I throw myself into as many opportunities as possible, always looking ahead to the future and preparing for anything, improving my networking and social interaction skills as much as possible. An example of this would be recent, I've been volunteering in multiple assignments through an internship with KYCC (Koreatown Youth Community Center) for a Christmas festival they hosted, where I helped gift-wrapped at least 15 thousand presents to hand out during the festival. I took this opportunity to develop relationships with other volunteers. In contrast, I initially volunteered out of wanting to help and have fun volunteering, and I attempted to leave a good and lasting impression for any future interactions. Additionally, I enjoy art, taking three years of art classes in high school, and planning on using my knowledge in art to work at the Koreatown Youth Community Center as a guide for any art activities; the attendees are 6-12 graders. I loved working with the kids at the community center. After my internship ended, I still attended the Community Center. I became a floating aid, continuing my usual responsibilities of leading our recycling project and refining the skills they helped me improve and maintain. The primary skills I have refined are improving customer care, communication, quick thinking, and practical problem-solving abilities, which make me a strong leader and communicator. I am genuine when I give my opinion and do my best to stay realistic. Still, I don't forget my dream of being independent, helping my mother, and providing for her. If I had to spend my 20s working for that, I wouldn't mind. I plan to care for my mom even when she gets older. I don't want to put her into a home, so to do that, I have to work hard now. My mother has raised me to see the positive in life. I want to take care of my mom in the future; she is my best friend, confidant, and a hundred other things to me. I appreciate everything she does and am dedicated to helping my mom with any obstacles she may face. I want to buy my mom the apartment we live in, get her citizenship, and ensure she never worries about money again. Realistically, I'll only be able to help her get her citizenship, but I will do everything I can to accomplish that. I work hard because working hard is how my family and I have gotten this far. It is humble the way we live. I will fight to get into a good university with a major in Accounting and art as my minor and apply for as many scholarships as possible so my family isn't financially worried about me. I will become an accountant because, in my family, accountants are viewed in the same league as lawyers or doctors. I've applied for all my school's honor math courses and took AP Calculus without taking Pre-Calc. To get into math, I will need to major in accounting. I will major in accounting, work-study throughout my 4 years of university, search for any accounting internships, and hopefully have a job lined up at a good bank after graduation. Becoming an accounting manager is my career goal: to have a high-paying job and something I can set my mind to work hard for.

In the future, I want to prioritize getting my mom her citizenship and working to become an accountant. I have always been an experimental child, as not only am I the oldest, but as I learn things about myself and the real world, my mother learns how to become a mom. I know how to handle myself in most situations I get myself into. I am relied on as being the oldest in my family and the example for my brother. As a result of being the oldest, I want to take as many opportunities as possible to help my brother save more money than me by knowing what worked and didn't work for me; I want to test the water before letting him enter the “real” world. I want to go to college to further my education. I have always been sheltered in my life because my mother has done her absolute best to ensure I don’t live a life like hers. She was in multiple toxic, domestically violent, and sexist relationships, she couldn't further her education, and she worked hard manual labor jobs. I will go to college for myself and my family, not let my parents' efforts go to waste. I will use them to push me further. I don’t want a hard life for myself; my mom doesn’t want a hard life for my brother or me. So, her actions motivated me to work hard now to prove to my family that their efforts weren’t wasted. I will fight to get into a good university, apply for as many scholarships as possible so my family isn't worried, and pull out loans for my sake. I want to become an accountant because, in my family, that job is viewed as in the same league as a lawyer or doctor. My mother has raised me to be independent and safe and see the positive in life. A job with a high salary and low manual work is what my mom wants for me. I want to take care of my mom in the future; she is my best friend, confidant, and a hundred other things to me. I want to buy my mom the apartment we currently live in, help her get her citizenship, and ensure she never worries about money again. Realistically, I will only be able to assist her in obtaining her citizenship shortly. I can't guarantee the future, but I will do everything possible to complete my goal. I will get into university with a Pre-business major in accounting, work-study throughout my university years, search for any accounting intern opportunities, and hopefully have a job lined up at a Bank of America or a similar bank. Becoming an accounting manager is my career goal: to have a high-paying job and something I can set my mind to work hard for. Based on its competitive major, it will be a long and challenging career, but I am confident in my abilities. I’m aware I will have to work and study simultaneously if I want to progress in life, and I will do so because despite not liking to say it, I am very hardworking, reliable, and consistent. Previous endeavors have taught me to quit once I've committed to something, and becoming an accountant is something I am committed to.

