed help in a field I'm not familiar with, I could refer them to a connection. All of this would lead to them being successful men and being able to help others at a larger and efficient rate. Another way would be charity work in my hometown, by donating and adding onto programs that are tried and true such as College Track, Upward Bound, and sports programs. College Track was a great help to me, they helped me on college forms, tutored me on countless subjects, and left me with memorable experiences. A 90+ percent of students in the program getting into college also greatly solidifies its positive impact on the community of Boyle Heights. I'm not greatly familiar with Upward Bound, but I know individuals in the program and from research I've gathered it's similar to College Track. Last but not least, sports programs. These programs keep the youth out of trouble and motivated. This is especially needed in my hometown, since gang activity and influence is relatively active. From then on I can reach other income communities by partnering with College Track, since College Track has many other sites in different locations. In conclusion, I believe you cannot enjoy the fruit of your labor without planting a seed. I will continue thriving and reach my goals and more. As of right now I'm already working on my first step, and will make sure I proceed with patience and provide quality. All the money in the world isn't going to make me happy, but helping my family, those around me, and the human race.

I deserve this scholarship because my mother said so, and everything she says is right. I was also awarded free tuition from 1st-12th grade, so I think it's safe to say I'm a top student. I also listen to Lil Pump and you have to have a fairly high IQ in order to understand the deeper meanings in his songs. These accolades make me entitled to receive this scholarship. My academic/career goals revolve around a multi-billion dollar company. I want to be in a position that’s essential to the company. This position revolves around handling money and making sure there’s no errors in the system. Some people call this a “cashier”, I call it finance security. The multi-billion dollar company is well-known, you may have heard of it, it’s called Target. I once ordered Starbucks. I was ecstatic for my Mocha Frappe with 2 espresso shots and whipped cream after a long day of Netflix. When it arrived my face produced a slight grin. I walked outside to receive my medicine, only to find they had forgotten to ask for whipped cream. I hid pain behind my “thanks”; to endure the lack of softness in my beverage was truly scarring and something I don’t wish on my worst enemy.

My ways of relaxation and leisure are rather simple. It consists of sleeping, showering with hot water, sometimes both, or eating while watching something entertaining (you tube, movie, etc.). To elaborate on the first part I mentioned, I mostly sleep for 20-30 minutes when I need to perform a physical activity or attend an event in a few hours. It could be before boxing or attending a party, I sleep to fill up my metaphorical “energy gas tank”. The hot shower usually comes before sleeping and after physical activity. Not only is it to clean myself from the grime accumulated or to relax my muscles after a physical activity, it’s to reflect on my thoughts I’ve been setting aside and just enjoy the silent ambiance that comes with me being the only presence in there. Eating when it’s time in itself is enjoyable, entertainment is also enjoyable; eating while watching entertainment is a different level of relaxation. The endorphins released from eating combined with the ones released while watching something enjoyable is one of the finer things in life. It’s something that allows me to fill up my body with energy while taking my mind off of other, tiring routines.

Weightlifting and boxing, 2 of my favorite hobbies. Although they're related since they both involve physical activity, boxing is a whole different ball game compared to weightlifting. They both bring my joy and are essential in my everyday life Weightlifting is a hobby of mine because of the results it brings, the feeling of achievement you get when you break a personal record, or when you see yourself in the mirror and notice the changes you body has as a result of all the vigorous work you put in. It's also something that allows me to clear my mind and has boosted my confidence over the years I've weight lifted. My #1 hobby is the sweet science, also known as boxing. The combination of combat, culture, and history is what makes boxing beautiful to me. The culture/community is spread far and wide but tight knitted, so tight that it's possible to form friendships with well-known boxers, coaches, promoters, etc. The gear is another of my favorite parts, to be specific, the sparring gear. Gold headgear, gold gloves, gold groin protector, and topping it off with white boxing shoes. Obviously you can select any color you want, but the customization and aesthetic is what I love about it. The best part about boxing is of course, the combat, to the casual eye it might seem like it's just throwing punches until someone gets knocked out. Once you practice boxing for a few months you realize it's much more than that. It involves technique, such as feints, footwork, head movement, and more. It’s a sensation of euphoria when you’re in the ring and implementing everything you learned outside of the ring. Similar to weight lifting, you see progress, although not only in your body, but in your fight IQ and technique.

Education has always been a factor to my growing process, although I find myself realizing I haven’t measured to what extent it has helped me. Education has been like physical health to me, only realizing I had it and appreciating it when I needed it. To answer the prompt, education has shaped my understanding of the systems we’ve created in order to thrive and continue to make advancements for our world. Simplifying my answer, education has taught me subjects that made me realize how much there is in this world to learn, the paths we can take in order to contribute to society, and what the world revolves around. There is so much to learn in this world, that even 10+ years in the education system can’t cover half of it. We learn so much about specific subjects during school, although we only begin to scratch the surface on each respective subject. It is our choice whether or not we want to continue to learn those subjects taught in school, it is also our choice to learn trades outside of school such as construction and such. My point is education has opened my eyes to the realm of possibilities when it comes to teachings available around the world, and although we only learn each subject to a certain extent, it is our decision which subject we chose to further indulge in. Bridging off from my previous understanding, you are able to choose a path from the limitless options available to you after education. In this world, if you want to be successful, you have to contribute to society/the world one way or another. There is no money tree unless it’s illegal or in a video game. Education has showed me the many ways I can contribute to society, whether it be contributing to the youth by becoming a teacher, entering the business world and contributing to the public's desires, or contributing to the health and safety of society by entering the medical field. Each subject taught in school has opened a door for me and it’s my choice to walk through one. Last, but not least, throughout my educational career I’ve come to understand what the world revolves around: giving and other people. Giving, contributing, providing value. In this world we cannot survive without others, we cannot survive without the resources others provide. Our survival in this world is like a reflection of the human body, complex, consisting of many parts, without one another though, it crumbles. Now knowing that I will provide value to another human being in the near future, a lot of the time involuntarily, does put a smile on my face. In conclusion, education is a staple in a person’s life, and although at times may seem meaningless or boring, it is certainly something you don’t want to miss out on.

Mixed like Neapolitan ice cream - Schoolboy J 1. Memories - David Guetta 2. love nwantiti (feat. Dj Yo! & AX'EL - Ckay 3. Big Poppa - The Notorious B.I.G 4. WFM - RealestK 5. Ball If I Want To - DaBaby 6. Still Not a Player (feat. JOE) - Big Pun