My family's journey began when we immigrated from the Philippines in the early 90s. My parents, young and newly married, came from humble beginnings on the large island of Luzon. They settled in San Francisco, where they worked tirelessly in retail jobs at places like Rite-Aid and Burlington Coat Factory. Eventually, my father enlisted in the United States Navy, which brought some stability but also meant he was away often. We lived in a small studio apartment in Pacifica, where space was tight. Three of us shared a queen-size bed, while the other two slept on a fold-out couch. My father often worked two jobs to support our family, and I rarely saw him growing up. His dedication to providing for my mother, my sister, my grandmother, and me was unwavering. He prioritized our basic needs—rent, food, and our Catholic school tuition—while sending whatever he could spare back to relatives in the Philippines. Interestingly, despite our financial struggles, I was largely unaware of our circumstances as a child, as my parents worked hard to ensure we felt secure and loved. Neither of my parents attended college here, but they worked hard to advance in their careers. They always encouraged me to do the same, focusing on hard work and perseverance. However, I aspired to achieve more, especially as I navigated life as a single mother to two wonderful boys. Fast forward to 2025: I find myself juggling two jobs while pursuing my education to create a better future for us. I want my children to enjoy their childhoods without the burden of financial stress. My motivation to pursue higher education stems from a deep desire to provide them with opportunities I didn't have. I dream of them having careers that not only bring them fulfillment but also make a positive impact on the world. I want them to understand that their dreams are within reach and that education can open doors to possibilities they might never have imagined. Seeing my parents' sacrifices has instilled in me the value of hard work and the importance of education as a transformative tool. I want to set an example for my children, showing them that it's never too late to pursue your dreams and that education is a powerful way to change our circumstances for the better. Ultimately, my goal is to ensure they have the foundation and support to strive for a future where they can thrive and make meaningful contributions to the world around them.

A specific social issue important to me would be that of global warming, and conserving and protecting our natural resources and wildlife. I have had many conversations with others about this topic and I feel that many people I have crossed paths with feel indifferent about it because they feel that they themselves as a singular entity holds little value compared to the impact we as a collective have. Many people also believe that not enough people "care" about this issue and therefore they feel that there is no point for them to care as well. But the thing is, it truly does take one person to change the world. If we continue on with this idea that we as individuals cannot effect real changes in the world, we will lose the fight against the climate crisis. The way I try to address this specific social issue is through volunteer work and education. I enjoy volunteering with my local beach clean-up organization called Pacific Beach Coalition because every month we hold weekend beach cleanups where we encourage and inspire our local community members to do their part in helping to keep our beaches beautiful, safe, and clean for all. We provide the equipment needed for the task as well as provide stickers and pins for the children to make it extra fun for them. Another aspect to this volunteer position I have with Pacific Beach Coalition is when I get to present at elementary school assemblies with a certified Naturalist to educate the youth on the importance of taking care of our earth and all its inhabitants. Elementary school children are always captivated with wide-eyed wonder when they can see and feel like they are truly making a difference in some of their favorite marine animals' lives. It's the younger generations and future generations to come who will be affected most by the harm we are presently inflicting to the environment and wildlife. That is why it is our responsibility and duty to educate the little ones, to remind them that the earth is never something we inherit but rather borrowed from the next generation and the next. I believe that education is the essential key to helping others make the connection between themselves and the world around them. It is through advocacy, volunteer work, and education will we only truly be able to change the world for the better.

