I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our bodies. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experience. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors, I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships in my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learned in textbooks; it would make me well-rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our bodies. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experience. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors, I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships in my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learned in textbooks; it would make me well-rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our bodies. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experience. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors, I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships in my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learned in textbooks; it would make me well-rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our bodies. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experience. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors, I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships in my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learned in textbooks; it would make me well-rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our bodies. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experience. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors, I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships in my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learned in textbooks; it would make me well-rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our bodies. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experience. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors, I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships in my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learned in textbooks; it would make me well-rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our bodies. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experience. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors, I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships in my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learned in textbooks; it would make me well-rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

What I’ve Learned From My Father’s Absence “Who is he?” I felt a tear trickle down my cheek. She shook her head and sobbed. “ It doesn’t matter, he’s gone” She cried lowly. I walked away redefining my whole life. Lost- I was disorientated by the knowledge of this new information. My thoughts were all consumed by him. “Who are you?” “Why aren’t you here?” I would ask to myself. I felt entirely left out of that part of me and felt that if I did not know who my dad was then, I would never know who I was. I noticed the way my mom would tense up when I brought him up so I decided to stop bringing him up to her. I was not very comfortable with this decision, but I wanted to make my mom happy in some way, so I stopped making her relive the pain. I stopped focusing on continuing an unhealthy approach. As I grew older, the challenge of pondering over my dad continued through my daily activities. I could not have any control over that part of me that I was missing, so I controlled everything else. I dedicated all my free time to school; focused on making her content. It was never clear to me that I would enjoy healthcare but whenever someone would ask me what do you want to be, I would say, “I want to be a doctor”. This was my answer simply because I enjoyed attending well visits and observing my doctors analyzing my brothers and me. I would question everything she did. Unsurprisingly, like fish to water, I followed a medical path in high school. I was a part of the Health Related Technologies program and in it, we are taught skills and collected hands-on learning experience about medicine and how to care for patients in a hospital. I was also able to have my first-ever shadowing experience at a hospital. Although I was only there for a few hours and never actually assisted in the betterment of the patients, nothing could make me feel more joy than when I saw the doctor interact and connect with the patients. I saw many patients come in for their check-ups and saw smiles on their faces when they were being listened to and taken care of by the physician. This experience made me realize that I love to serve people in their needs. Connection was a keynote I took when I gaped at doctor-to-patient relationships. Doctors feel chelping others I felt confident and content, something I have never felt. I gained empathy, communication, active listening, and patience through my different healthcare experiences. These skills are actively used throughout my everyday life and I know they’ll benefit me as I pursue medicine further. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. There is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have. Although I do not know exactly where I’ll end up in 15 years of my career/life, I do know that I'll stay in the water.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our bodies. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experience. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors, I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships in my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learned in textbooks; it would make me well-rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our bodies. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experience. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors, I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships in my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learned in textbooks; it would make me well-rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our bodies. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experience. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors, I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships in my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learned in textbooks; it would make me well-rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our bodies. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experience. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors, I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships in my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learned in textbooks; it would make me well-rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our bodies. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experience. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors, I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships in my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learned in textbooks; it would make me well-rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experiences. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships on my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities, if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learn in textbooks; it would make me well rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our bodies. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experience. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors, I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships in my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learned in textbooks; it would make me well-rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

“Me duele mucho mami”, my cousin, Rachell, whined. “Ven no vamos para el hospital”, my aunt spoke. “No hay dinero para eso Tona, se le pondrá mejor luego”, Rachell's dad retaliated. “Ya ella no aguanta Marcos, me voy. Vamanos Katherine” my aunt responded. My aunt Tona took my injured cousin Rachell to the hospital much to my uncle’s protest about being too short on money for a hospital visit. Growing up I never had much money. Pretty typical for most in my family/ community. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to make sure that we would get hurt at least as possible. If we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits while for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. Although there may be larger problems at hand for others, I believe a great one to solve would be free healthcare for all. The burden for families to have to worry about healthcare and other expenses is too much to handle. We are not all born with the same financial situation. This burden keeps families away from being truly healthy. If healthcare costs are keeping people away from health, how will they connect with the providers? Connection was a keynote I took when I gaped at doctor-to-patient relationships. Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. Costs are tainting the healthcare image. Healthcare is a human right. If citizens cannot meet the expense of services they should not have to pay for them. Their needs should be met. This would have been really beneficial for my family growing up, even now. We struggled financially and it burdened us. People should not have to worry about money when it comes to being overall healthy. Having free healthcare would improve overall public health and save lives. With education, I would be able to complete more research in healthcare and have access to activities to volunteer and help communities. I know that college is challenging, but as I learned, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles to overcome. I am aware that free healthcare may be hard to implement but it does not discourage my goals. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our bodies. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experience. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors, I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships in my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learned in textbooks; it would make me well-rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our bodies. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues, especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot of stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and introspection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experience. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors, I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships in my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learned in textbooks; it would make me well-rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experiences. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships on my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities, if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learn in textbooks; it would make me well rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others

I plan to major in Psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist. Psychology helps you understand a person’s behavior firmly. Our nervous system defines, controls/directs and shapes us. It is very complicated, interconnected and vital. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education. But, I also need the knowledge, skills, and experiences of my bachelor's degree in mental health.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experiences. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships on my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities, if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learn in textbooks; it would make me well rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experiences. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships on my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities, if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learn in textbooks; it would make me well rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experiences. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships on my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities, if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learn in textbooks; it would make me well rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experiences. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships on my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities, if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learn in textbooks; it would make me well rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others

“Who is he?” I felt a tear trickle down my cheek. She shook her head and sobbed. “ It doesn’t matter, he’s gone” She cried lowly. I walked away redefining my whole life. Lost- I was disorientated with the knowledge of this new information. My thoughts were all consumed by him. I felt completely left out about that part of me and felt that if I did not know who my dad was then, I would never know who I was. I noticed the way my mom would tense up when I brought him up so I decided to stop bringing him up to her. I was not very comfortable with this decision, but I wanted to make my mom happy in some way, so I stopped making her relive the pain. I stopped focusing on continuing an unhealthy approach. As I grew older, the challenge of pondering over my dad continued through my daily activities. I could not have any control over that part of me that I was missing, so I controlled everything else. I dedicated all my free time to school; focused on making her content. It was never clear to me that I would enjoy healthcare but whenever someone would ask me what do you want to be, I would say, “I want to be a doctor”. This was my answer simply because I enjoyed going to well visits and observing my doctors analyzing my brothers and me. I would question everything she did. Unsurprisingly, like fish to water, I followed a medical path in high school. I was a part of the Health program where we are taught skills and collected hands-on learning experience about medicine and how to care for patients in a hospital. I was also able to have my first-ever shadowing experience at a hospital. Nothing could make me feel more joy than when I saw the doctor interact and connect with the patients. I saw many patients come in for their check-ups and saw smiles on their faces when they were being listened to and taken care of by the physician. This experience made me realize that I love to serve people in their needs. Connection was a keynote. Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. While experiencing this wholeness, I never once pondered over my absent father. I had time to think it over and realized how much weight and meaning I was giving to someone that wasn’t around. My dad was a never-ending thought and when medicine came around, he was just…gone. This is not a path I am pursuing to please someone else; I am pleasing myself. Through helping others I felt confident and content, something I have never felt. I gained empathy, communication, active listening, and patience through my different healthcare experiences. These skills are actively used throughout my everyday life and I know they’ll benefit me as I pursue medicine further. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. There is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have. Although I do not know exactly where I’ll end up in 15 years of my career/life, I do know that I'll stay in the water.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experiences. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships on my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities, if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learn in textbooks; it would make me well rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

