Growing up in the Philippines with my parents, sister, and a maid, I was fortunate to have a relatively comfortable life. We lived in a two-story house before moving to a condominium when I was 11. My mom was a constant presence, and my dad worked in America to support us financially, enabling me to attend Ateneo de Manila University, a top Catholic school, where I studied until 7th grade. My life revolved around school and friends there, but at 13, everything changed as we left the Philippines. At 11, my mom began experiencing health issues that would alter the course of our lives. Initially, doctors assured us she was fine, but she was eventually diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer. To access the medical care she needed, my dad brought us to the U.S. in 2016, selling property and using our savings to fund her treatment. Moving to a new country felt daunting; I had to adjust to a new school in New Jersey while facing the reality of my mother’s worsening health. As her condition declined, my sister and I took on caregiving roles while my dad worked long hours. My mom’s energy waned daily, and she could no longer perform basic tasks. When she passed away on October 25, 2016, it left an emotional void, and our family began to struggle with mental health. Dealing with grief and this abrupt lifestyle shift triggered immense mental strain for all of us. Many of us developed anxiety and depression; regular tasks felt daunting, and life lost much of its color. My father fell into depression, which made it difficult for him to support us fully, and I felt the weight of responsibility to help my family as we each tried to heal. A year later, we moved to South Jersey, where I found a new beginning. Inspired by my mother’s resilience, I began focusing on my studies and joined social activities like track and field and my religious group. These communities helped me rebuild emotionally, teaching me how to face crises and appreciate hard work, which shaped me into who I am today. Five years later, my family still feels the loss of my mother, and my dad continues to struggle with depression. Motivated to help us heal and to provide financial support, I plan to attend Rutgers, aiming to double-major in computer science and economics. I want to become a data scientist, leveraging the skills I’ve developed to contribute meaningfully in the medical and economic sectors, where there’s potential to make a real difference. Winning the 2020 Congressional App Challenge further fueled my drive to pursue this path. I believe a degree from Rutgers will help me develop applications that improve efficiency in these critical sectors, potentially aiding others in ways that I, too, wish we had experienced. Especially after taking internships regarding mental health in the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, this goal keeps me moving forward, transforming loss into purpose. Through my work, I hope to honor my parents’ sacrifices and create solutions that make a difference in people’s lives.

I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father, sister, and a maid. In a country where shanty towns are common, I was fortunate to have a better-than-average standard of living. I lived in a two-floor house until moving to a condominium at age 11. My mom closely supervised me, while my dad worked in America to support us financially, covering my tuition at Ateneo de Manila University, a top Catholic school. My life revolved around that school from kindergarten to 7th grade, and my friends were all from there. Then, at 13, I had to leave. At 11, my mom faced serious health issues, which marked a pivotal shift in my life. Despite early reassurances from doctors, she was later diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. My dad decided to bring our family to the U.S. in 2016, selling property and using our savings to fund her treatment. The transition was daunting; I had to start over in a new place where no one knew me. In New Jersey, I adjusted to school quickly, but my mom’s health declined. She could no longer perform basic tasks, and my sister and I took on caregiving roles as my dad worked tirelessly to support us. Despite his sacrifices, my mom passed away on October 25, 2016. From that point, I had to manage household chores and cook—things I had never done in the Philippines. The lifestyle shift, combined with my loss, felt overwhelming. A year later, we moved to South Jersey, which marked a new chapter for me. Inspired by my mom’s resilience, I focused on my studies and became socially active, thanks to track and field and my religious group. These experiences, though painful, taught me to face crises, appreciate hard work, and shaped who I am today. Five years after her passing, my family still feels the impact of her loss. My father struggles with depression, making it difficult for him to fully support us. I plan to attend Rutgers to double-major in computer science and economics, aspiring to become a data scientist and support my family. I’ve already taken steps in this direction, notably winning the 2020 Congressional App Challenge. A degree from Rutgers will allow me to develop applications that improve efficiency in medical and economic sectors, which affect people worldwide. I’m motivated to turn my ideas into impactful solutions and, in doing so, honor my parents.

I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father and sister. In a third-world country where one could see shanty towns, I believe I had a better than average standard of living. I used to live in a two-floor house, but moved to a condominium when I was 11. My parents, my mom who watched my every step and my dad who moved to America when I was four in order to support the family financially, paid for my primary and middle school tuition, which was really expensive. I stayed in that same school from kindergarten to 7th grade, and wondered what would happen to me if I suddenly moved to an entirely different place. When I was 11, my mother started to experience health problems and became the biggest turning point in my life. My mom, someone who I truly looked up to, had a chance of losing her life at an early age. When I heard the news, I was surprised, but not scared. The doctors told my family that the sickness was not that serious, and that they would take care of it. However, fast forward two years later, and our family found out that they misdiagnosed her and she actually had stage four breast cancer. My dad had to find out a way to lengthen my mom’s life before the cancer cells went up to her brain, and decided to bring the entire family to the US with him in 2016. He had to sell property and my mother had to lay off her workers in the Philippines in order to meet her medical bills and go to America. During this time, my mom’s health was rapidly declining as the days passed. She became weaker, unable to do normal activities. My sister and I had to take care of her while my dad was working almost every day. He spent almost all of our family’s life savings to save my mom, but it was not enough. On October 25, 2016, my mother passed away 5 months after we went to America and I had to fill in her role. Unlike in the Philippines where I had my mom do all the chores, I had to learn how to clean the house, wash the dishes, cook food for the whole family, and cope with the loss of a loved one. Six years later, the effects of my mother's death is still affecting everyone in my family. My father developed BPD and is unable to support the family by himself, with him only earning around $40,000 this year. My sister also started fighting depression during this time and self-confidence and anxiety issues were seen throughout everyone in the family (including me). After the many things that I have gone through, I am extremely passionate about pushing the boundaries, especially in technology. I am passionate about helping other people, not only in this country but in other less fortunate countries as well. I have already made steps in achieving this goal by entering multiple computer science programs, and even being a winner of the Congressional App Challenge, where I made a website that reports the amount of COVID cases within hospitals nearby. I hope that one day, my work would be able to help people in some way, such as saving a life, something I was unable to do five years ago.