I feel like as a society we do not do enough collectively to mitigate the plethora of issues we see in our day-to-day lives. Issues such as homelessness, large wage gaps and inequalities, pollution in the environment, and world hunger are just to name a few. Luckily, there are so many ways to make a positive impact and the way I myself address these important social issues is through the gift of volunteering. I did not have a lot growing up, whether it be money, items, space, or privilege. But one thing for certain is that I was always taught to be grateful for what I already had right in front of me. This important outlook helped shape my mindset on life by making me see things from a place of abundance rather than that of scarcity. In my mind and heart, although I did not have much, I believed that there was still always so much more to give back to others in need. I myself currently volunteer with the Pacific Beach Coalition, where I am able to do cleanups every day wherever I go in order to help preserve the beautiful nature all around us. Every month, this organization and myself also help to restore the habitat, particularly at the beach by planting native species and removing any invasive ones that may be compromising the fragile ecosystems here. I also spend my time volunteering for Second Harvest Food Bank where I actually initially started off as a military member simply assigned to a mission there during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I loved the vision of the organization so much that I ended up becoming a volunteer once the military mission I was on while I was there was complete. With Second Harvest Food Bank, we were able to pack donated foods into boxes that we then were to distribute all along the peninsula-Silicon Valley areas. It is always such a humbling experience knowing that I am helping to ensure that hungry and underprivileged families are able to have access to free nutritious food for themselves, their children, and their neighbors. Although I am only one person, I have seen the wonders of what volunteer work can do. One of the most important things I've learned from volunteering is that although my individual impact may be small, there are still people just like me who also wants and works hard to ensure that this world is a better place for everyone. I see how much joy and gratitude my volunteer efforts have made others and that in itself is the driving force that helps create that human connection I want to build with others.

My nursing journey definitely was not one that was a linear path. Truth be told, my journey actually began with a little dream of becoming a veterinarian. Throughout my younger years, you'd often find me volunteering at veterinary hospitals, animal shelters, and even the marine mammal hospital in hopes of inching closer towards my dream of becoming a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine. But as my roles in life began changing, so did my passions. As cliche as it may sound, when I became a mother, my entire world had changed. All of a sudden, I was no longer just caring for myself and animals, I was now caring for a little person, a little ME. I watched this little human grow like me, fall like me, and even dream- just like me. Being a mother has brought me so much joy and reward and has even taught me the true meaning of selflessness and unconditional love. I believe it was right then and there that I decided that I wanted to pursue nursing. Many of my family members were already nurses so I was able to turn to them for some guidance. They let me know that I would have to start from the bottom since animal medicine was a little different from human medicine. So, although not directly related, I ended up enlisting in the United States Air Force with the intent to perform in a military medical position. Unfortunately, when I first enlisted, there were no available medical positions, so I had to train for something else... Throughout my military career so far, I've been able to help others in many other ways through humanitarian missions as well as more volunteer work. I even had the opportunity to participate in an internship at the Veterans Affairs Hospital psychiatry department last year. I have only a couple more core classes to go in community college before I am able to apply for some nursing programs. I've realized how competitive getting into nursing school is but I truly believe that I have the kind of outlook in life that would make me the perfect fit for the position. My experiences have made me develop this overwhelming sense of wanting to take care of others and just wanting to be a part of others' journeys toward being able to live their best and healthiest lives. Human kindness and human connection were always concepts I admired so much in life and I feel that a nursing career encompassed this kind of vision.

Growing up Filipino-American has always felt like its own separate journey apart from just myself. Having been raised by two Filipino parents here in America taught me the importance of working hard, being grateful for what I already had, and then giving back when I could to those who were also in need. I had quite a humble upbringing and I would say that I was lucky in many ways growing up despite how little we had. We moved around to a multitude of different apartments within the Pacifica, Daly City, and South San Francisco areas. We would usually live in a studio apartment altogether as my sister and I would share a queen size bed with our grandmother till I was the age of 15. Although we didn't have much, I remember just always being so content being able to come home and rest after a long day of school, to be fed with tons of good Filipino food, and then get back to my homework to study hard for school again. Contrary to what other people's experiences may be regarding poverty, descending from poor immigrant parents taught me to come from a place and mindset of "abundance" rather than "scarcity." I truly believe that this important mindset I grew up with really molded me into the giving and empathic person I am today. Fast forward to me now at nearly the age of 30 years old... I am now a mother, military member, aspiring nursing student, and dedicated volunteer for community service. I have nothing but the passion that drives me to make the choices that I have- placing me in roles such as provider, protector, and healer to those around me. Asides from navigating my own journey as an individual person, I have realized that because of my culture and upbringing, I have always had this deep-rooted desire for human kindness and our connection to others. My life's purpose especially as a Filipino-American was always destined to be towards serving my family and community.