Once I graduate high school I plan to major in Psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist. Psychology helps you understand a person’s behavior firmly. Our nervous system defines, controls/directs and shapes us. It is very complicated but interconnected and vital. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experiences of my bachelor's degree in mental health. A Public health club that I co-founded organized a mental fair from the result of our brainstorming event on World Health Day with WCI and Temple University to brainstorm to answer the question: “How can high school students help their peers who have mental health struggles due to Covid-19?” The Public Health Club students created and organized an event to include healthcare partnerships within the Philadelphia community to provide mental health resources to peers. I have received exposure to many needy masses, and they all showed me the same thing: I love to serve. Psychology would help me make a difference, one that my family needed as do so many more.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experiences. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships on my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities, if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learn in textbooks; it would make me well rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

I am really proud of using my father's absence as a way to motivate me to persevere instead of pondering over it with no success. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to prevent us from getting hurt. Of course, getting hurt isn't ever planned. But, if we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Over the years, my family became my biggest strength to propel me forward. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist to understand a person firmly. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life. I strive to graduate at the top of my class, and so far I am achieving that in high school. I want to achieve the same thing or similar when I graduate from college. I know this will attract job offers and is a means to finance further education, but I know that this isn’t the only thing I want from college. I need the knowledge, skills, and experiences. These will all lead to personal growth. I want to expand my professional network and with the help of my professors and advisors I will get a chance for these opportunities. Through these networks, I can also take on internships on my preferred area of study and network even further. I would be able to do research in areas such as; disabilities, if color can cause certain reactions out of people or a rat’s choices in a maze to reach the cheese. These case studies and experiments would expand on what I learn in textbooks; it would make me well rounded, just like volunteering has. I am really proud that I am taking the responsibility of taking college classes full-time at a community college. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore psychology. I can make my family proud. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. When I was younger I never thought that I could get anywhere without him. But, there is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have, and I am so glad that Psychology is my passion where I can serve others.

“In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity”-Erik Erikson. This goes to question, Who am I? What is my Identity? To me this a very complex question and it’s difficult to answer. All adolescence are going through the stage of trying to figure out who they are and how they’ll contribute to society. There are things that make us different. I am constantly progressing throughout all of my endeavors for my future. What really stuck with me as a child was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist or to continue and get a doctoral degree to be a Psychiatrist. Psychology helps you understand a person’s behavior firmly. A deep understanding of mental processes is something I am always trying to crack open. During High School, I quickly learned of my love for volunteering. I began volunteering at a hospital to deliver fresh produce to a community in need that struggled with gun violence and drug abuse. I quickly realized how intimate the health workers were with people inside the community. Although the neighborhood went through difficult times, the health workers were always of support to the people and were treated as family. During my volunteering time, I was quickly given the opportunity to connect and shadow for the first time. My family background has played a huge part in what interests me- Psychology. Their continuous hardship to succeed in the U.S has showed me the value of hard work. My education is prominent and I know that all this education I am pursuing is challenging. But as I learned this year while taking the responsibility of taking college classes full time at a community college, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles and to overcome them is not impossible. I just need the motivation and I do have it. With this motivation, I can make my family proud. Furthermore, my senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore within psychology and more. I have received exposure to many masses in need and they all showed me the same thing, I love to serve. Psychology would help me make a difference, one that my family needed as do so many more. It fulfills me and makes me feel alive. It is something that moves with me. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy in my career trajectory to understand the world better. But, none of this would have been possible without my family’s influence. I find myself growing always to reach my goals and stay compassionate.

Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits since for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist or to continue and get a doctoral degree to be a Psychiatrist. Psychology helps you understand a person’s behavior firmly. A deep understanding of mental processes is something I am always trying to crack open. All three concentrations of Mind, Brain, and Behavior, Human Development, and Clinical and Health Psychology interest me. I think that I will focus specifically on clinical psychology and developmental psychology. Developmental Psychologists usually focus on research of human growth and development in one's life whether it is coming from a social, personality, or a physical area. While Clinical Psychologists assess the behaviors and emotions of a person to help a patient grow. In order to diagnose disorders within patients I need to learn about the way they grew and adapted to the predicament they find themselves in and I can theorize about their disorders from their developments. Clinical psychology is especially important to Psychiatry since I need to be able to communicate with patients and gain their trust to evaluate a person's emotions and how they behave, ultimately diagnosing and treating them. The brain is fascinating because there is so much to learn about what makes us human. Our nervous system defines, controls/directs and shapes us. It is very complicated but interconnected and vital. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life and I love to serve people in their needs.This scholarship would allow me to make a career out of it.

“Me duele mucho mami”, my cousin, Rachell, whined. “Ven no vamos para el hospital”, my aunt spoke. “No hay dinero para eso Tona, se le pondrá mejor luego”, Rachell's dad retaliated. “Ya ella no aguanta Marcos, me voy. Vamanos Katherine”my aunt responded. My aunt Tona took my injured cousin Rachell to the hospital much to my uncle’s protest about being too short on money for a hospital visit. Growing up I never had much money. Pretty typical for most in my family/ community. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to make sure that we would get hurt at least as possible. If we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits while for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. Although there may be larger problems at hand for others, I believe a great one to solve would be free healthcare for all. The burden for families to have to worry about healthcare and other expenses is too much to handle. We are not all born with the same financial situation. This burden keeps families away from being truly healthy. If healthcare costs are keeping people away from health, how will they connect with the providers? Connection was a keynote I took when I gaped at doctor-to-patient relationships. Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. Costs are tainting the healthcare image. Healthcare is a human right. If citizens cannot meet the expense of services they should not have to pay for them. Their needs should be met. This would have been really beneficial for my family growing up, even now. We struggled financially and it burdened us. People should not have to worry about money when it comes to being overall healthy. Having free healthcare would improve overall public health and save lives. With education, I would be able to complete more research in healthcare and have access to activities to volunteer and help communities. I know that college is challenging, but as I learned, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles to overcome. I am aware that free healthcare may be hard to implement but it does not discourage my goals. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy.

Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits since for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist or to continue and get a doctoral degree to be a Psychiatrist. Psychology helps you understand a person’s behavior firmly. A deep understanding of mental processes is something I am always trying to crack open. All three concentrations of Mind, Brain, and Behavior, Human Development, and Clinical and Health Psychology interest me. I think that I will focus specifically on clinical psychology and developmental psychology. Developmental Psychologists usually focus on research of human growth and development in one's life whether it is coming from a social, personality, or a physical area. While Clinical Psychologists assess the behaviors and emotions of a person to help a patient grow. In order to diagnose disorders within patients I need to learn about the way they grew and adapted to the predicament they find themselves in and I can theorize about their disorders from their developments. Clinical psychology is especially important to Psychiatry since I need to be able to communicate with patients and gain their trust to evaluate a person's emotions and how they behave, ultimately diagnosing and treating them. The brain is fascinating because there is so much to learn about what makes us human. Our nervous system defines, controls/directs and shapes us. It is very complicated but interconnected and vital. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life and I love to serve people in their needs.This scholarship would allow me to make a career out of it.

Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits since for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. During the summer after my junior year, I began volunteering with Esperanza health to deliver fresh produce to a community in need that struggled with gun violence and drug abuse. I quickly realized how intimate the health workers were with people inside the community. Although the neighborhood went through difficult times, the health workers were always of support to the people and were treated as family. Within my volunteering time, I was quickly given the opportunity to connect and shadow for the first time. I recognized how often people are eager to support one another no matter the circumstance. I aspire to have this during my education. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist or to continue and get a doctoral degree to be a Psychiatrist. Psychology helps you understand a person’s behavior firmly. A deep understanding of mental processes is something I am always trying to crack open. I think that I will focus specifically on clinical psychology. Clinical Psychologists assess the behaviors and emotions of a person to help a patient grow. Clinical psychology is especially important to Psychiatry since I need to be able to communicate with patients and gain their trust to evaluate a person's emotions and how they behave, ultimately diagnosing and treating them. The brain is fascinating because there is so much to learn about what makes us human. Our nervous system defines, controls/directs and shapes us. It is very complicated but interconnected and vital. Networking and exposure would make me well rounded, just like volunteering has. I have received exposure to many masses in need and they all showed me the same thing, I love to serve. Psychology would help me make a difference, one that my family needed as do so many more.

ruth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits since for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist or to continue and get a doctoral degree to be a Psychiatrist. Psychology helps you understand a person’s behavior firmly. A deep understanding of mental processes is something I am always trying to crack open. All three concentrations of Mind, Brain, and Behavior, Human Development, and Clinical and Health Psychology interest me. I think that I will focus specifically on clinical psychology and developmental psychology. Developmental Psychologists usually focus on research of human growth and development in one's life whether it is coming from a social, personality, or a physical area. While Clinical Psychologists assess the behaviors and emotions of a person to help a patient grow. In order to diagnose disorders within patients I need to learn about the way they grew and adapted to the predicament they find themselves in and I can theorize about their disorders from their developments. Clinical psychology is especially important to Psychiatry since I need to be able to communicate with patients and gain their trust to evaluate a person's emotions and how they behave, ultimately diagnosing and treating them. The brain is fascinating because there is so much to learn about what makes us human. Our nervous system defines, controls/directs and shapes us. It is very complicated but interconnected and vital. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life and I love to serve people in their needs. This scholarship would allow for me to have more opportunities and internships to finance my education. I am aware that all this education is challenging but it does not discourage my goals. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy, I just need the financial means to get there.

“Me duele mucho mami”, my cousin, Rachell, whined. “Ven no vamos para el hospital”, my aunt spoke. “No hay dinero para eso Tona, se le pondrá mejor luego”, Rachell's dad retaliated. “Ya ella no aguanta Marcos, me voy. Vamanos Katherine”my aunt responded. My aunt Tona took my injured cousin Rachell to the hospital much to my uncle’s protest about being too short on money for a hospital visit. Growing up I never had much money. Pretty typical for most in my family/ community. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to make sure that we would get hurt at least as possible. If we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits while for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. Although there may be larger problems at hand for others, I believe a great one to solve would be free healthcare for all. The burden for families to have to worry about healthcare and other expenses is too much to handle. We are not all born with the same financial situation. This burden keeps families away from being truly healthy. If healthcare costs are keeping people away from health, how will they connect with the providers? Connection was a keynote I took when I gaped at doctor-to-patient relationships. Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. Costs are tainting the healthcare image. Healthcare is a human right. If citizens cannot meet the expense of services they should not have to pay for them. Their needs should be met. This would have been really beneficial for my family growing up, even now. We struggled financially and it burdened us. People should not have to worry about money when it comes to being overall healthy. Having free healthcare would improve overall public health and save lives. With education, I would be able to complete more research in healthcare and have access to activities to volunteer and help communities. I know that college is challenging, but as I learned, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles to overcome. I am aware that free healthcare may be hard to implement but it does not discourage my goals. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy.

Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits since for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. During the summer after my junior year, I began volunteering with Esperanza health to deliver fresh produce to a community in need that struggled with gun violence and drug abuse. I quickly realized how intimate the health workers were with people inside the community. Although the neighborhood went through difficult times, the health workers were always of support to the people and were treated as family. Within my volunteering time, I was quickly given the opportunity to connect and shadow for the first time. I recognized how often people are eager to support one another no matter the circumstance. I aspire to have this during my education. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist or to continue and get a doctoral degree to be a Psychiatrist. Psychology helps you understand a person’s behavior firmly. A deep understanding of mental processes is something I am always trying to crack open. I think that I will focus specifically on clinical psychology. Clinical Psychologists assess the behaviors and emotions of a person to help a patient grow. Clinical psychology is especially important to Psychiatry since I need to be able to communicate with patients and gain their trust to evaluate a person's emotions and how they behave, ultimately diagnosing and treating them. The brain is fascinating because there is so much to learn about what makes us human. Our nervous system defines, controls/directs and shapes us. It is very complicated but interconnected and vital. Networking and exposure would make me well rounded, just like volunteering has. I have received exposure to many masses in need and they all showed me the same thing, I love to serve. Psychology would help me make a difference, one that my family needed as do so many more.

I could only really think of two coaches in my life. My two cousins, Michell and Rachell. Michell is five years older than me and Rachell is two years older than me. As a low-income child and child of immigrants, I never had many opportunities or role models. I was in a way experiencing everything myself before anyone else. Since, I didn’t have any older siblings that had experienced the American life before me, I looked upon Michell and Rachell to follow. They are everything to me. They never made me feel left out for being younger than them and included me in absolutely everything. Now that I look at it, they were and are my blueprint but Michell never had any. Michell has always been exceptionally motivated and focused. Our parents fear that we will disappoint them by dropping out of college. Like most immigrants, they came here to give us a better life; for us to get an education, get a career, and support them. It may seem like a lot of pressure, but that has always been the standard for my entire family. Our parents constantly give us examples of people they know that have strayed the course and how much they want us to ignore that. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. This is where my passion for medicine stemmed from. As Michell was the oldest, she has always helped our parents with legalities; bills, taxes, you name it. She has always been so independent and required to be a helping hand, even as a child. Although, Michell, Rachell and I may not share the same passion. My motivation and success in my academic journey is owed to the blueprint she has left us. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. The brain is fascinating because there is so much to learn about what makes us human. Our nervous system defines, controls/directs and shapes us. It is very complicated but interconnected and vital. I need the knowledge, skills, and experiences. These will all lead to personal growth. With my cousins constantly achieving success even with the many barriers we’ve faced, I have felt more confident going after challenges myself.

Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits since for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist or to continue and get a doctoral degree to be a Psychiatrist. Psychology helps you understand a person’s behavior firmly. A deep understanding of mental processes is something I am always trying to crack open. All three concentrations of Mind, Brain, and Behavior, Human Development, and Clinical and Health Psychology interest me. I think that I will focus specifically on clinical psychology and developmental psychology. Developmental Psychologists usually focus on research of human growth and development in one's life whether it is coming from a social, personality, or a physical area. While Clinical Psychologists assess the behaviors and emotions of a person to help a patient grow. In order to diagnose disorders within patients I need to learn about the way they grew and adapted to the predicament they find themselves in and I can theorize about their disorders from their developments. Clinical psychology is especially important to Psychiatry since I need to be able to communicate with patients and gain their trust to evaluate a person's emotions and how they behave, ultimately diagnosing and treating them. The brain is fascinating because there is so much to learn about what makes us human. Our nervous system defines, controls/directs and shapes us. It is very complicated but interconnected and vital. My education is a very prominent aspect of my life and I love to serve people in their needs.

“Me duele mucho mami”, my cousin, Rachell, whined. “Ven no vamos para el hospital”, my aunt spoke. “No hay dinero para eso Tona, se le pondrá mejor luego”, Rachell's dad retaliated. “Ya ella no aguanta Marcos, me voy. Vamanos Katherine”my aunt responded. My aunt Tona took my injured cousin Rachell to the hospital much to my uncle’s protest about being too short on money for a hospital visit. Growing up I never had much money. Pretty typical for most in my family/ community. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to make sure that we would get hurt at least as possible. If we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits while for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. Although there may be larger problems at hand for others, I believe a great one to solve would be free healthcare for all. The burden for families to have to worry about healthcare and other expenses is too much to handle. We are not all born with the same financial situation. This burden keeps families away from being truly healthy. If healthcare costs are keeping people away from health, how will they connect with the providers? Connection was a keynote I took when I gaped at doctor-to-patient relationships. Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. Costs are tainting the healthcare image. Healthcare is a human right. If citizens cannot meet the expense of services they should not have to pay for them. Their needs should be met. This would have been really beneficial for my family growing up, even now. We struggled financially and it burdened us. People should not have to worry about money when it comes to being overall healthy. Having free healthcare would improve overall public health and save lives. With education, I would be able to complete more research in healthcare and have access to activities to volunteer and help communities. I know that college is challenging, but as I learned, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles to overcome. I am aware that free healthcare may be hard to implement but it does not discourage my goals. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy.

Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Even though going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. What really stuck with me was the entire backstory of what was going on inside everyone’s mind, especially my family’s. They were never evaluated psychologically but I knew that this was a huge part of health. I knew that thinking was a part of everyday life and it drove our behavior. There had to be processes that occurred just like with our body. I was a very observant person and noticed that my family had many issues especially from putting their emotions aside to succeed and move the family forward in a new country. They had a lot stress from money, adapting, and more. My care and instrospection produced my interest and passion for psychology and the brain. Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and Neuroscience to become a Psychologist or to continue and get a doctoral degree to be a Psychiatrist. Psychology helps you understand a person’s behavior firmly. A deep understanding of mental processes is something I am always trying to crack open. All three concentrations of Mind, Brain, and Behavior, Human Development, and Clinical and Health Psychology interest me. I think that I will focus specifically on clinical psychology and developmental psychology. Developmental Psychologists usually focus on research of human growth and development in one's life whether it is coming from a social, personality, or a physical area. While Clinical Psychologists assess the behaviors and emotions of a person to help a patient grow. In order to diagnose disorders within patients I need to learn about the way they grew and adapted to the predicament they find themselves in and I can theorize about their disorders from their developments. Clinical psychology is especially important to Psychiatry since I need to be able to communicate with patients and gain their trust to evaluate a person's emotions and how they behave, ultimately diagnosing and treating them. The brain is fascinating because there is so much to learn about what makes us human. Our nervous system defines, controls/directs and shapes us. It is very complicated but interconnected and vital. I have received exposure to many masses in need and they all showed me the same thing, I love to service. Psychology would help me make a difference, one that my family needed as do so many more. I know that all this education I am pursuing is challenging. But as I learned this year while taking the responsibility of taking college classes full time at a community college, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles and to overcome them is not impossible. I just need the motivation and I do have it. With this motivation, I can make my family proud. Furthermore, my senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore within psychology and more. I do appreciate this experience because now I know what it feels like to juggle multiple things at once and be more efficient just like my future in psychology will be. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy in my career trajectory to understand the world better.

“Me duele mucho mami”, my cousin, Rachell, whined. “Ven no vamos para el hospital”, my aunt spoke. “No hay dinero para eso Tona, se le pondrá mejor luego”, Rachell's dad retaliated. “Ya ella no aguanta Marcos, me voy. Vamanos Katherine”my aunt responded. My aunt Tona took my injured cousin Rachell to the hospital much to my uncle’s protest about being too short on money for a hospital visit. Growing up I never had much money. Pretty typical for most in my family/ community. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to make sure that we would get hurt at least as possible. If we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits while for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. Although there may be larger problems at hand for others, I believe a great one to solve would be free healthcare for all. The burden for families to have to worry about healthcare and other expenses is too much to handle. We are not all born with the same financial situation. This burden keeps families away from being truly healthy. If healthcare costs are keeping people away from health, how will they connect with the providers? Connection was a keynote I took when I gaped at doctor-to-patient relationships. Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. Costs are tainting the healthcare image. Healthcare is a human right. If citizens cannot meet the expense of services they should not have to pay for them. Their needs should be met. This would have been really beneficial for my family growing up, even now. We struggled financially and it burdened us. People should not have to worry about money when it comes to being overall healthy. Having free healthcare would improve overall public health and save lives. With education, I would be able to complete more research in healthcare and have access to activities to volunteer and help communities. I know that college is challenging, but as I learned, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles to overcome. I am aware that free healthcare may be hard to implement but it does not discourage my goals. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy.

When I thought about how to answer this prompt, I had quite alot of difficulty. I could only really think of two coaches in my life. My two cousins, Michell and Rachell. Michell is five years older than me and Rachell is two years older than me. As a low-income child and child of immigrants, I never had many opportunities or role models. I was in a way experiencing everything myself before anyone else. Since, I didn’t have any older siblings that had experienced the American life before me, I looked upon Michell and Rachell to follow. They are everything to me. They never made me feel left out for being younger than them and included me in absolutely everything. Now that I look at it, they were and are my blueprint but Michell never had any. Michell has always been exceptionally motivated and focused. Our parents fear that we will disappoint them by dropping out of college. Like most immigrants, they came here to give us a better life; for us to get an education, get a career, and support them. It may seem like a lot of pressure, but that has always been the standard for my entire family. Our parents constantly give us examples of people they know that have strayed the course and how much they want us to ignore that. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to make sure that we would get hurt at least as possible to avoid the costs. Of course, getting hurt isn't planned. But, they had no other alternative. If we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. This is where my passion for medicine stemmed from. Most of the time it happened to be Rachell that was hurt and I would accompany always. As Michell was the oldest, she has always helped our parents with legalities; bills, taxes, you name it. She has always been so independent and required to be a helping hand, even as a child. She is in the process of getting her master's. Michell is 22 and to this day our parents constantly remind us to be like her. Although, Michell, Rachell and I may not share the same passion. My motivation and success in my academic journey is owed to the blueprint she has left us. It is also owed to the sister bond and the love she has for us. Although, she is always busy, she never makes us feel as an nuisance and gives us all the attention and support we need to continue our challenges. With my cousins constantly achieving success even with the many barriers we’ve faced, I have felt more confident going after challenges myself. I have been taking on more responsibility with my college classes during my senior year and my psychology internship. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore. Mentoring to me is having someone showing you that an idea and dream is not impossible.