Computer science was always something I was interested in when I was growing up due to the amount of technology I was surrounded by as a child. I knew I wanted to do something computer-related when I grew older because I was always interested in how developers created their software. Like mathematics, I enjoy the challenge of working through various problems and having multiple solutions to solve that certain issue. Through code, I believe I can generate and formulate ideas, review possible solutions, and then execute them to my liking. The versatility and creativity of this area of study inspired me to become a great computer scientist. My greatest accomplishment is being the winner of the Congressional App Challenge. This competition was hosted by the House of Representatives and is designed to encourage students' participation in the STEM departments. The website that I created was called the COVID Compass and it locates nearby hospitals and has an interface that shows how many COVID cases there are in those certain areas. I believe this is helpful for everybody, especially during the rise of the pandemic. Like my Congressional App Challenge project, I plan to utilize my college education to help others who are in need. I believe that being empathetic and helping others, whether that be through a website or application that I helped create, is a great way to make the world a better place. I personally was not fortunate enough to live the best life here in America, ever since my mother passed away when I was thirteen. I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father, sister, and a maid, but things took a turn when my mother was misdiagnosed and soon realized that she had stage 4 breast cancer. My dad, who was already living and working here, had to sell almost all of our property in the Philippines to fly our family here to the US and give my mother better medicine. However, it was too late and she sadly passed away in 2016. We were left with almost no money to even provide my older sister a college education here. With her still not being able to pursue a college education, I feel like it is my responsibility to do what my sister always wanted to do and go to college. I believe that getting a degree at a 2-year community college is the first step to completing my goal and in the future, I would like to continue my education by double majoring in economics and computer science at a 4-year university. I would not only love to create websites for people who are less fortunate, but I also personally want to enable medical and especially economic companies to conduct their business in a much more efficient and productive way. In my opinion, these two sectors severely affect citizens in any country, and creating applications or websites to help them would not only accelerate the economy and healthcare progress but improve the standard of living in general. I would also like to more into cybersecurity, since AI is rapidly improving and thus leading to more sensitive data possibly being breached.

I believe that being perseverant and passionate is the most valuable characteristics to have in life. For the first 13 years of my life, I lived in the Philippines with my mother and sister, while my father worked in America. My family was very well-off during that time, being able to send me to one of the top Catholic schools in the most populous city in the country, Ateneo de Manila University. While I was studying and living there, a lot of things have struck my interest, such as how other countries operate, and why some countries, like the US, are more successful than others. This question stayed in my mind for the longest time, and one huge turning point in my life helped me answer this question. When I was 11, my mother announced that she's been feeling terribly ill for weeks, and was recommended to see a doctor. The doctors analyzed her and said that everything would be alright. Fast forward a year later, however, and it turns out that she was actually misdiagnosed and had stage 4 breast cancer. My whole family was devastated and had to think of something quick. So, my father sent my entire family to America in order to give my mother better medicine, and a good resting place for when she passes away in the near future. We spent all of our money in order to prolong her life, but in the end, she was unable to survive and passed away on October 25, 2016. While I was constantly going back and forth, traveling from my house in New Jersey to my mother's hospital in New York, I always saw the amazing infrastructure and new technology and that would otherwise never be seen in the Philippines. I was impressed when I walked around Grand Central Terminal and Central Park. During my first time in Times Square at midnight, I was dumbfounded looking at all the screens drilled into the buildings. Commercials, advertisements, and shows were playing on them and it felt like I was in a dream. I couldn't believe what I was watching. The place looked beautiful and at last, finally answered my long-lasting question that I've had ever since I was a child. The reason why the US is more successful is due to the fact that unlike in the Philippines and many third world countries, they lack the technology needed to push their country further. After the many things that I have gone through, I am extremely passionate about pushing the boundaries, especially in technology. I am passionate about helping other people, not only in this country but in other less fortunate countries as well. I have already made steps in achieving this goal by entering multiple computer science programs, and even being a winner of the Congressional App Challenge, where I made a website that reports the amount of COVID cases within hospitals nearby. I hope that one day, my work will be able to help people in some way, such as saving a life, something I was unable to do five years ago.

I want my legacy to be the first person in my family to get a degree in an American college. Computer science was always something I was interested in when I was growing up due to the amount of technology I was surrounded by as a child. I knew I wanted to do something computer-related when I grew older because I was always interested in how developers created their software. Through code, I believe I can generate ideas, review possible solutions, and then execute them to my liking. The versatility and creativity of this area of study inspired me to become a great computer scientist. I plan to utilize my college education to help others who are in need. I was not fortunate enough to live the best life here in America, ever since my mother passed away when I was thirteen. I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father, sister, but things took a turn when my mother was misdiagnosed and soon realized that she had stage 4 breast cancer. After my mom passed away, my sister was unable to get a college education due to the lack of financial support. With her still not being able to pursue a college education, I feel like it is my responsibility to do what my sister always wanted to do and go to college. With my degree, I would not only love to create websites for people who are less fortunate, but I also personally want to enable medical and especially economic companies to conduct their business in a much more efficient and productive way. In my opinion, these two sectors severely affect citizens in any country, and creating applications to help them would not only accelerate the economy and healthcare progress but improve the standard of living.

My family and want to improve at computer science motivates me on a daily basis. Computer science was always something I was interested in when I was growing up due to the amount of technology I was surrounded by as a child. I knew I wanted to do something computer-related when I grew older because I was always interested in how developers created their software. Through code, I believe I can generate ideas, review possible solutions, and then execute them to my liking. The versatility and creativity of this area of study inspired me to become a great computer scientist. I plan to utilize my college education to help others who are in need. I was not fortunate enough to live the best life here in America, ever since my mother passed away when I was thirteen. I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father, sister, but things took a turn when my mother was misdiagnosed and soon realized that she had stage 4 breast cancer. After my mom passed away, my sister was unable to get a college education due to the small amount of money we had left. With her still not being able to pursue a college education, I feel like it is my responsibility to do what my sister always wanted to do and go to college. With my degree, I would not only love to create websites for people who are less fortunate, but I also personally want to enable medical and especially economic companies to conduct their business in a much more efficient and productive way. In my opinion, these two sectors severely affect citizens in any country, and creating applications to help them would not only accelerate the economy and healthcare progress but improve the standard of living in general.

