My name is Lizbeth Villa and I am 33 years old. I have a lot of confidence that I'll be able to help a lot of people one day because it is what I am passionate about, especially those that are in the underserved areas in California. I feel that I started living my life a little later than I should have because of the circumstances surrounding my life, which included a rough childhood and the inability to finish high school. Now that I am older and understand the way real life works, I know that I have a passion for school, reading, writing and just achieving new goals every day, whether it be at work, school or at home. Since I was a child, I've known that I wanted to work in a field where I can help people. When I originally thought about it, I thought I wanted to be a pediatric nurse, but I quickly realized I was way too emotional and prone to attachment, especially with kids. Because of this, I would suffer greatly if I chose that career, which is why I drifted away from it. My career choice is Juvenile probation. I decided on this because I do not think that all children in the criminal justice system are criminals. I disagree with the way these youngsters are characterized as criminals. Most people refer to them as criminals; I refer to them as misunderstood. Imagine growing up without a parent. Or a kid with drug-using parents. There is no one there to raise them or tell them what is good and wrong, so they experience abuse, neglect, and continual terror. I know in my heart that there is a solution we can implement so that we can HELP these kids rather than sink them further into the criminal justice system. In the end, it takes a caring person to assist someone who has never experienced love. I know that this does not apply to every single youngster in the system, but we may assist those who are not too far along. For one of my criminal justice classes, I had a professor who talked a lot about probation officers. It was there that I realized what I wanted to do with my life. Following my research, I discovered that probation officers spend more time with these minors and have the chance to speak to them and offer resources that may help them alter their lives. I also discovered that when a juvenile appears in court, the letter produced by the probation officer assists the judge in making the ultimate judgment, so with that, I made my decision and continued to pursue my dream and graduate from college with a degree in criminal justice. I also enjoy making other people smile, which is a fun fact about me. With my siblings, I currently play guitar and sing in a band. I make an effort to work hard at both writing and performing music. I'm happy when I see people smiling. I try to spread happiness while I'm on stage singing and interacting with the audience so that everyone can enjoy the music and have a great experience around my siblings and I. Despite having had a difficult childhood, I am proud of myself for not allowing all of the pressures and barriers to harm my relationship with my family. Life has attempted to separate us, but in the end, we stay together and remain tremendously united, and that is my inspiration to continue living with the goal of one day making my family proud.

I grew up with both my parents and 5 siblings. Unfortunately, I did not have the education I would have dreamed of. Mom worked two jobs, Dad was never home, and my siblings were much younger than me to even know what was going on. The day Dad decided to come home and raise his kids, life changed from there. I love Dad and I don't hold anything against him, but I wish that if he was a little less tough on us, I could have achieved my educational dream at a much younger age. I am now 33 years old and graduating in the current class of 2024 with an associate's degree in criminal justice. I believe that many of my siblings have been prevented from pursuing higher education because of traumas they experienced as children, making me the first to be a graduate. I have a lot of confidence that I'll be able to help a lot of people one day because it is what I am passionate about. I feel that I started living my life a little later than I should have because of the circumstances surrounding my life, which included the rough childhood and the inability to finish high school. Now that I am older and understand the way real life works, I know that I have a passion for school, reading, writing and just achieving new goals every day, whether it be at work, school or at home. Since I was a child, I've known that I wanted to work in a field where I can help people. When I originally thought about it, I thought I wanted to be a pediatric nurse, but I quickly realized I was way too emotional and prone to attachment, especially with kids. Because of this, I would suffer greatly if I chose that career, which is why I drifted away from it. Then I decided on criminal justice. I do not think that all children in the criminal justice system are criminals. I disagree with the way these youngsters are characterized as criminals. Most people refer to them as criminals; I refer to them as misunderstood. Imagine growing up without a parent. Or a kid with drug-using parents. There is no one there to raise them or tell them what is good and wrong, so they experience abuse, neglect, and continual terror. I know in my heart that there is a solution we can implement so that we can HELP these kids rather than sink them further into the criminal justice system. In the end, it takes a caring person to assist someone who has never experienced love. I know that this does not apply to every single youngster in the system, but we may help those who are not too far along. Despite having had a difficult childhood, I am really proud of myself for not allowing all of the pressures and barriers to harm my relationship with my family. Life has attempted to separate us, but in the end, we stay together and remain tremendously united, and that is my inspiration to continue living with the goal of one day making my family proud.

My name is Lizbeth Villa and I am 33 years old. I have a lot of confidence that I'll be able to help a lot of people one day because it is what I am passionate about. I feel that I started living my life a little later than I should have because of the circumstances surrounding my life, which included a rough childhood and the inability to finish high school. Now that I am older and understand the way real life works, I know that I have a passion for school, reading, writing and just achieving new goals every day, whether it be at work, school or at home. Since I was a child, I've known that I wanted to work in a field where I can help people. When I originally thought about it, I thought I wanted to be a pediatric nurse, but I quickly realized I was way too emotional and prone to attachment, especially with kids. Because of this, I would suffer greatly if I chose that career, which is why I drifted away from it. My career choice is Juvenile probation. I decided on this because I do not think that all children in the criminal justice system are criminals. I disagree with the way these youngsters are characterized as criminals. Most people refer to them as criminals; I refer to them as misunderstood. Imagine growing up without a parent. Or a kid with drug-using parents. There is no one there to raise them or tell them what is good and wrong, so they experience abuse, neglect, and continual terror. I know in my heart that there is a solution we can implement so that we can HELP these kids rather than sink them further into the criminal justice system. In the end, it takes a caring person to assist someone who has never experienced love. I know that this does not apply to every single youngster in the system, but we may assist those who are not too far along. For one of my criminal justice classes, I had a professor who talked a lot about probation officers. It was there that I realized what I wanted to do with my life. Following my research, I discovered that probation officers spend more time with these minors and have the chance to speak to them and offer resources that may help them alter their lives. I also discovered that when a juvenile appears in court, the letter produced by the probation officer assists the judge in making the ultimate judgment, so with that, I made my decision and continued to pursue my dream and graduate from college with a degree in criminal justice. I also enjoy making other people smile, which is a fun fact about me. With my siblings, I currently play guitar and sing in a band. I make it an effort to work really hard at both writing and performing music. I'm happy when I see people smiling. I try to spread happiness while I'm on stage singing and interacting with the audience so that everyone can enjoy the music and have a great experience around my siblings and I. Despite having had a difficult childhood, I am really proud of myself for not allowing all of the pressures and barriers to harm my relationship with my family. Life has attempted to separate us, but in the end, we keep together and remain tremendously united, and that is my inspiration to continue living with the goal of one day making my family proud.