It was never clear to me that I would enjoy healthcare but whenever someone would ask me what do you want to be, I would say, “I want to be a doctor”. This was my answer simply because I enjoyed going to well visits and observing my doctors analyzing my brothers and me. I would question everything she did. Unsurprisingly, like fish to water, I followed a medical path in high school. I was a part of the Health Related Technologies program and in it, we are taught skills and collected hands-on learning experience about medicine and how to care for patients in a hospital. I was also able to have my first-ever shadowing experience at a hospital. Although I was only there for a few hours and never actually assisted in the betterment of the patients, nothing could make me feel more joy than when I saw the doctor interact and connect with the patients. I saw many patients come in for their check-ups and saw smiles on their faces when they were being listened to and taken care of by the physician. This experience made me realize that I love to serve people in their needs. In December of my junior year, I co-founded a public health club at my school. It was important to me that they understood the spread of viruses and how to protect themselves. The club held an event for students to get vaccinated against Covid-19. I knew that students would not want to blindly vaccinate without knowing about the risks and benefits, therefore, I went around the school to give them presentations about all things COVID-19. With the help of Jefferson health, 203 students gained immunity to the virus. I was so delighted to see that the event helped protect so many and I continue to work with the club to provide more resources for students. I will focus on educating and promoting better lifestyles to the community before they get sick in college. From this opportunity, I realized how important it is to tackle a problem before it affects the body. I believed that health concerns could only be addressed once they occurred but now I know prevention is key. I intend to find similar positions at in college where I can foster my new interests. During the summer after my junior year, I began volunteering with Esperanza health to deliver fresh produce to a community in need that struggled with gun violence and drug abuse. I quickly realized how intimate the health workers were with people inside the community. Although the neighborhood went through difficult times, the health workers were always of support to the people and were treated as family. Within my volunteering time, I was quickly given the opportunity to connect and shadow for the first time. This association provided me the opportunity to receive exposure and I recognized how often people are eager to support one another no matter the circumstance. I aspire to have this during my education. It is a difficult thing to obtain from a university education when we are all focused solely on academics. However, college is more than just academics , I would get exposure to an abundant amount of healthcare through research and networking.

“Me duele mucho mami”, my cousin, Rachell, whined. “Ven no vamos para el hospital”, my aunt spoke. “No hay dinero para eso Tona, se le pondrá mejor luego”, Rachell's dad retaliated. “Ya ella no aguanta Marcos, me voy. Vamanos Katherine”my aunt responded. My aunt Tona took my injured cousin Rachell to the hospital much to my uncle’s protest about being too short on money for a hospital visit. Growing up I never had much money. Pretty typical for most in my family/ community. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to make sure that we would get hurt at least as possible. Of course, getting hurt isn't planned. But, they had no other alternative. If we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits while for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. Although there may be larger problems at hand for others, I believe a great one to solve would be free healthcare for all. The burden for families to have to worry about healthcare and other expenses is too much to handle. We are not all born with the same financial situation. This burden keeps families away from being truly healthy. It keeps families away from hospitals by instilling fear into them. If healthcare costs are keeping people away from health, how will they connect with the providers? Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. Costs are tainting the healthcare image. Healthcare is a human right. If citizens cannot meet the expense of services they should not have to pay for them. Their needs should be met. This would have been beneficial for my family growing up, even now. We struggled financially and it burdened us. People should not have to worry about money when it comes to being overall healthy. Having free healthcare would improve overall public health and save lives. I know that college is challenging, but as I learned, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles to overcome that is not impossible. I am aware that free healthcare may be hard to implement but it does not discourage my goals. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy.

“Me duele mucho mami”, my cousin, Rachell, whined. “Ven no vamos para el hospital”, my aunt spoke. “No hay dinero para eso Tona, se le pondrá mejor luego”, Rachell's dad retaliated. “Ya ella no aguanta Marcos, me voy. Vamanos Katherine”my aunt responded. My aunt Tona took my injured cousin Rachell to the hospital much to my uncle’s protest about being too short on money for a hospital visit. Growing up I never had much money. Pretty typical for most in my family/ community. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to make sure that we would get hurt at least as possible. Of course, getting hurt isn't planned. But, they had no other alternative. If we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits while for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. Although there may be larger problems at hand for others, I believe a great one to solve would be free healthcare for all. The burden for families to have to worry about healthcare and other expenses is too much to handle. We are not all born with the same financial situation. This burden keeps families away from being truly healthy. It keeps families away from hospitals by instilling fear into them. If healthcare costs are keeping people away from health, how will they connect with the providers? Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. Costs are tainting the healthcare image. Healthcare is a human right. If citizens cannot meet the expense of services they should not have to pay for them. Their needs should be met. This would have been beneficial for my family growing up, even now. We struggled financially and it burdened us. People should not have to worry about money when it comes to being overall healthy. Having free healthcare would improve overall public health and save lives. I know that college is challenging, but as I learned, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles to overcome that is not impossible. I am aware that free healthcare may be hard to implement but it does not discourage my goals. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy.

“Me duele mucho mami”, my cousin, Rachell, whined. “Ven no vamos para el hospital”, my aunt spoke. “No hay dinero para eso Tona, se le pondrá mejor luego”, Rachell's dad retaliated. “Ya ella no aguanta Marcos, me voy. Vamanos Katherine”my aunt responded. My aunt Tona took my injured cousin Rachell to the hospital much to my uncle’s protest about being too short on money for a hospital visit. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to make sure that we would get hurt at least as possible. Of course, getting hurt isn't planned. But, they had no other alternative. If we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits while for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. Although there may be larger problems at hand for others, I believe a great one to solve would be free healthcare for all. The burden for families to have to worry about healthcare and other expenses is too much to handle. We are not all born with the same financial situation. This burden keeps families away from being truly healthy. It keeps families away from hospitals by instilling fear into them. If healthcare costs are keeping people away from health, how will they connect with the providers? Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. Costs are tainting the healthcare image. Healthcare is a human right. If citizens cannot meet the expense of services they should not have to pay for them. Their needs should be met. This would have been beneficial for my family growing up, even now. We struggled financially and it burdened us. People should not have to worry about money when it comes to being overall healthy. Having free healthcare would improve overall public health and save lives. Winning this scholarship would allow me to have more opportunities and internships to finance my education. I know that college is a challenging program, but as I learned, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles to overcome that is not impossible. I am aware that free healthcare may be hard to implement but it does not discourage my goals. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy.