I believe that coding is my best skill right now. Computer science was always something I was interested in when I was growing up due to the amount of technology I was surrounded by as a child. I knew I wanted to do something computer-related when I grew older because I was always interested in how developers created their software. Through code, I believe I can generate and formulate ideas, review possible solutions, and then execute them to my liking. The versatility and creativity of this area of study inspired me to become a great computer scientist. I plan on improving my coding skills by going to a 4-year university and utilizing this to make applications that help others who are in need. I personally was not fortunate enough to live the best life here in America, ever since my mother passed away when I was thirteen. After my mom passed away, my sister was unable to get a college education due to the small amount of money we had left. With her still not being able to pursue a college education, I feel like it is my responsibility to do what my sister always wanted to do and go to college. With my degree, I would not only love to create websites for people who are less fortunate, but I also personally want to enable medical and especially economic companies to conduct their business in a much more efficient and productive way. In my opinion, these two sectors severely affect citizens in any country, and creating applications or websites to help them would not only accelerate the economy and healthcare progress but improve the standard of living in general.

I grew up in Quezon City with my mother, father, and sister. I used to live in a two-floor house but moved to a condominium when I was 11. My parents, my mom who watched my every step, and my dad who moved to America when I was four in order to support the family financially, paid for my expensive primary and middle school Ateneo de Manila University tuition. I stayed in that same school from kindergarten to 7th grade and wondered what would happen to me if I suddenly moved to an entirely different place. When I was 11, my mother started to experience health problems and became the biggest turning point in my life. When I heard the news, I was surprised, but not scared. The doctors told my family that the sickness was not that serious and that they would take care of it. However, fast forward two years later, and our family found out that they misdiagnosed her and she actually had stage four breast cancer. My dad had to find out a way to lengthen my mom’s life before the cancer cells went up to her brain, and decided to bring the entire family to the US with him in 2016. He had to sell the property and my mother had to lay off her workers in the Philippines to meet her medical bills and go to America. I plan to utilize my education to not only help my Filipino-American community but to help others who are in need. I personally was not fortunate enough to live the best life here in America, ever since my mother passed away. My sister was unable to get a college education due to the small amount of money we had left. With her still not being able to pursue a college education, I feel like it is my responsibility to do what my sister always wanted to do. With my degree, I would not only love to create websites for people who are less fortunate, but I also personally want to enable medical and especially economic companies to conduct their business in a much more efficient and productive way. These two sectors severely affect citizens in any country, and creating applications or websites to help them would not only accelerate the economy and healthcare progress but improve the standard of living in general.

In my opinion, giving gives me a reason to keep doing what I do today. I personally work at a job in a nursing home, where I constantly take care of the elderly. I am a certified nursing assistant at Preferred Care who helps residents with activities of daily living, such as eating, taking a shower, combing their hair, getting out of their beds, and overall tending to their needs. Last year, my father told me to do this job with him because he believed that this would make me a more mature person and I scoffed at him, thinking he was just encouraging me to make money. However, after several months of working there, I believe that I do not do this job anymore as a way to just earn money, but also as a way to help the elderly in some way, shape, or form. I personally do not see my grandparents that often anymore, since they live in the Philippines, so seeing these elderly in the nursing home made me feel back at home. Because of how labor-intensive and sometimes dirty the job can be, I was worried to tell other people about my job at first, but my girlfriend cheered me up and made me realize that what I do is something that not many can replicate. I believe that what she said kept me going back to work and made me adapt this mindset that this a way to make my grandparents proud. Although I get paid in this job, I believe that helping the elderly is something more to me and seeing the bright smiles on their faces after I give them a drink or change their clothes makes me feel happy that I can do something to support them.

Computer science was always something I was interested in when I was growing up due to the amount of technology I was surrounded by as a child. I knew I wanted to do something computer-related when I grew older because I was always interested in how developers created their software. Through code, I believe I can generate and formulate ideas, review possible solutions, and then execute them to my liking. The versatility and creativity of this area of study inspired me to become a great computer scientist. I plan to utilize my college education to help others who are in need. I personally was not fortunate enough to live the best life here in America, ever since my mother passed away when I was thirteen. I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father, sister, and a maid, but things took a turn when my mother was misdiagnosed and soon realized that she had stage 4 breast cancer. After my mom passed away, my sister was unable to get a college education due to the small amount of money we had left. With her still not being able to pursue a college education, I feel like it is my responsibility to do what my sister always wanted to do and go to college. With my degree, I would not only love to create websites for people who are less fortunate, but I also personally want to enable medical and especially economic companies to conduct their business in a much more efficient and productive way. In my opinion, these two sectors severely affect citizens in any country, and creating applications or websites to help them would not only accelerate the economy and healthcare progress but improve the standard of living in general.

I personally work at a job in a nursing home, where I constantly take care of the elderly. I am a certified nursing assistant at Preferred Care who helps residents with activities of daily living, such as eating, taking a shower, combing their hair, getting out of their beds, and overall tending to their needs. Last year, my father told me to do this job with him because he believed that this would make me a more mature person and I scoffed at him, thinking he was just encouraging me to make money. However, after several months of working there, I believe that I do not do this job anymore as a way to just earn money, but also as a way to help the elderly in some way, shape, or form. I personally do not see my grandparents that often anymore, since they live in the Philippines, so seeing these elderly in the nursing home made me feel back at home. Because of how labor-intensive and sometimes dirty the job can be, I was worried to tell other people about my job at first, but my girlfriend cheered me up and made me realize that what I do is something that not many can replicate. I believe that what she said kept me going back to work and made me adapt this mindset that this a way to make my grandparents proud. Although I get paid in this job, I believe that helping the elderly is something more to me and seeing the bright smiles on their faces after I give them a drink or change their clothes makes me feel happy that I can do something to support them.

Computer science was always something I was interested in when I was growing up due to the amount of technology I was surrounded by as a child. I knew I wanted to do something computer-related when I grew older because I was always interested in how developers created their software. Through code, I believe I can generate and formulate ideas, review possible solutions, and then execute them to my liking. The versatility and creativity of this area of study inspired me to become a great computer scientist. I plan to utilize my college education to help others who are in need. I personally was not fortunate enough to live the best life here in America, ever since my mother passed away when I was thirteen. I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father, sister, and a maid, but things took a turn when my mother was misdiagnosed and soon realized that she had stage 4 breast cancer. After my mom passed away, my sister was unable to get a college education due to the small amount of money we had left. With her still not being able to pursue a college education, I feel like it is my responsibility to do what my sister always wanted to do and go to college. With my degree, I would not only love to create websites for people who are less fortunate, but I also personally want to enable medical and especially economic companies to conduct their business in a much more efficient and productive way. In my opinion, these two sectors severely affect citizens in any country, and creating applications or websites to help them would not only accelerate the economy and healthcare progress but improve the standard of living in general.

