When I was eight years old, my family was threatened and forced to move out of Venezuela due to my parents protesting against Nicolas Maduro's presidency. The army broke into my family's home and warned us about protesting against the government. My parents decided right there and then that the only option was to get my little brother and me out of there and bring us to the United States. They wanted to guarantee a better life for us, and so they brought us here. Eleven years later, I am attending one of the top education schools in Illinois, and I am dedicated to becoming the best teacher that I can be. As a child, I thought about what I wanted to be in the future. I use my bilingualism to shape my career path, and I have decided to become a Spanish teacher. I have always had the utmost respect for teachers and all of the hard work that they put in every year, and I want to add to that by becoming a teacher myself. I have been dedicated to learning and observing many different classrooms throughout many years, and in those observations, I learned a great deal of what makes a teacher good. The relationship that students and teachers build is so critical to the learning inside the classroom. Students do not want to listen and learn from someone they do not like, so building a strong relationship with students is crucial to improving the learning of the students inside the classroom. Another aspect of teaching that is important is understanding where the students are coming from and what their background is. Not every student in a school will have the same story going into the classroom. Some students have supportive parents who help pick them back up when times get tough, while other students have to focus on getting their next meal for not only themselves, but also siblings or other family members. Understanding that not every student will be successful in a traditional classroom will help teachers tremendously in their careers, and that is something that I am making sure I understand fully for my future career as a teacher. I am fully committed to being the absolute best teacher and educator that I can be, and I believe that I have built some necessary and useful skills that will help me in my journey of becoming a teacher. I want to become an inspiration to students the same way that so many teachers were impactful in my life.

As someone who has been struggling with my mental health for the better part of three years, I understand how important it is to make mental health an important discussion to have with young adults. Suicide was heavy on my mind for the longest time, and one night, I almost made the mistake of taking my own life. I was at my lowest. I felt as though all of the problems in my life would not go away any time soon. It felt like the only solution. However, amidst the darkness, I was able to find a sliver of light. Eventually, I was talked off the ledge by my girlfriend, and I am still here today. If it wasn't for her and the support system who surrounded me after this incident, who knows where I would be at right now. That is all to say that I am familiar with the struggles of mental health, and I want to make a change. I participated in a study where I shared my experiences with mental health as an undergraduate student. I explained how I was not aware of the resources that I had available to me whenever I needed it most. When I explained all of this, I also expressed my desire for this information to be better broadcasted to the largest audience possible. I have been a big advocate in my campus for mental health to be at the forefront of my school's agenda. I am joining Illinois State University's Student Government Association, and one of first thing I aim to do is to better communicate with off-campus students about mental health resources provided by the school. I also want to start a mentorship program focused at giving new and incoming students an environment to better voice their frustrations and anxieties with someone who is there to listen and provide a when needed. I understand the dangers of having unregulated mental health problems, and I believe it is very important for those issues to be put out in front. Bringing more attention to topics like this one can bring more awareness and can make us as a society more willing to help each other out when we most need it. The most important thing to fight mental health is to feel like you are connected and have good people who are there for you day and night around you. I noticed that when I was more willing to go out and talk to people about my problems, I was able to get more emotional support to help me get through my rough patches, whether it be academic, family related, or something else.