Something that I've learned that changed my perspective on life would have to be gratitude and introspection. As the years go by, I'm learning more and more each day that there are truly so many lessons all around us. Whether we see this now or never, each person is actually unconsciously teaching us something in life. My children teach me everyday to enjoy the little things like bedtime stories with them or trips to the park. They only grow up more and more each year which has only taught me to value the time we have with each other in this awfully short little life that we have. There have also been people that just did not want me to succeed, and I thank life for them. Because of them, I have only had the strong motivation to prove them otherwise and to prove to myself that I can accomplish anything that I put my mind and heart into. I myself have had to battle depression. Although it is still an uphill battle to say the least, I am teaching myself everyday that the way I talk to myself matters too. Everyday, I am teaching myself to not be so hard on the one person who I have to spend the rest of my life with which is me, Llana. There are so many lessons to be learned everyday, but if you learn to embrace it and seize the opportunities, it can truly change your life for the better too.

The way I have remained optimistic during difficult times would be to just change my perspective regarding certain situations. It took me many of the same experiences to realize that you can't change something if you don't do something differently. Many times, life does not go as planned but that doesn't mean you have failed or that it is the end of the world at all. Sometimes you just need to adapt and switch up your plans a bit to navigate past this new obstacle. I full-heartedly believe in the importance of mental health and how we each need to take good care of our own. I believe in the power of the mind and I believe that the world you create inside your mind will reflect on the external world as well. That is why the way we speak to ourselves is extremely important because, if you tell yourself something is too difficult and that you're going to fail, chances are, you will fail. If you put the work into believing in yourself and your capabilities, you can accomplish anything. I feel like when you change your perspective, you truly do change your experiences in life.

The simplest pleasure I have in life right now would have to be my ability to visit the beach everyday. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, with my earliest years in Pacifica. Going to the beach has always been me and my son's all-time favorite activity. The unpredictable ocean waves, the sound of seagulls, sea salty air against our skin, and dark sand beneath our feet have always kept us coming back for more. Ocean truly is life. There is a quote that resonates with me by Dr. Sylvia Earle, where she says, "You're connected to the sea, no matter where on earth you live." You look into the vastness of the waters, and realize that it's been here on earth long before us, and it will still be here long after we are gone. When I look into the horizon where the sunset and the ocean seemingly meet, I think about the explorers that have sailed these waters to distant lands- the aquatic wildlife that lurks below- long lost treasures that have fallen into the deepness of the abyss.... I think about the things we still don't know and may never will. The ocean is life, but the ocean is also a beautiful mystery.

My name is Llana Marquez. I am a single mother, military member, student, and volunteer. The biggest thing that inspires me to be a better person is my son, Luka. I would like to be able to create a mechanism that continually cleans out the surface of the oceans. I want this innovation to be eco-friendly, sustainable, and ethically-made with the purpose of reducing the debris and garbage (especially that of plastics and microplastics) polluting our oceans. I'm sure there is something already similar to this existing however if that is the case, I feel that there can be room for improvement considering we still have garbage patch gyres the size of Texas circling around the Pacific Ocean right now. The mechanism should be some kind of filter that will trap plastics and garbage, but not trap wildlife. How the mechanism will be able to distinguish between the two is still unknown. I figure perhaps there would be actual people onboard these filter-like vessels to monitor what is entering the machine to ensure the efficacy of the machine as well as to ensure the safety of our aquatic neighbors. The purpose of cleaning the oceans, is another act to "clean the air." For what goes up, must come down (ex. the water cycle). Similar to forests, oceans are also the lungs of our planet, with oceans currently absorbing around 30-50% of the carbon dioxide (heat-trapping gases) in our atmosphere. Oceans are also the home to such a diverse world of wildlife, yet, human impact has touched even the deepest depths of our oceans (ex. plastic bags found in the Mariana Trench). Every day, my son makes me realize how simple, wonderful, and sadly how short life truly is. You can also see this with the wildlife and nature that is beginning to disappear because of human practices and human-caused climate change... However, my son sees life from such an optimistic and hopeful point of view that all it makes me want to do is to take good care of the fragile life that is all around us so that my son, his friends, and all the future generations after them can enjoy and admire this beautiful earth that we are able to today. All I want to do in this lifetime of mine, is to be able to educate and inspire others to also want to be a part of the solution.