My greatest accomplishment is being the winner of the Congressional App Challenge. This competition was hosted by the House of Representatives and is designed to encourage students' participation in the STEM departments. The website that I created was called the COVID Compass and it locates nearby hospitals and has an interface that shows how many COVID cases there are in those certain areas. I believe this is helpful for everybody, especially during the rise of the pandemic. Like my Congressional App Challenge project, I plan to utilize my college education to help others who are in need. I believe that being empathetic and helping others, whether that be through a website or application that I helped create, is a great way to make the world a better place. I personally was not fortunate enough to live the best life here in America, ever since my mother passed away when I was thirteen. I believe that getting a degree at a 2-year university is the first step to completing my goal and in the future, I would like to continue my education by double majoring in economics and computer science at a 4-year university, specifically Rutgers. I would not only love to create websites for people who are less fortunate, but I also personally want to enable medical and especially economic companies to conduct their business in a much more efficient and productive way. In my opinion, these two sectors severely affect citizens in any country, and creating applications or websites to help them would not only accelerate the economy and healthcare progress but improve the standard of living in general.

My greatest accomplishment is being the winner of the Congressional App Challenge. This competition was hosted by the House of Representatives and is designed to encourage students' participation in the STEM departments. The website that I created was called the COVID Compass and it locates nearby hospitals and has an interface that shows how many COVID cases there are in those certain areas. I believe this is helpful for everybody, especially during the rise of the pandemic. Like my Congressional App Challenge project, I plan to utilize my college education to help others who are in need. I believe that being empathetic and helping others, whether that be through a website or application that I helped create, is a great way to make the world a better place. I personally was not fortunate enough to live the best life here in America, ever since my mother passed away when I was thirteen. I believe that getting a degree at a 2-year university is the first step to completing my goal and in the future, I would like to continue my education by double majoring in economics and computer science at a 4-year university, specifically Rutgers. I would not only love to create websites for people who are less fortunate, but I also personally want to enable medical and especially economic companies to conduct their business in a much more efficient and productive way. In my opinion, these two sectors severely affect citizens in any country, and creating applications or websites to help them would not only accelerate the economy and healthcare progress but improve the standard of living in general.

As a child, I was protected by my mother, sister, and maid. I grew up in the Philippines, where one can easily see shanty towns, which made it easy for kidnapping and stealing to happen. My mom made me stay in my house for almost my entire childhood, only being allowed to go outside if it was with anyone from my household. Her mindset spread across other things in the house as well, and since we had a maid who did almost everything in the house, all I did was study, play sports, and play video games. My childhood consisted of these three main things, and I have not really learned anything else when I was growing up. This would change when my mother was misdiagnosed when I was 12 and soon realized she had stage 4 breast cancer. My dad, who was living in the US during that time, made the decision to bring our whole family to not only give our mother better medicine to prolong her life but to also make sure that my sister and I were safe. Months have passed, but she kept getting worse and sadly passed away in October 2016. My sister and I were left with all the tasks that she used to do, and that was the point when I realized that I had to learn more things in this world. I learned that I could not be protected by my mother any longer and that practical skills were essential in everyday life. I started to learn basic household skills, like sweeping the floor, cooking, and washing the laundry. Although I lost something very important to me, I believe that the passing of my mom made me learn new life skills and made me a more mature person overall.

I personally work at a job in a nursing home, where I constantly take care of the elderly. I am a certified nursing assistant at Preferred Care who helps residents with activities of daily living, such as eating, taking a shower, combing their hair, getting out of their beds, and overall tending to their needs. Last year, my father told me to do this job with him because he believed that this would make me a more mature person and I scoffed at him, thinking he was just encouraging me to make money. However, after several months of working there, I believe that I do not do this job anymore as a way to just earn money, but also as a way to help the elderly in some way, shape, or form. I personally do not see my grandparents that often anymore, since they live in the Philippines, so seeing these elderly in the nursing home made me feel back at home. Because of how labor-intensive and sometimes dirty the job can be, I was worried to tell other people about my job at first, but my girlfriend cheered me up and made me realize that what I do is something that not many can replicate. I believe that what she said kept me going back to work and made me adapt this mindset that this a way to make my grandparents proud. Although I get paid in this job, I believe that helping the elderly is something more to me and seeing the bright smiles on their faces after I give them a drink or change their clothes makes me feel happy that I can do something to support them.

Computer science was always something I was interested in when I was growing up due to the amount of technology I was surrounded by as a child. I knew I wanted to do something computer-related when I grew older because I was always interested in how developers created their software. Like mathematics, I enjoy the challenge of working through various problems and having multiple solutions to solve that certain issue. Through code, I believe I can generate and formulate ideas, review possible solutions, and then execute them to my liking. The versatility and creativity of this area of study inspired me to become a great computer scientist. My greatest accomplishment is being the winner of the Congressional App Challenge. This competition was hosted by the House of Representatives and is designed to encourage students' participation in the STEM departments. The website that I created was called the COVID Compass and it locates nearby hospitals and has an interface that shows how many COVID cases there are in those certain areas. I believe this is helpful for everybody, especially during the rise of the pandemic. Like my Congressional App Challenge project, I plan to utilize my college education to help others who are in need. I believe that being empathetic and helping others, whether that be through a website or application that I helped create, is a great way to make the world a better place. I personally was not fortunate enough to live the best life here in America, ever since my mother passed away when I was thirteen. I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father, sister, and a maid, but things took a turn when my mother was misdiagnosed and soon realized that she had stage 4 breast cancer. My dad, who was already living and working here, had to sell almost all of our property in the Philippines to fly our family here to the US and give my mother better medicine. However, it was too late and she sadly passed away in 2016. We were left with almost no money to even provide my older sister a college education here. With her still not being able to pursue a college education, I feel like it is my responsibility to do what my sister always wanted to do and go to college. I believe that getting a degree at a 2-year community college is the first step to completing my goal and in the future, I would like to continue my education by double majoring in economics and computer science at a 4-year university. I would not only love to create websites for people who are less fortunate, but I also personally want to enable medical and especially economic companies to conduct their business in a much more efficient and productive way. In my opinion, these two sectors severely affect citizens in any country, and creating applications or websites to help them would not only accelerate the economy and healthcare progress but improve the standard of living in general.