Growing up I never had much money. Pretty typical for most in my family/ community. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to make sure that we would get hurt at least as possible. Of course, getting hurt isn't planned. But, they had no other alternative. If we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits while for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. Although there may be larger problems at hand for others, I believe a great one to solve would be free healthcare for all. The burden for families to have to worry about healthcare and other expenses is too much to handle. We are not all born with the same financial situation. This burden keeps families away from being truly healthy. It keeps families away from hospitals by instilling fear into them. If healthcare costs are keeping people away from health, how will they connect with the providers? Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. Costs are tainting the healthcare image. Healthcare is a human right. If citizens cannot meet the expense of services they should not have to pay for them. Their needs should be met. This would have been beneficial for my family growing up, even now. People should not have to worry about money when it comes to being overall healthy. Having free healthcare would improve overall public health and save lives. I want be able to complete more research in healthcare and have access to activities to volunteer and help communities. I know that college is challenging, but as I learned, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles to overcome that is not impossible. I am aware that free healthcare may be hard to implement but it does not discourage my goals. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy.

Mentors can be people in someone’s life that advise and train them in their progress in life. When I thought about how to answer this prompt, I had quite alot of difficulty. I could only really think of two mentors in my life. My two cousins, Michell and Rachell. Michell is five years older than me and Rachell is two years older than me. As a low-income child and child of immigrants, I never had many opportunities or role models. I was in a way experiencing everything myself before anyone else. Since, I didn’t have any older siblings that had experienced the American life before me, I looked upon Michell and Rachell to follow. They were and are everything to me. They never made me feel left out for being younger than them and included me in absolutely everything. Now that I look at it, they were and are my blueprint but Michell never had any. Michell has always been exceptionally motivated and focused. Our parents fear that we will disappoint them by dropping out of college. Like most immigrants, they came here to give us a better life; for us to get an education, get a carrer, and support them. It may seem like a lot of pressure, but that has always been the standard for my entire family. Our parents constantly give us examples of people they know that have strayed the course and how much they want us to ignore that. of people they know that have strayed the course and how much they want us to ignore that. They want us to be well established with our degree and then we can focus on settling down. As Michell was the oldest and knew english, she has always helped our parents with legalities; bills, taxes, you name it. She has always been so independent and required to be the helping hand, even as a child. Michell recently just graduated in December 2022 from City College and has earned a bachelors in Psychology and early childhood education. She is in the process of getting her masters from the same institution and will be starting January of 2023. Michell is 22 and to this day our parents constantly remind us to be like her. She graduated Highschool at 17 years old and has always strayed from distractions. Although, Michell, Rachell and I may not share the same passion. My motivation and success in my academic journey is owed to the blueprint she has left us. It is also owed to the sister bond and the love she has for us. Although, she is always busy, she never makes us feel as an nuisance and gives us all the attention and support we need to continue our challenges. With my cousins constantly achieving success even with the many barriers we’ve faced, I have felt more confidant going after challenges myself. I have been taking on more responsibility with my college classes during my senior year and my psychology internship. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore. I do appreciate this experience because now I know what it feels like to juggle multiple things at once. Mentoring to me is having someone showing you that an idea and dream is not impossible. My cousins show this to everyday as we chase what our parents came here for and I can only hope to show Isabella the same influence that they have to me.

“Who is he?” I felt a tear trickle down my cheek. She shook her head and sobbed. “ It doesn’t matter, he’s gone” She cried lowly. I walked away redefining my whole life. Lost- I was disorientated with the knowledge of this new information. My thoughts were all consumed by him. “Who are you?” “Why aren’t you here?” I would ask to myself. I felt completely left out about that part of me and felt that if I did not know who my dad was then, I would never know who I was. I noticed the way my mom would tense up when I brought him up so I decided to stop bringing him up to her. I was not very comfortable with this decision, but I wanted to make my mom happy in some way, so I stopped making her relive the pain. I stopped focusing on continuing an unhealthy approach. As I grew older, the challenge of pondering over my dad continued through my daily activities. I could not have any control over that part of me that I was missing, so I controlled everything else. I dedicated all my free time to school; focused on making her content. It was never clear to me that I would enjoy healthcare but whenever someone would ask me what do you want to be, I would say, “I want to be a doctor”. This was my answer simply because I enjoyed going to well visits and observing my doctors analyzing my brothers and me. I would question everything she did. Unsurprisingly, like fish to water, I followed a medical path in high school. I was a part of the Health Related Technologies program and in it, we are taught skills and collected hands-on learning experience about medicine and how to care for patients in a hospital. I was also able to have my first-ever shadowing experience at a hospital. Although I was only there for a few hours and never actually assisted in the betterment of the patients, nothing could make me feel more joy than when I saw the doctor interact and connect with the patients. I saw many patients come in for their check-ups and saw smiles on their faces when they were being listened to and taken care of by the physician. This experience made me realize that I love to serve people in their needs. Connection was a keynote I took when I gaped at doctor-to-patient relationships. Doctors feel chelping others I felt confident and content, something I have never felt. I gained empathy, communication, active listening, and patience through my different healthcare experiences. These skills are actively used throughout my everyday life and I know they’ll benefit me as I pursue medicine further. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. There is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have. Although I do not know exactly where I’ll end up in 15 years of my career/life, I do know that I'll stay in the water.

“Me duele mucho mami”, my cousin, Rachell, whined. “Ven no vamos para el hospital”, my aunt spoke. “No hay dinero para eso Tona, se le pondrá mejor luego”, Rachell's dad retaliated. “Ya ella no aguanta Marcos, me voy. Vamanos Katherine”my aunt responded. My aunt Tona took my injured cousin Rachell to the hospital much to my uncle’s protest about being too short on money for a hospital visit. Growing up I never had much money. Pretty typical for most in my family/ community. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to make sure that we would get hurt at least as possible. Of course, getting hurt isn't planned. But, they had no other alternative. If we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits while for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. Although there may be larger problems at hand for others, I believe a great one to solve would be free healthcare for all. The burden for families to have to worry about healthcare and other expenses is too much to handle. We are not all born with the same financial situation. This burden keeps families away from being truly healthy. It keeps families away from hospitals by instilling fear into them. If healthcare costs are keeping people away from health, how will they connect with the providers? Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. Costs are tainting the healthcare image. Healthcare is a human right. If citizens cannot meet the expense of services they should not have to pay for them. Their needs should be met. This would have been beneficial for my family growing up, even now. We struggled financially and it burdened us. People should not have to worry about money when it comes to being overall healthy. Having free healthcare would improve overall public health and save lives. I know that college is challenging, but as I learned, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles to overcome that is not impossible. I am aware that free healthcare may be hard to implement but it does not discourage my goals. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy.

Growing up I never had much money. Pretty typical for most in my family/ community. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to make sure that we would get hurt at least as possible. Of course, getting hurt isn't planned. But, they had no other alternative. If we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits while for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. Although there may be larger problems at hand for others, I believe a great one to solve would be free healthcare for all. The burden for families to have to worry about healthcare and other expenses is too much to handle. We are not all born with the same financial situation. This burden keeps families away from being truly healthy. It keeps families away from hospitals by instilling fear into them. If healthcare costs are keeping people away from health, how will they connect with the providers? Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. Costs are tainting the healthcare image. Healthcare is a human right. If citizens cannot meet the expense of services they should not have to pay for them. Their needs should be met. This would have been beneficial for my family growing up, even now. People should not have to worry about money when it comes to being overall healthy. Having free healthcare would improve overall public health and save lives. I want be able to complete more research in healthcare and have access to activities to volunteer and help communities. I know that college is challenging, but as I learned, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles to overcome that is not impossible. I am aware that free healthcare may be hard to implement but it does not discourage my goals. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy.