I am committed to being selfless because I feel like this is such a noble quality that I myself admire in others. I had a very strong moral compass growing up, since I was a very young child and I have taken this with me throughout my life. Because I want nothing more than peace in this world, I feel like, in order for the ideas in my mind to manifest in the external world, I need to project it and resemble it myself. When you on your own are feeling whole and have extra to give, I feel like what better way to thank the universe for such abundances than to share this with others. I truly believe that in order for the external world to reflect your internal world, you need to "put it out there." Asides from just wanting the change, I feel like it is also productive and beneficial to BE the change you wish to see in this world.

I feel like the meaning of life is to seek value and contentment with the life that you have and the life that is all around you. As time passes, we begin to forget the most basic components that make up life itself. We are a society that is becoming more and more dependent of technology the further it advances- slowly distancing us from the true aspects of conscious and mindful living. I once read a book called "The Lost Words" by Robert Macfarlane, Jackie Morris, that brought such an awareness to the daunting reality that so many words in our vocabulary are actually lost within the children of this generation. Words as simple as "acorn," "dandelion," or "oak tree" are no longer a spoken language within the children growing up now. Words like this have been replaced with words such as "wi-fi," "tablet," and "lagging..." It was such a thought-provoking piece of literature that it reminded me to continue reading books and to encourage my son and other children to read more books as well. Books provide such a scope for the imagination- something that movies and shows will always lack in. When you get lost in a book, you get lost into a world that you are continuously creating in your mind from the literature you are reading. Many of us live life on "auto-pilot," resulting in us taking for granted the little things in life because we forgot how to consciously think about the little things that we are doing throughout the day.

Someone I admire from history would have to be Buddhist nun Jeong Kwan. She is still very much living in the present day, however, her words and wisdom has truly inspired me that I would love nothing more than to speak of her wisdom because I firmly believe that she will go down in history for positively impacting the lives of others as well as how she has impacted mine. Jeong Kwan is known to be a Korean "Philosopher chef," designing and creating her delicate dishes with the healing foods of nature. Her recipes are strictly plant-based meaning, she completely omits animals and animal by-products from them. The ingredients used in Chef Kwan's dishes are derived from nature with the intent that natural ingredients will awaken the mind and keep you aware. Buddhist Temple food is deeply connected to spiritual energy and the way Chef Kwan describes her culinary passion is that: "It's about respecting the ingredients, the planet, making people happy, how to be happy in the process, and how to put good energy into the food.... Just as water springs from a fountain, creativity springs from every moment. Cultivating in temple food, it's very important that you apply the same process of putting compassion, love, good energy into the seed that will grow as a plant." Chef Kwan does not just cook good vegan food, she has successfully been able to create dishes that everyone has been able to enjoy and appreciate all around the world. I feel so inspired by Chef Kwan's poetic way of describing her passion for temple cuisine that asides from already living a plant-based lifestyle myself, I have also incorporated meditation into my daily routine as well as the practice of mindfulness of the earth and the life that is all around me.