I believe that the best way to live a long, healthy life is by finding something that you personally love and can be dedicated to for a long time. A lot of people tend to not do what they love because that hobby may not be enough to pay for their expenses. There are only a few people who genuinely love their job because that is what they have been working towards. They sacrificed their time to continue their hobby and when they see that time and effort finally pay off, it makes them feel happy. It reinforces their love for that hobby, which allows them to continue it even longer. The point in life is not to be the most successful, but to find happiness within the things around you, whether that be through hobbies or people. There have been many cases where rich and successful actors or celebrities have admitted to being depressed or even attempting suicide because they seem to not see their importance in this world and have lost all motivation to continue. Money definitely helps improve one's happiness because that allows them to meet their basic needs, but that does not mean that it is our only end goal.

For the first 13 years of my life, I have lived in the Philippines with my mother and sister, while my father worked in America. My family was very well-off during that time, being able to send me one of the top Catholic schools in the most populous city in the country, Ateneo de Manila University. While I was studying and living there, a lot of things have struck my interest, such as how other countries operate, and why some countries, like the US, are more successful than others. This question stayed in my mind for the longest time, and one huge turning point in my life helped me answer this question. When I was 11, my mother announced that she's been feeling terribly ill for weeks, and was recommended to see a doctor. The doctors analyzed her and said that everything would be alright. Fast forward a year later, however, and it turns out that she was actually misdiagnosed and had stage 4 breast cancer. My whole family was devastated, and had to think of something quick. So, my father sent my entire family to America in order to give my mother better medicine, and a good resting place for when she passes away in the near future. We spent all of our money in order to prolong her life, but in the end, she was unable to survive and passed away on October 25, 2016. While I was constantly going back and forth, traveling from my house in New Jersey to my mother's hospital in New York, I always saw the amazing infrastructure and new technology and that would otherwise, never be seen in the Philippines. I was impressed when I walked around Grand Central Terminal and Central Park. During my first time in Times Square at midnight, I was dumbfounded looking at all the screens drilled into the buildings. Commercials, advertisements, and shows were playing on them and it felt like I was in a dream. I couldn't believe what I was watching. The place looked beautiful and at last, finally answered my long-lasting question that I've had ever since I was a child. The reason why the US is more successful is due to the fact that unlike in the Philippines and many third world countries, they lack the technology needed to push their country further. After the many things that I have gone through, I am extremely passionate about pushing the boundaries, especially in technology. I am passionate about helping other people, not only in this country, but in other less fortunate countries as well. I have already made steps in achieving this goal by entering multiple computer science programs, and even being a winner of the Congressional App Challenge, where I made a website that reports the amount of COVID cases within hospitals nearby. I hope that one day, my work would be able to help people in some way, such as saving a life, something I was unable to do five years ago.

Someone who I really admire from history is Tandang Sora. Tandang Sora, also known as the "Grand Mother of the Revolution", is a popular Filipina revolutionary who helped Filipinos attempt to overthrow Spanish colonization in the country. She risked her life by providing food and shelter to injured revolutionaries. Most importantly, she refused to give information about the Katipunan hideout, even when she was arrested and subjected to grueling interrogations by Spanish authorities. I believe that Tandang Sora is one of the fiercest women in the history of the Philippines, and without her, the revolutionaries would have never had a chance to win. What impresses me most about her is her social status. Although women was seen as inferior in the late 1800s, Tandang Sora did not fear of being one of the main figures of the revolution. She is very patriotic and wanted to see the country free, even if it means dying for the cause. Seeing her risk her life for the Philippines interests me greatly and makes me wonder how one can have that much courage. She has always been an influence in my life and makes me remember that no matter what obstacle I have to face in life, I have to stay strong and believe in myself. Like her, there has been many problems in my life (the death of my mother, immigrating to a different country, and financial issues) and much more to come. However, continuing to persevere and staying calm and focused during stressful and worrying times are extremely important attributes one needs learn in order to succeed in life.

For the first 13 years of my life, I lived in the Philippines with my mother and sister, while my father worked in America. My family was very well-off during that time, being able to send me to one of the top Catholic schools in the most populous city in the country, Ateneo de Manila University. While I was studying and living there, a lot of things have struck my interest, such as how other countries operate, and why some countries, like the US, are more successful than others. This question stayed in my mind for the longest time, and one huge turning point in my life helped me answer this question. When I was 11, my mother announced that she's been feeling terribly ill for weeks, and was recommended to see a doctor. The doctors analyzed her and said that everything would be alright. Fast forward a year later, however, and it turns out that she was actually misdiagnosed and had stage 4 breast cancer. My whole family was devastated, and had to think of something quick. So, my father sent my entire family to America in order to give my mother better medicine, and a good resting place for when she passes away in the near future. We spent all of our money in order to prolong her life, but in the end, she was unable to survive and passed away on October 25, 2016. While I was constantly going back and forth, traveling from my house in New Jersey to my mother's hospital in New York, I always saw the amazing infrastructure and new technology and that would otherwise never be seen in the Philippines. I was impressed when I walked around Grand Central Terminal and Central Park. During my first time in Times Square at midnight, I was dumbfounded looking at all the screens drilled into the buildings. Commercials, advertisements, and shows were playing on them and it felt like I was in a dream. I couldn't believe what I was watching. The place looked beautiful and at last, finally answered my long-lasting question that I've had ever since I was a child. The reason why the US is more successful is due to the fact that unlike in the Philippines and many third world countries, they lack the technology needed to push their country further. After the many things that I have gone through, I am extremely passionate about pushing the boundaries, especially in technology. I am passionate about helping other people, not only in this country, but in other less fortunate countries as well. I have already made steps in achieving this goal by entering multiple computer science programs, and even being a winner of the Congressional App Challenge, where I made a website that reports the amount of COVID cases within hospitals nearby. I hope that one day, my work will be able to help people in some way, such as saving a life, something I was unable to do five years ago.