“Me duele mucho mami”, my cousin, Rachell, whined. “Ven no vamos para el hospital”, my aunt spoke. “No hay dinero para eso Tona, se le pondrá mejor luego”, Rachell's dad retaliated. “Ya ella no aguanta Marcos, me voy. Vamanos Katherine”my aunt responded. My aunt Tona took my injured cousin Rachell to the hospital much to my uncle’s protest about being too short on money for a hospital visit. Growing up I never had much money. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to make sure that we would get hurt at least as possible. Of course, getting hurt isn't planned. But, they had no other alternative. If we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits while for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. Although there may be larger problems at hand for others, I believe a great one to solve would be free healthcare for all. The burden for families to have to worry about healthcare and other expenses is too much to handle. We are not all born with the same financial situation. This burden keeps families away from being truly healthy. It keeps families away from hospitals by instilling fear into them. If healthcare costs are keeping people away from health, how will they connect with the providers? Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. Costs are tainting the healthcare image. Healthcare is a human right. If citizens cannot meet the expense of services they should not have to pay for them. Their needs should be met. This would have been beneficial for my family growing up, even now. We struggled financially and it burdened us. People should not have to worry about money when it comes to being overall healthy. Having free healthcare would improve overall public health and save lives. Winning this scholarship would allow me to have more opportunities and internships to finance my education. I know that college is a challenging program, but as I learned, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles to overcome that is not impossible. I am aware that free healthcare may be hard to implement but it does not discourage my goals. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy.

Once I graduate high school I plan to major in psychology and pre-med to become a Psychiatrist. Psychology helps you understand a person’s behavior firmly. A deep understanding of mental processes is something I am always trying to crack open. All three concentrations of Mind, Brain, and Behavior, Human Development, and Clinical and Health Psychology interest me. I think that I will focus specifically on clinical psychology and developmental psychology. Developmental psychologists usually focus on research of human growth and development in one's life whether it is coming from a social, personality, or physical area. While clinical psychologists assess the behaviors and emotions of a person to help a patient grow. In order to diagnose disorders within patients I need to learn about the way they grew and adapted to the predicament they find themselves in. I can theorize about their disorders from their developments. Clinical psychology is especially important to psychiatry since I need to be able to communicate with patients and gain their trust to evaluate a person's emotions and how they behave, ultimately diagnosing and treating them. The brain is fascinating because there is so much to learn about what makes us human. Our nervous system defines, controls/directs, and shapes us. It is very complicated but interconnected and vital. I have always found it fascinating to learn about people's origins and why people are the way they are. A new passion of mine is hosting and participating in health events at my school and taking on new challenges. Adaptability has been a crucial skill needed this school year. This was demonstrated when assisting with a COVID vaccination event held at my school. I volunteered with the Health-Related Technology Instructor and Healthcare Professionals from Jefferson Health and Thomas Jefferson University School of Public Health to learn key concepts and information to educate peers. This role and others within my community have helped me be more considerate and helped me challenge myself by juggling more activities. I have been taking on more responsibility with my college classes during my senior year and my psychology internship. My senior year has been filled with autonomy that allowed me to explore. I do appreciate this experience because now I know what it feels like to juggle multiple things at once. This dual degree will help me become a doctor quicker and expand my knowledge quicker. There is so much opportunity awaiting me with the program.

“Who is he?” I felt a tear down my cheek. She shook her head and sobbed. “ It doesn’t matter, he’s gone” She cried lowly. I walked away redefining my whole life. My thoughts were all consumed by him. “Who are you?” “Why aren’t you here?” I would ask to myself. I felt completely left out about that part of me and felt that if I did not know who my dad was then, I would never know who I was. I noticed the way my mom would tense up when I brought him up so I decided to stop bringing him up to her. I was not very comfortable with this decision, but I wanted to make my mom happy in some way, so I stopped making her relive the pain. As I grew older, the challenge of pondering over my dad continued through my daily activities. I could not have any control over that part of me that I was missing, so I controlled everything else. I dedicated all my free time to school. It was never clear to me that I would enjoy healthcare but whenever someone would ask me what do you want to be, I would say, “I want to be a doctor”. This was my answer simply because I enjoyed going to visits and observing my doctors analyzing my brothers and me. I would question everything she did. Unsurprisingly, like fish to water, I followed a medical path in high school. I was a part of the Health program where we are taught skills and collected hands-on learning experience about medicine and how to care for patients in a hospital. I was also able to have my first-ever shadowing experience at a hospital. Although I was only there for a few hours and never actually assisted in the betterment of the patients, nothing could make me feel more joy than when I saw the doctor interact and connect with the patients. I saw many patients come in for their check-ups and saw smiles on their faces when they were being listened to and taken care of by the physician. This experience made me realize that I love to serve people in their needs. Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. While experiencing this wholeness, I never once pondered over my absent father. I had time to think it over and realized how much weight and meaning I was giving to someone that wasn’t around. My dad was a never-ending thought and when medicine came around, he was just…gone. This is not a path I am pursuing to please someone else; I am pleasing myself. Through helping others I felt confident and content, something I have never felt. I gained empathy, communication, active listening, and patience through my different healthcare experiences. These skills are actively used throughout my everyday life and I know they’ll benefit me as I pursue medicine further. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. There is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have. Although I do not know exactly where I’ll end up in 15 years of my career/life, I do know that I'll stay in the water.

What I’ve Learned From My Father’s Absence “Who is he?” I felt a tear trickle down my cheek. She shook her head and sobbed. “ It doesn’t matter, he’s gone” She cried lowly. I walked away redefining my whole life. Lost- I was disorientated with the knowledge of this new information. My thoughts were all consumed by him. “Who are you?” “Why aren’t you here?” I would ask to myself. I felt completely left out about that part of me and felt that if I did not know who my dad was then, I would never know who I was. I felt that he made my identity and without him, I had none. Overtime, I noticed the way my mom would tense up when I brought him up so I decided to stop bringing him up to her. I was not very comfortable with this decision, but I wanted to make my mom happy in some way, so I stopped making her relive the pain. I stopped focusing on continuing an unhealthy approach. As I grew older, the challenge of pondering over my dad continued through my daily activities. I could not have any control over that part of me that I was missing, so I controlled everything else. I dedicated all my free time to school; focused on making her content in any way that I could. It was never clear to me that I would enjoy healthcare but whenever someone would ask me what do you want to be, I would say, “I want to be a doctor”. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. This was my answer simply because I enjoyed going to well visits and observing my doctors analyzing my brothers and me. I would question everything she did. Unsurprisingly, like fish to water, I followed a medical path in high school. I was a part of the Health Related Technologies program and in it, we are taught skills and collected hands-on learning experience about medicine and how to care for patients in a hospital. I was also able to have my first-ever shadowing experience at a hospital. Although I was only there for a few hours and never actually assisted in the betterment of the patients, nothing could make me feel more joy than when I saw the doctor interact and connect with the patients. I saw many patients come in for their check-ups and saw smiles on their faces when they were being listened to and taken care of by the physician. This experience made me realize that I love to serve people in their needs. Connection was a keynote I took when I gaped at doctor-to-patient relationships. Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. While experiencing this wholeness, I never once pondered over my absent father. I had time to think it over and realized how much weight and meaning I was giving to someone that wasn’t around. My dad was a never-ending thought and when medicine came around, he was just…gone. This is not a path I am pursuing to please someone else; I am pleasing myself. Through helping others I felt confident and content, something I have never felt. I gained empathy, communication, active listening, and patience through my different healthcare experiences. These skills are actively used throughout my everyday life and I know they’ll benefit me as I pursue medicine further. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. There is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have. Although I do not know exactly where I’ll end up in 15 years of my career/life, I do know that I'll stay in the water.