I am a high school senior with no way of predicting life. I don't know if I will be able to achieve my life goal, but I want to have an art-related profession because I want to give back to my community by teaching kids to craft. Right now, I am focused on volunteering to teach students at a community center I go to. I have a profound love of art and any activity that requires me to use my hands. I have loved all forms of art since pre-K. I would watch the colorful surroundings. When our flowers bloomed in the elementary garden, I would sit on a bench next to the garden with a sketchbook in hand, drawing the poppies with my 12 canyons Crayola box. In middle school, I paused art to explore other possibilities; our pregnant cat inspired me to build a birthing house for her. With screws and plans, I made her a small yet comfortably big home. That night, four kittens arrived safely, all cared for in their newfound home. Inspired by this successful project, the summer I turned 14 I used my building skills to remodel my balcony when my father left. I replaced the carpeted floor with wood flooring within a day, impressing my mother and guests at a planned barbecue. It was a rewarding experience that encouraged me to continue using my creative skills. In the year before starting high school, I learned knitting and crocheting. I made a 5ft by 3ft blanket for my great-grandfather in Oaxaca, Mexico, which took me 2 years to finish. I also crocheted mini-figures that I would give away. In high school, I rediscovered drawing and created a Zentangle landscape in my first art class. My teacher suggested entering it into a competition, which was a fun experience despite not winning. Throughout grades 10 to 12, I consistently earned A grades in my art classes with various teachers. I want to continue making my arts and crafts, despite knowing that it doesn't wield a major profit when it comes to teaching art or living off it, I want to give the same opportunities in art I’ve had since I was able to flourish with the help of people, but without them, I wouldn't have been able to find out my talent in arts and crafts. I always repair my clothing that has holes, using needles and thread to mend them. I have always dreamed of becoming an artist, though I don't seek fame. I aim to support myself by selling my artwork without being arrogant in talent; I recognize my above-average skill in art and enjoy creating in my unique style. Creativity has helped me develop important qualities like attention to detail, quick thinking, innovation, and patience, making me well-suited for significant roles.

Being raised in a dysfunctional family was my most significant obstacle because I had to learn how to cope with serious anxiety at a young age. My drunken father had been physically, mentally, and verbally abusive towards my mother since I was 2 years old, and towards my brother and me. When my brother was 10 and I was 12, I summoned the courage to call the police on my father and had him arrested. We couldn't take my mom to the hospital. I watched her heal her bruises and still work while becoming a single mother during the pandemic. I invested most of my time to improve my academic skills during this period. For example, I used my online resources to answer any question. I spent most of the school day studying difficult topics like English and History. The other 8 hours I spent being the main emotional support for my mother, especially when her parents passed. Additionally, I would take on the task of tracking important papers, homework, and online passwords. I soon found that I had overburdened myself with stress, and I needed support for that. I worked with a court-appointed therapist who helped me cope with my trauma in a healthy way. The therapist provided me with mental health tips that helped me with my depression. I learned a technique that my therapist had taught me to get me to think of my work positively: reward myself with a piece of candy every time I finish an assignment. As a result of this challenge I grew in personal resilience, gratitude for life, deeper emotional connection with loved ones, innovation, and expanded life opportunities. This included forgiving my father for his actions and transferring my energy from worrying to my studies. I appreciate life and want to take any and every opportunity to live my life without being ruled by anxiety. I have forged healthy relationships with my mom and other family members. I understand that my past, difficult as it was, has contributed to the person I am today, I am grateful for the opportunities I have to further my education. I plan on using my education to work at a community center as a teacher/ mentor/ a similar position, I have been recently working with an internship to work at a KYCC community center where I interact with a lot of people. Many of those people are kids. I don't know about becoming a parent, but I love working with kids. I am Striving to help these amazing kids to feel they can feel safe when they come to the community center, I partake in the same activities they do, help with some homework, and teach them things about being green by recycling with them. This same community center has allowed me to better myself by allowing my work skills to flourish. I want to give back some of the help they've extended to me. Recently I've been volunteering in multiple assignments, one being gift-wrapping with KYCC for a carnival festival they are hosting where we hope at least 1500 children receive a Christmas Present. I have enjoyed wrapping each present with care and efficiency ensuring each child has more than 15 dollars worth of toys. I have enjoyed this very much. Being able to volunteer makes me happy. I want to continue giving back to my community in my college years. I will continue to attempt to make a positive difference in the lives of others in the future.

