Many people have different adversity's or hardships. Each one that someone goes through has a specific category in their life. For me I had many instances I count as hardships, while others may think otherwise. To me an adversity or hardship is an event that was difficult and impacted someone's mental health. I have had one very harsh hardship in my life that I still remember vividly to this day. The day I lost my father. Losing my father was the worst day of my life. It was a hardship that is on the top of the list of hardships for me. It was a day of complete denial and anger that led to the worst month I have ever had. I was leaving summer camp, in my moms car, happy as ever because we went to the pool that day and I had so much fun. As soon as I sat down, and buckled my seat belt I felt the tension in the air. I had a gut feeling that something bad had happened but I couldn't figure it out. That's when my mom turned around in her seat and said, "Tata umar", which translates to, "Dad died". The clock stopped ticking. Everything slowed down. Time froze. Five minutes of staring straight into the car seat in front of me, no word, no tear, nothing. Silence. Millions of thoughts were going through my mind and I couldn't make anything of them. I didn't believe it. Once we got home that's when everything just let out. I cried. I cried so hard that I couldn't breathe. I ran to my room slammed the door, jumped on my bed and cried all night. That night was spent crying, for almost 10 whole hours I was crying until I fell asleep. The next day was spent in bed. My mom tried multiple times to get me up and go eat but nothing worked and she didn't push. That week was spent at home away from people and eating only once a day. The rest of the month i pushed through. I went to school but never did the homework, instead I continued to lay in bed and stare at the ceiling. It was a hard month where I had no motivation for anything, no hope, and just depression. I had no idea what to do, no idea how to move on. We couldn't afford a therapist so I was on my own. After about a month, something clicked. I had a dream one night where an unknown familiar man was standing in front of me telling me to keep going. He told me to wake up and go to school, complete my homework, and do my very best to get the best grades possible. He told me that it will get easier and that I need to do this for myself and for my future. Then the man finally came closer and I realized it was my dad, but before I could say anything or do anything I woke up. And I did just as he told me. Yes this may sound cheesy but it did it for me. From that day forward I was driven to be the best I can be. I learned that death is inevitable. Everything is temporary and it helped me accept life's ups and downs and live in the present knowing the good and the bad will pass. With this I want to be able to help others who can't afford help like me. I want others to know that they matter and they aren't alone.

My mom immigrated to America from Poland when she learned she was pregnant. She decided, for my future living in America was the best choice. At home I only spoke polish. For the first 4 years of my life, the only language I knew was polish. I only began to learn some English when I went to kindergarten at the age of 5. During that year of school, I struggled immensely. I couldn't understand anything, I never finished my assignments and I was very unmotivated to do anything. I faced many obstacles growing up because of my language barrier. From not having any friends to never understanding what was being said to me, I decided I needed a change. I realized that in order to advance I need to put in more effort into my English speaking skills. As a result I started rewriting English books and summarizing them in English. I would have my teachers "grade them" and give me feed back to learn from. On top of that I listened to many English songs and podcasts because for me, hearing the language helped me understand how to use it. From then on, for many years, I continued to struggle less and less until my English became better than my Polish. During my journey I looked up to one person and one person only. My mom. This may be a very common answer but to me my mom is the smartest and most hardworking person I have ever known. She decided to come to America, despite the challenges, knowing that she won't understand anything. She sacrificed a comfortable life in her home country, for a life in a whole new country with a different language. On top of working almost two jobs she was also enrolled in an English course where many polish adults became students and learned English. She worked hard day and night to provide food on the table and help her have a somewhat better paying job. Although to this day, her English isn't perfect, its good enough where she can make her way through some obstacles. I plan to continue my education by attending a four year college where I will get a degree in Kinesiology. Afterwards I plan to attend a chiropractic college to get my doctorate in chiropractics. During this journey of around eight years, I will continue to learn. On top of a degree in Kinesiology I want to have a minor in Spanish. I feel that the Spanish language is used very frequently and it might benefit me to learn more. Although I have the seal of bi-literacy for Spanish, I believe I can continue enhancing my language skills. Afterwards I want to help as many people as possible through taking care of their pains. Outside of school, I volunteer at many different places that require the help. From nursing homes to animal shelters I try at least two to three times a month to help someone out even if it is just helping them carry something. I volunteer at a martial arts school and help teach children the art of taekwondo three times a week. I love seeing the faces light up after they learned a new kicking combination or break their board at their ranking test. I believe that my language barrier from the beginning has set me on a path of hard work. From learning a new language, English, to learning yet another language, Spanish. From being inspired by my mom, to helping others in different ways. This journey is something I am very proud of no matter what. It is something that defines me and I am not ashamed of it. This is a part of me and I believe I have grown to become a better version of myself.

Empowerment is a powerful concept, especially in the fast-paced world of today where people are confronted with seemingly impossible obstacles. I define empowerment as having the self-assurance, information, and assistance to make decisions according with my values. It is a sense of having authority over my life and the capacity to carry out my choices regardless of the issue. Creating opportunities for oneself, conquering challenges, and having the courage to face any challenge are all components of empowerment. On a personal note, empowerment to me is a balance between being independent and knowing that seeking help or support does not kill one's strength. As a daughter of a single mother who immigrated to America to seek a better life, I have had a constant pressure to be the best. To always be at the top of my class, and no matter what never have a grade lower than an A-. I was taught to bury my nose in books and study all day. Whenever I had a question or didn't understand anything I never had anyone to help me so I learned to figure out everything by myself. To this day, I sometimes struggle asking others for help but through constant empowerment I learned that admitting needing help doesn't mean anything, it means you are learning from others. I was always told that I need to figure out things by myself, and from a very young age I needed to do everything myself. By the age of 6 I knew how to vacuum and make myself some scrambled eggs because my mom was already at work when I woke up. I was told I am mature for my age and no one believed me when I told them my true age. Between being a section leader for my schools marching band, being an instructor at a martial arts school ,specifically taekwondo, I learned that I am independent. I am someone whose time is valuable. I am allowed to seek help because there's nothing wrong with that and I am allowed to feel weak for a moment, but no matter what I should stand tall and continue on. However, empowerment is not illustrated by a smooth ride. There are times when life presents a number of setbacks or wherein confidence breaks down. But being empowered does not indicate letting such moments define me. Instead, it's about rebounding, reassessing, and learning from the experience. It's a mix of autonomy, support, data, and power. Empowerment defines my daily Life and how I approach challenges. Life is not simple, and sometimes I become frustrated. But what makes empowerment actually is having the ability to rise again and saying to myself that I am capable of learning from them and keeping on moving forward. Empowerment is not necessarily about being strong; its about staying strong and growing in difficult moments.