“Me duele mucho mami”, my cousin, Rachell, whined. “Ven no vamos para el hospital”, my aunt spoke. “No hay dinero para eso Tona, se le pondrá mejor luego”, Rachell's dad retaliated. “Ya ella no aguanta Marcos, me voy. Vamanos Katherine”my aunt responded. My aunt Tona took my injured cousin Rachell to the hospital much to my uncle’s protest about being too short on money for a hospital visit. Growing up I never had much money. Pretty typical for most in my family/ community. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to make sure that we would get hurt at least as possible. Of course, getting hurt isn't planned. But, they had no other alternative. If we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits while for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. Although there may be larger problems at hand for others, I believe a great one to solve would be free healthcare for all. The burden for families to have to worry about healthcare and other expenses is too much to handle. We are not all born with the same financial situation. This burden keeps families away from being truly healthy. It keeps families away from hospitals by instilling fear into them. If healthcare costs are keeping people away from health, how will they connect with the providers? Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. Costs are tainting the healthcare image. Healthcare is a human right. If citizens cannot meet the expense of services they should not have to pay for them. Their needs should be met. This would have been really beneficial for my family growing up, even now. We struggled financially and it burdened us. People should not have to worry about money when it comes to being overall healthy. Having free healthcare would improve overall public health and save lives. I want to be able to complete more research in healthcare and have access to activities to volunteer and help communities. As I learned, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles to overcome. I am aware that free healthcare may be hard to implement but it does not discourage my goals. I can be a part of challenging solutions through advocacy.

“Who is he?” I felt a tear trickle down my cheek. She shook her head and sobbed. “ It doesn’t matter, he’s gone” She cried lowly. I walked away redefining my whole life. Lost- I was disorientated with the knowledge of this new information. My thoughts were all consumed by him. I felt completely left out about that part of me and felt that if I did not know who my dad was then, I would never know who I was. I noticed the way my mom would tense up when I brought him up so I decided to stop bringing him up to her. I was not very comfortable with this decision, but I wanted to make my mom happy in some way, so I stopped making her relive the pain. I stopped focusing on continuing an unhealthy approach. As I grew older, the challenge of pondering over my dad continued through my daily activities. I could not have any control over that part of me that I was missing, so I controlled everything else. I dedicated all my free time to school; focused on making her content. It was never clear to me that I would enjoy healthcare but whenever someone would ask me what do you want to be, I would say, “I want to be a doctor”. This was my answer simply because I enjoyed going to well visits and observing my doctors analyzing my brothers and me. I would question everything she did. Unsurprisingly, like fish to water, I followed a medical path in high school. I was a part of the Health program where we are taught skills and collected hands-on learning experience about medicine and how to care for patients in a hospital. I was also able to have my first-ever shadowing experience at a hospital. Nothing could make me feel more joy than when I saw the doctor interact and connect with the patients. I saw many patients come in for their check-ups and saw smiles on their faces when they were being listened to and taken care of by the physician. This experience made me realize that I love to serve people in their needs. Connection was a keynote. Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. While experiencing this wholeness, I never once pondered over my absent father. I had time to think it over and realized how much weight and meaning I was giving to someone that wasn’t around. My dad was a never-ending thought and when medicine came around, he was just…gone. This is not a path I am pursuing to please someone else; I am pleasing myself. Through helping others I felt confident and content, something I have never felt. I gained empathy, communication, active listening, and patience through my different healthcare experiences. These skills are actively used throughout my everyday life and I know they’ll benefit me as I pursue medicine further. Someone that was never a part of my life should not control my vision, I am defined by my passion and contribution. There is so much more growth in demand for my life, connections to make, knowledge to gain, and experiences I will have. Although I do not know exactly where I’ll end up in 15 years of my career/life, I do know that I'll stay in the water.

“Me duele mucho mami”, my cousin, Rachell, whined. “Ven no vamos para el hospital”, my aunt spoke. “No hay dinero para eso Tona, se le pondrá mejor luego”, Rachell's dad retaliated. “Ya ella no aguanta Marcos, me voy. Vamanos Katherine”my aunt responded. My aunt Tona took my injured cousin Rachell to the hospital much to my uncle’s protest about being too short on money for a hospital visit. Growing up I never had much money. Pretty typical for most in my family/ community. Most of my life I grew up without being covered by any medical insurance. My family would do everything to make sure that we would get hurt at least as possible. Of course, getting hurt isn't planned. But, they had no other alternative. If we got hurt they tried their hardest to fix the issue themselves; hospitals were always the last option. Truth be told. I always enjoyed going to the hospital. Whether it was for me or accompanying someone else, I loved it. Although, going to the doctor was never a good thing for my family, I always looked forward to it. It felt great to be in the doctor's presence and watch them and their expertise. They were always the heroes in my life. They healed, minimized pain, were empathetic, personable, and to me knew everything. I learned so much in their presence. They had one flaw though like everything does. Money. They were too costly for each visit and we could not afford them. All good things in life come with barriers. There was always some barrier to healthcare– plan, age, or too much income. I never understood the latter. If we made too much, how come we could not afford it on our own? I felt guilty for enjoying these visits while for my family it was a burden on them that they would never be able to handle. Although there may be larger problems at hand for others, I believe a great one to solve would be free healthcare for all. The burden for families to have to worry about healthcare and other expenses is too much to handle. We are not all born with the same financial situation. This burden keeps families away from hospitals by instilling fear into them. If healthcare costs are keeping people away from health, how will they connect with the providers? Doctors feel fulfilled when getting to know their patients and being a support to them. I get delighted in building personal relationships and knowing that I made them feel better at any point in time during our encounter. It’s rewarding knowing that I bring a sense of relief to curing someone's pain. Costs are tainting the healthcare image. Healthcare is a human right. If citizens cannot meet the expense of services they should not have to pay for them. This would have been beneficial for my family growing up, even now. We struggled financially and it burdened us. People should not have to worry about money when it comes to being overall healthy. Having free healthcare would improve overall public health and save lives. With college and opportunities, I would be able to complete more research in healthcare and have access to activities to volunteer and help communities. Scholarships would make it easier for me to have a more affordable college experience. I know that college is challenging, but as I learned, all good things come with some barriers and obstacles to overcome that is not impossible. I am aware that free healthcare may be hard to implement but it does not discourage my goals.