Growing up, I always felt like life was shaped by rules that everyone had to follow, and that was just the way it was supposed to be. A child went to school, parents went to work, and people lived the lives expected of them. But as I got older, I started to wonder: why? My illusion of normal was shattered when I realized that not everyone lives or shares the same version of “normal”. Some people live with different rules, different opportunities, and different struggles. That pushed me to wonder how we even got to this place to start with. Why do we all have those unspoken expectations tied to us? That early sense of questioning stayed with me and led me to pursue higher education. I wanted to understand much more about why things are the way they are. During my first year of college, especially in my government and philosophy classes, I realized how deeply connected everything is. The Enlightenment ideals shaped the culture and values we live with today. What adults around me would describe as “just the way things were” turned out to be a product of history, psychology, and the power structures we inherited. Having the language and knowledge to understand these forces now feels like a gift; a way to move forward with clarity. The Buddhist idea of dependent arising or oneness suggests that nothing exists in isolation; this resonated with me deeply. A tree can stand tall because of the soil, the sun, the rain, and the hands that nurture it. In the same way, people are shaped not just by personal experiences but also by the histories and communities they come from. Although I’m not a Buddhist, this belief in interconnection reflects the truth I have witnessed in my life. Science supports this too. Research shows that trauma can be passed down genetically, shaping us in ways we might not even recognize. As a first-generation college student, I carry the dreams and struggles of generations before me. It’s always a struggle between doing things for myself while simultaneously acknowledging and respecting their sacrifices. My mother’s experiences shaped the way she raised me, and my experiences shape the way I move through the world now; I’ve learned to treat others with kindness, patience, and understanding. That is why I’m committed to using my education and lived experiences to create spaces where others feel seen and heard. Whether through policy work, volunteering, or storytelling. I want to help people understand the legacy they carry– and show that by acknowledging our shared history, we can move toward healing and change. Every action leaves a legacy. By honoring the stories that came before us, we can build a better, more compassionate world.

The summer of my junior year of high school, I attended a workshop that catered towards identity and building skills for students. I remember clearly one of the activities we had to do for this was to build a bear, then to write a letter and place it inside. The prompt for this letter was to write a message to your future self that you would open after your first year of college. At that point, the idea of going to college terrified me. I was struggling mentally and had just taken my first step towards finding a therapist. As I looked around that room and saw others writing, I realized that I never had a set dream. At least not like those people who knew they would become doctors when they were five. I was just surviving, so I wrote myself a few short lines and scribbled down a checklist of things to do when I opened the letter. Fast-forward, here we are now in 2025, and I'm a few weeks shy of finishing my freshman year of college. I kept the plushie but out of sheer curiosity and impatience, I opened the letter back in February. The moment I read those words; I found relief in knowing that I could change my mind. The words that struck me were: “It’s okay if BioChem doesn’t work out. Dreams change.”, Those words brought me to tears because for the last two semesters, I was battling not just academic stress but the weight of anxiety, doubt and fear that came with letting go of a path I thought would define me. Those words reminded me that I'm allowed to be human and that changing direction is okay no matter what. Anxiety has reshaped both how I see the world and myself, in ways that words can only begin to describe. I've learned to be patient, gentle and truly to be more intentional because everyone is carrying their own weight. It is not necessarily a job title, but I hope to carry a future where I help create spaces for others to feel understood, seen, and heard. Whether that is through advocating for women's health, government work, or volunteering to help high school students who are in the space I was just a few years ago. I want to show up with empathy– and be part of the change that shifts around the system that hurts the most vulnerable. To turn this into reality, I've been challenging myself to stretch beyond my own comfort zone. I believe that supporting others requires knowledge that I do not already have, but it also requires listening. Reading this letter made me realize that the only dream I had set for myself from the start was to be compassionate to myself and to others because it really is needed in this life. I’ve been persistent through hard times and that has shown me how patience and softness are needed to heal. Every paper I write, every conversation I have, and every shift I work brings me closer to the kind of work I want to do. What really matters is learning to enjoy the process, because even if the destination changes, you'll be where you want to be. Healing and growth aren't linear. I've experienced it, and that's why I want to show up with compassion every day.

When I moved to the US at 12, it was a real shift. I was suddenly stripped of a big part of all that I was used to, whether it was language, people, or systems, and that took a huge toll on me. My family and members of my community that I knew growing up were now all hundreds of miles away with only a phone to connect us, and at times, that phone call was not enough. It was a big change, and for a long time, I could not process it. Like many young people, I was in search of connection; but I had to start from scratch since I was in a completely new environment. Amongst all these struggles, I was grateful to experience some good moments, and this included getting my first phone. I remember being so happy. I loved the phone case with green polka dots I had brought for it. It was with that phone that I started using Webtoons. Webtoons is a webcomic app I found, and it offers a variety of stories that are either self-published or originals. Not even one week into using it I had already fallen in love with a story there. I think it was still ongoing since the translations to French were slow, so I decided to switch my whole app to English to read it. This was a leap of courage since the language barrier was still very present. My choice at that moment was deeply grounded in my determination to know what was next for the plot. It lit up once again the passion I had for reading. Although I needed more support in these moments to enjoy a lifelong hobby, I nevertheless enjoyed it. Google Translate and these drawings became my best help for a good while. I used to hear people say that learning things required motivation and patience but, this experience put it into perspective for me. I always felt the need to rush to understand it all but sitting down and taking it slow made me value the patience and consistency it takes to achieve more. By the end of my first year in the US, Webtoons had become an integral part of my routine. I had made friends and acquaintances through the app. It significantly helped me improve my vocabulary too. It was my support through all the changes and now I see it as a facet of my identity. I still use Webtoons to this date and it holds value to me. I’ve grown to love and learn something new with every single story I’ve read. There is this comfort it brings me that I can't find anywhere else. All these experiences combined gave me a new look into who I am as an individual and how I work best to achieve my goals. I now see change as an opportunity to learn more about myself and to open doors to new communities. Chaos will always be present, so I will try my best to face it using all the things I already love and cherish while accepting the new. In conclusion, overcoming adversity requires finding sources of comfort and motivation amidst the chaos. For me, Webtoons became that source, providing not just entertainment, but also a means to improve my language skills, make new friends, and rediscover my passion for reading. Through this journey, I learned the importance of patience, consistency, and embracing change. These lessons have become integral to my identity, equipping me to face future challenges with resilience and optimism.