I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father and sister. In a third-world country where one could see shanty towns, I believe I had a better than average standard of living. I used to live in a two-floor house, but moved to a condominium when I was 11. My parents, my mom who watched my every step and my dad who moved to America when I was four in order to support the family financially, paid for my primary and middle school tuition, which was really expensive. I stayed in that same school from kindergarten to 7th grade, and wondered what would happen to me if I suddenly moved to an entirely different place. When I was 11, my mother started to experience health problems and became the biggest turning point in my life. My mom, someone who I truly looked up to, had a chance of losing her life at an early age. When I heard the news, I was surprised, but not scared. The doctors told my family that the sickness was not that serious, and that they would take care of it. However, fast forward two years later, and our family found out that they misdiagnosed her and she actually had stage four breast cancer. My dad had to find out a way to lengthen my mom’s life before the cancer cells went up to her brain, and decided to bring the entire family to the US with him in 2016. He had to sell property and my mother had to lay off her workers in the Philippines in order to meet her medical bills and go to America. During this time, my mom’s health was rapidly declining as the days passed. She became weaker, unable to do normal activities. My sister and I had to take care of her while my dad was working almost every day. He spent almost all of our family’s life savings to save my mom, but it was not enough. On October 25, 2016, my mother passed away 5 months after we went to America and I had to fill in her role. Unlike in the Philippines where I had my mom do all the chores, I had to learn how to clean the house, wash the dishes, cook food for the whole family, and cope with the loss of a loved one. Five years later, the effects of my mother's death is still affecting everyone in my family. My father developed BPD and is unable to support the family by himself, with him only earning around $25,000 this year. I need this scholarship because I believe that I can go really far with it, and pursue my dream of becoming a computer scientist. I have won multiple awards in that specific area of study, notably being the winner of the 2020 Congressional App Challenge, and with this scholarship, I can continue to make websites and applications that can really help people locally, but internationally as well.

I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father and sister. In a third-world country where one could see shanty towns, I believe I had a better than average standard of living. I used to live in a two-floor house, but moved to a condominium when I was 11. My parents, my mom who watched my every step and my dad who moved to America when I was four in order to support the family financially, paid for my primary and middle school tuition, which was really expensive. I stayed in that same school from kindergarten to 7th grade, and wondered what would happen to me if I suddenly moved to an entirely different place. When I was 11, my mother started to experience health problems and became the biggest turning point in my life. My mom, someone who I truly looked up to, had a chance of losing her life at an early age. When I heard the news, I was surprised, but not scared. The doctors told my family that the sickness was not that serious, and that they would take care of it. However, fast forward two years later, and our family found out that they misdiagnosed her and she actually had stage four breast cancer. My dad had to find out a way to lengthen my mom’s life before the cancer cells went up to her brain, and decided to bring the entire family to the US with him in 2016. He had to sell property and my mother had to lay off her workers in the Philippines in order to meet her medical bills and go to America. During this time, my mom’s health was rapidly declining as the days passed. She became weaker, unable to do normal activities. My sister and I had to take care of her while my dad was working almost every day. He spent almost all of our family’s life savings to save my mom, but it was not enough. On October 25, 2016, my mother passed away 5 months after we went to America and I had to fill in her role. Unlike in the Philippines where I had my mom do all the chores, I had to learn how to clean the house, wash the dishes, cook food for the whole family, and cope with the loss of a loved one. Five years later, the effects of my mother's death is still affecting everyone in my family. My father developed BPD and is unable to support the family by himself, with him only earning around $25,000 this year. I need this scholarship because I believe that I can go really far with it, and pursue my dream of becoming a computer scientist. I have won multiple awards in that specific area of study, notably being the winner of the 2020 Congressional App Challenge, and with this scholarship, I can continue to make websites and applications that can really help not only this country, but internationally as well.

I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father and sister. In a third-world country where one could see shanty towns, I believe I had a better than average standard of living. I used to live in a two-floor house, but moved to a condominium when I was 11. My parents, my mom who watched my every step and my dad who moved to America when I was four in order to support the family financially, paid for my primary and middle school tuition, which was really expensive. I stayed in that same school from kindergarten to 7th grade, and wondered what would happen to me if I suddenly moved to an entirely different place. When I was 11, my mother started to experience health problems and became the biggest turning point in my life. My mom, someone who I truly looked up to, had a chance of losing her life at an early age. When I heard the news, I was surprised, but not scared. The doctors told my family that the sickness was not that serious, and that they would take care of it. However, fast forward two years later, and our family found out that they misdiagnosed her and she actually had stage four breast cancer. My dad had to find out a way to lengthen my mom’s life before the cancer cells went up to her brain, and decided to bring the entire family to the US with him in 2016. He had to sell property and my mother had to lay off her workers in the Philippines in order to meet her medical bills and go to America. During this time, my mom’s health was rapidly declining as the days passed. She became weaker, unable to do normal activities. My sister and I had to take care of her while my dad was working almost every day. He spent almost all of our family’s life savings to save my mom, but it was not enough. On October 25, 2016, my mother passed away 5 months after we went to America and I had to fill in her role. Unlike in the Philippines where I had my mom do all the chores, I had to learn how to clean the house, wash the dishes, cook food for the whole family, and cope with the loss of a loved one. Five years later, the effects of my mother's death is still affecting everyone in my family. My father developed BPD and is unable to support the family by himself, with him only earning around $25,000 this year. I need this scholarship because I believe that I can go really far with it, and pursue my dream of becoming a computer scientist. I have won multiple awards in that specific area of study, notably being the winner of the 2020 Congressional App Challenge, and with this scholarship, I can continue to make websites and applications that can really help not only this country, but internationally as well.