What I enjoy about writing is how much freedom you have to express yourself. I could be a better writer. I am no Shakespeare or John Steinbeck. Truthfully, English is the subject I struggle with the most, so I can't write a 4-star essay. I love to talk and writing is just like talking. I adore my cats to death, so, since I cannot write a compelling essay about why me, I want to share about my cats to at least make you smile. My first cat is Oso, he is a long hair domestic cat, grey and black, with tiger stripes, and to be blunt I do not know where he came from, when I was 5 years old I woke up in the middle of the night to find a random cat on the coffee table drinking the coffee my mom didn't finish earlier. He was about 4 months not that small. I believed I was dreaming until in the morning I woke up with a coffee fishy smell near me. It was Oso sleeping upside down paws in the air, mouth open with his eyes half open and half closed, he looked so silly. Of course, I didn't care at 5 years old where this funny cat flew in from, and, I didn't know he was a he, so for about 8 months his name was Pretty Princess, he wasn't one for hugs, but he adored head pats and soft stokes, he is now at least 12 years old, and he loves to be an outdoor car. Blachu is 6 years old, she is a short-haired domestic cat, half her face is orange, she has black hair, one orange leg, and she is covered with orange hairs, she's like a middle-aged lady with canas (white hairs). She is the sweetest, most gentle kitty ever. This one time, I had come home upset from taking an exam, and Blachu was the only cat who let me hug her without complaining, so I looked for her. She was nowhere to be found, not under the bed, in the bathroom, or in my parent’s bed. So I headed to the closet to change, and I looked up, and Blachu was there in the closet looking down at me with her pupils fully dilated and her tongue sticking out barely. I couldn't help but laugh. Oreo, the biggest cat I have, weighs at least 7 pounds. She is a tuxedo cat from the front and is black and white all around. Wherever I go she goes, and she eats with me, if there is an extra chair at the table then she claims it or sits on my lap and sits until we give her food, she has the most innocent face, and she is wholesome looking, but make no mistake she will eat whatever she can get into and then sit and stare at you with her little angel face. Truthfully, they are the reason I strive to better myself. Even if it is childish, I want to get a better education to apply to higher job positions so I can give them as many toys and treats as they deserve. I want to make them as happy as they make me, I wish to provide the space they need to run around and to ensure they don't go hungry. I strive to be the best version of myself to offer them everything they deserve. My cats are my god-given solace, so I believe they have a right to a happy cat life. Thank you for your time.

Who made you believe you could live a dream where you had everything you wanted? “Ocean Eyes” by Billie Eilish released in 2016 I would lie in bed imagining various scenarios and listening to various songs, and one song that always came to my mind was "Ocean Eyes". I'm aware that the quote “Ocean eyes” may be referring to blue eyes like Billie’s, but when I was younger, I would envision it as eyes that were filled with tears. I love the melody, it helped me calm down when I would have a panic attack about a home situation. Not too long ago, I met someone who made me feel like this song, although a bit cheesy he is the sweetest person I've met. Ocean eyes, remind me of watching someone from afar, loving them, while you're also afraid of committing to another relationship. At least, that was my situation, I had found a person who was surrounded by many friends yet seemed lonely, and he would have these sad eyes, I wanted to make him happy. However, I was afraid of “Falling” again as I believed that all relationships would end with tears and regrets, but so far I haven't even seen a single tear of goodbye. I am as happy and content as the melody, “Watch” By Billie Eilish released in 2017 My father was an angry short Mexican drunk, he’s changed now, but he has always given me a reason to keep going. I have always been a Daddy’s girl, that was until he would get confrontational, thoughtless, and violent towards the family. He “Started a fire in me” that truthfully I have not been able to put out. It is a vile anger that makes me want to make sure that my family succeeds ahead even if it is just my mother and brother that do so. I don't let anyone too close because this emotion I have towards the person he was while under the influence, has never seen the daylight as I have “never put it out.” Although he changed, he used to be so vain and would only care about himself. He would get away with it because I would always forgive him for being a good daughter, but that only made me feel guilty and as if the situation would never get resolved. Everything has changed now, he left that lifestyle and I grew up and stopped letting him behave how he wants to. Everything is a happy ending, but I for the life of me cannot let go of this emotion. “Birds of a Feather” By Billie Eilish Released in 2024, There's this Amazing boy, who is the sweetest, most loyal person ever. He is my other piece, I have never wanted to be with anyone more than him “forever.” Truthfully, even if it is just my teenage mindset, I want to be with him and adore him until I’m no longer in this world, that is the biggest way I can show my love for him. We aren't perfect, he has beautiful flaws, and the cutest smile, a beautiful person on the inside and out. He is as competitive, weird, and as cheesy as I am. He is my best friend, the best boyfriend ever, he makes me the happiest person ever, there is nowhere I would rather be than with him. I would give him my life wholeheartedly, this song is an example of how I feel about him, I am as happy and worry-free when I listen to this song as to when I am with him.