I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father, sister, and luckily, a maid. In a third-world country where one could easily see shanty towns, I believe that I had a better than average standard of living. I used to live in a two-floor house, but then moved to a condominium when I was 11 for more “security and convenience”. My parents, my mom who watched my every step and my dad who moved to America when I was four in order to support the family financially, paid for my primary and middle school tuition, which was really expensive. Ateneo de Manila University is one of the top Catholic schools in the country and my parents wanted me to get the best education that is offered, while also practicing my religion. I stayed in that school from kindergarten to seventh grade, and only had friends from there. I asked myself what would happen to me if I just stopped going to Ateneo, and that nightmare came true when I was 13. When I was 11, my mom was experiencing health problems and became the biggest turning point in my life. My mom, someone who I truly looked up to, had a chance of losing her life at an early age. When I heard the news, I was surprised, but not scared. The doctors told my family that the sickness was not that serious, and that they would take care of it. However, fast forward two years, and our family found out that they misdiagnosed her and that she had stage four breast cancer. My dad had to find out a way to lengthen my mom’s life before the cancer cells went up to her brain, and decided to bring the entire family to the US with him in 2016. He had to sell property and my mother had to lay off her workers in the Philippines in order to meet her medical bills and go to America. I had to face my fear of living in a place where no one knows me. I was extremely protected as a child with little social experience. My mother would not allow me to hang out with my friends because she wanted me to focus on my grades. I was socially inept during this time, and did not know how to interact with others all too well. I had my small group of friends, but overall, I was an extremely quiet kid who just wanted to make my mother happy. I was scared that Americans would not accept me for who I am, and I would be able to truly express myself. However, when I actually faced this challenge, I realized that it was easier than expected. When I went to school in North Jersey for the first time, the amount of kindness I received was amazing. I did not expect people to come up to me and genuinely be nice on the first day of me in the school. I was able to fit in, even with my thick Filipino accent and culture difference, and is one of the things I am most thankful for. However, during this time, my mom’s health was rapidly declining as the days passed. She became weaker, unable to do normal activities, such as walking or cooking anymore. My sister and I had to take care of her while my dad was working almost every day. He spent almost all of our family’s life savings to save my mom, but it was not enough. On October 25, 2016, my mother passed away 5 months after we went to America and I had to fill in her role. Unlike in the Philippines where I had my mom and maid do all the chores, I had to learn how to clean the house, wash the dishes, cook food for the whole family, and cope with the loss of a loved one. Even when I had friends helping me out mentally, I felt like the sudden change of lifestyle was too much for me at first, and adapting to it was a pain. Because of this catastrophe, I felt like life was crashing down on me all at once, but I knew that one day, it will get better. A year after my mother's death, I moved to South Jersey and felt like I could restart my life over again. I used my mother as a source of inspiration to keep focusing on my studies, and additionally, became more socially developed with the help of track and field and my religious group. Although my life took a lot of pain in successive blows, I believe that these experiences made me stronger in facing crises, appreciate the value of hard work, and made me the person that I am today. Five years later, the effects of my mother's death is still affecting everyone in my family. My father developed BPD and is unable to support the family by himself, with him only earning around $25,000 this year. I need this scholarship because I believe that I can go really far with it, and pursue my dream of becoming a computer scientist. I have won multiple awards in that specific area of study, notably being the winner of the 2020 Congressional App Challenge, and with this scholarship, I can continue to make websites and applications that can really help not only this country, but internationally as well.

I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father, sister, and luckily, a maid. In a third-world country where one could easily see shanty towns, I believe that I had a better than average standard of living. I used to live in a two-floor house, but then moved to a condominium when I was 11 for more “security and convenience”. My parents, my mom who watched my every step and my dad who moved to America when I was four in order to support the family financially, paid for my primary and middle school tuition, which was really expensive. Ateneo de Manila University is one of the top Catholic schools in the country and my parents wanted me to get the best education that is offered, while also practicing my religion. I stayed in that school from kindergarten to seventh grade, and only had friends from there. I asked myself what would happen to me if I just stopped going to Ateneo, and that nightmare came true when I was 13. When I was 11, my mom was experiencing health problems and became the biggest turning point in my life. My mom, someone who I truly looked up to, had a chance of losing her life at an early age. When I heard the news, I was surprised, but not scared. The doctors told my family that the sickness was not that serious, and that they would take care of it. However, fast forward two years, and our family found out that they misdiagnosed her and that she had stage four breast cancer. My dad had to find out a way to lengthen my mom’s life before the cancer cells went up to her brain, and decided to bring the entire family to the US with him in 2016. He had to sell property and my mother had to lay off her workers in the Philippines in order to meet her medical bills and go to America. I had to face my fear of living in a place where no one knows me. I was extremely protected as a child with little social experience. My mother would not allow me to hang out with my friends because she wanted me to focus on my grades. I was socially inept during this time, and did not know how to interact with others all too well. I had my small group of friends, but overall, I was an extremely quiet kid who just wanted to make my mother happy. I was scared that Americans would not accept me for who I am, and I would be able to truly express myself. However, when I actually faced this challenge, I realized that it was easier than expected. When I went to school in North Jersey for the first time, the amount of kindness I received was amazing. I did not expect people to come up to me and genuinely be nice on the first day of me in the school. I was able to fit in, even with my thick Filipino accent and culture difference, and is one of the things I am most thankful for. However, during this time, my mom’s health was rapidly declining as the days passed. She became weaker, unable to do normal activities, such as walking or cooking anymore. My sister and I had to take care of her while my dad was working almost every day. He spent almost all of our family’s life savings to save my mom, but it was not enough. On October 25, 2016, my mother passed away 5 months after we went to America and I had to fill in her role. Unlike in the Philippines where I had my mom and maid do all the chores, I had to learn how to clean the house, wash the dishes, cook food for the whole family, and cope with the loss of a loved one. Even when I had friends helping me out mentally, I felt like the sudden change of lifestyle was too much for me at first, and adapting to it was a pain. Because of this catastrophe, I felt like life was crashing down on me all at once, but I knew that one day, it will get better. A year after my mother's death, I moved to South Jersey and felt like I could restart my life over again. I used my mother as a source of inspiration to keep focusing on my studies, and additionally, became more socially developed with the help of track and field and my religious group. Although my life took a lot of pain in successive blows, I believe that these experiences made me stronger in facing crises, appreciate the value of hard work, and made me the person that I am today.

I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father and sister. In a third-world country where one could see shanty towns, I believe I had a better than average standard of living. I used to live in a two-floor house, but moved to a condominium when I was 11. My parents, my mom who watched my every step and my dad who moved to America when I was four in order to support the family financially, paid for my primary and middle school tuition, which was really expensive. I stayed in that same school from kindergarten to 7th grade, and wondered what would happen to me if I suddenly moved to an entirely different place. When I was 11, my mother started to experience health problems and became the biggest turning point in my life. My mom, someone who I truly looked up to, had a chance of losing her life at an early age. When I heard the news, I was surprised, but not scared. The doctors told my family that the sickness was not that serious, and that they would take care of it. However, fast forward two years later, and our family found out that they misdiagnosed her and she actually had stage four breast cancer. My dad had to find out a way to lengthen my mom’s life before the cancer cells went up to her brain, and decided to bring the entire family to the US with him in 2016. He had to sell property and my mother had to lay off her workers in the Philippines in order to meet her medical bills and go to America. During this time, my mom’s health was rapidly declining as the days passed. She became weaker, unable to do normal activities. My sister and I had to take care of her while my dad was working almost every day. He spent almost all of our family’s life savings to save my mom, but it was not enough. On October 25, 2016, my mother passed away 5 months after we went to America and I had to fill in her role. Unlike in the Philippines where I had my mom do all the chores, I had to learn how to clean the house, wash the dishes, cook food for the whole family, and cope with the loss of a loved one. Five years later, the effects of my mother's death is still affecting everyone in my family. My father developed BPD and is unable to support the family by himself, with him only earning around $25,000 this year. I need this scholarship because I believe that I can go really far with it, and pursue my dream of becoming a computer scientist. I have won multiple awards in that specific area of study, notably being the winner of the 2020 Congressional App Challenge, and with this scholarship, I can continue to make websites and applications that can really help not only this country, but internationally as well.

I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father and sister. In a third-world country where one could see shanty towns, I believe I had a better than average standard of living. I used to live in a two-floor house, but moved to a condominium when I was 11. My parents, my mom who watched my every step and my dad who moved to America when I was four in order to support the family financially, paid for my primary and middle school tuition, which was really expensive. I stayed in that same school from kindergarten to 7th grade, and wondered what would happen to me if I suddenly moved to an entirely different place. When I was 11, my mother started to experience health problems and became the biggest turning point in my life. My mom, someone who I truly looked up to, had a chance of losing her life at an early age. When I heard the news, I was surprised, but not scared. The doctors told my family that the sickness was not that serious, and that they would take care of it. However, fast forward two years later, and our family found out that they misdiagnosed her and she actually had stage four breast cancer. My dad had to find out a way to lengthen my mom’s life before the cancer cells went up to her brain, and decided to bring the entire family to the US with him in 2016. He had to sell property and my mother had to lay off her workers in the Philippines in order to meet her medical bills and go to America. During this time, my mom’s health was rapidly declining as the days passed. She became weaker, unable to do normal activities. My sister and I had to take care of her while my dad was working almost every day. He spent almost all of our family’s life savings to save my mom, but it was not enough. On October 25, 2016, my mother passed away 5 months after we went to America and I had to fill in her role. Unlike in the Philippines where I had my mom do all the chores, I had to learn how to clean the house, wash the dishes, cook food for the whole family, and cope with the loss of a loved one. Five years later, the effects of my mother's death is still affecting everyone in my family. My father developed BPD and is unable to support the family by himself, with him only earning around $25,000 this year. I need this scholarship because I believe that I can go really far with it, and pursue my dream of becoming a computer scientist. I have won multiple awards in that specific area of study, notably being the winner of the 2020 Congressional App Challenge, and with this scholarship, I can continue to make websites and applications that can really help not only this country, but internationally as well. The fact that I know that I can make an impact in the world, especially during this digital age that we are living in right now, excites me the most. Anyone, including me, can make a huge effect on someone else's life, if given enough resources and motivation to do so. I love watching basketball and one of the most exciting players to watch today is Giannis Antentokounmpo. Although many know him for his amazing achievements in the NBA, not a lot of people know about his backstory and his early life before he climbed to the top. Like me, Antentokounmpo was not given his citizenship when he moved to a different country, and his parents were scrambling to find any decent paying job. He and his brothers had to go out on the streets and sell watches, handbags and sunglasses to help financially. He definitely did not have the best early life, but with a little bit of patience and help of advocacy groups, he was able to finally able to obtain his citizenship, travel to America, and become one of the basketball players today. Antentokounmpo has inspired many and has also made me believe that with enough resources given to me, I can do something great in this world, and pursue something that I truly love. I believe with the help of this scholarship, I too would be able to contribute something spectacular to this world and inspire others to do the same.

I grew up in the Philippines with my mother, father and sister. In a third-world country where one could see shanty towns, I believe I had a better than average standard of living. I used to live in a two-floor house, but moved to a condominium when I was 11. My parents, my mom who watched my every step and my dad who moved to America when I was four in order to support the family financially, paid for my primary and middle school tuition, which was really expensive. I stayed in that same school from kindergarten to 7th grade, and wondered what would happen to me if I suddenly moved to an entirely different place. When I was 11, my mother started to experience health problems and became the biggest turning point in my life. My mom, someone who I truly looked up to, had a chance of losing her life at an early age. When I heard the news, I was surprised, but not scared. The doctors told my family that the sickness was not that serious, and that they would take care of it. However, fast forward two years later, and our family found out that they misdiagnosed her and she actually had stage four breast cancer. My dad had to find out a way to lengthen my mom’s life before the cancer cells went up to her brain, and decided to bring the entire family to the US with him in 2016. He had to sell property and my mother had to lay off her workers in the Philippines in order to meet her medical bills and go to America. During this time, my mom’s health was rapidly declining as the days passed. She became weaker, unable to do normal activities. My sister and I had to take care of her while my dad was working almost every day. He spent almost all of our family’s life savings to save my mom, but it was not enough. On October 25, 2016, my mother passed away 5 months after we went to America and I had to fill in her role. Unlike in the Philippines where I had my mom do all the chores, I had to learn how to clean the house, wash the dishes, cook food for the whole family, and cope with the loss of a loved one. Five years later, the effects of my mother's death is still affecting everyone in my family. My father developed BPD and is unable to support the family by himself, with him only earning around $25,000 this year. I need this scholarship because I believe that I can go really far with it, and pursue my dream of becoming a computer scientist. I have won multiple awards in that specific area of study, notably being the winner of the 2020 Congressional App Challenge, and with this scholarship, I can continue to make websites and applications that can really help not only this country, but internationally as well.

The COVID Compass is a website that allows the user to search nearby hospitals and find out how many cases of COVID-19 there is in that certain hospital. It gives the user a map which easily visualizes the amount of cases there are in a certain area, and if there are more cases in that hospital, the user themselves can report it and make more people aware. This website was targeted towards everyone, especially teenagers and young adults. COVID-19 has been a worldwide topic for the past year or so, and has been affecting everyone's lives, one way or another. Work, social life, lives and other opportunities were destroyed because of this pandemic and I believe that making this website and allowing people to go to a hospital which is safest from COVID would help stop the spread of this virus. Technology and faith have always been in my life ever since I was an infant. I was born in a Catholic family in the Philippines who made me learn so much about God and faith. Faith has allowed me to become more considerate and respectful to other people, and this has been shown through my work. I fell in love with technology, especially with the introduction of video games, and made me realize that technology is not restricted to being entertaining, but to also help people who are less fortunate than me. Technology and faith are my childhood, and are the things that continuously helped me succeed in life.

The movie "Hidden Figures" made me love Katherine Johnson's work to a whole new level. She was one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist, and as presented in the film, broke down many walls while she was working there. Not only was she essential to the beginning of the Space Shuttle program and the missions to Mars, but she was the main scientist who fought against the stereotypes of women and African-Americans during that time. She is my favorite scientist to this day, because of how hardworking, resilient and confident she was when working in an environment that seemed to go against her.