My dream life looks like contentment, happiness, peace, healthiness, and abundance. I am a firm believer of manifesting your dreams and utilizing the law of attraction to create positive outcomes in your life. First and foremost, for my personal life, I want nothing more than for my family members to live a long, happy, healthy life together. Once that's in motion, I want to go out into the world and spread the kindness and abundance of wisdom and enlightenment to anyone who will listen so they can also live their best, most fulfilled, compassionate and healthy lives too. We each take up a space in this life, and I feel that my space is best served when I can advocate for peace and kindness for every living being on this planet. Big dreams sometimes may need to start small, and that's okay. My dream life, would ideally be peace on this earth but I feel like the most realistic way to achieve that, is achieving contentment and mindfulness within my own self first, and then spreading it along to those around me.

I hope to be able to be a positive influence in others' lives. I want people to be able to look up to me as a great example of how to live your best life as a free spirit. I feel like, every single day should be a self-healing day. Nobody is perfect, and we also can't change others but the most exciting thing is that we could still always strive to continuously improve on ourselves each day that passes. Life is difficult and sometimes, the pressures and expectations of the external world keeps us in this perpetual cycle of anxiety, stress, and despair. I myself have lived a life of struggle and hardship, while still having to care for others on my own. I've learned over time that if you change your perception on life, you will change your experiences. I want to be able to help others "wake up" in a sense to reach their full potential. I want to be able to help guide others to find mindfulness and contentment within themselves so that they too can align their external world to reflect their internal world. Anything is possible if you believe it can be.

It's difficult to stand for only one cause in particular. I feel like there's so much the world can still improve on. But if I needed to choose, I think the main things I would have to represent and advocate for would be world peace and conservation of the earth and wildlife. I feel that the way we as humans interact with the earth and its other inhabitants can be seen as if we had no regards for anyone else but ourselves. Every day, we go about our lives completely ignorant to the fact that we do play a huge role in this ecosystem. Or perhaps we do know but do not feel compelled to make necessary changes because we are just so accustomed to the lifestyles we've had for so long and we don't "see" the direct impact it may have on us specifically. The mundane usual things we do like driving our cars to work or using disposable plastic bags to store our lunches are just a couple things we may be overlooking that still does in fact heavily impact the world around us. But in order to change these things happening around us, we must change something within ourselves first. Sometimes it takes a lot of "unlearning" and reprogramming different parts of one's brain in order to want to take action. I feel like if there is peace in the mind and heart, there can be peace on earth. But as long as our focus is on other things such as money, greed, and convenience, the world around us will reflect this as well.

Something I love about myself would have to be my intuition. There have been so many instances in my life where I felt like something just didn't feel right... I would feel this in my soul and I would try to come up with a logical conclusion on how I could possibly be misinterpreting things however, I've come to realize that more often than not, my instinct and gut feeling was always right. Another thing I love about myself is that when my intuition tells me something feels wrong, I will say something. With this in mind, I am still learning to respond more instead of reacting. I understand that I am quite empathic, so I do try my best to separate from my feelings when discussing them with someone because I know how I am, and I just know that I do tend to feel so much and so deeply at times.

I would have to agree with most students if their answer was that independence to them was freedom- freedom to buy whatever they want, do whatever they want, not have to answer to their parents, etc. However, I must say that independence is also so much more than that. For me personally, independence has been self-healing, self-reliance, and self-love. For me, my independence has been true self-discovery. The way I've had to become independent so quickly and beginning at a young age has impacted me in many ways. Every day that I failed or succeeded was always a lesson learned regardless about how I felt about the situation. When you realize that you have no one to rely on but yourself, you truly learn how to trust in yourself and your intuition, and to not doubt yourself so much. My independence has taught me so much about myself and my capabilities. It has taught me how to love, care, and respect myself to ensure I was self-sufficient enough to not have to rely on external sources to provide me with these things.

The way I have stayed optimistic through tough times is through meditation. After reading many books and watching countless videos created by physicists, gurus, and monks, I have learned that there is so much to life beyond what is physical and observable. When you begin to become more self aware of your own consciousness, it truly opens your eyes to the "quantum field" and how everything that exists here is composed of primarily energy when in its simplest form. The way meditation has created "optimism" inside of me is through its fundamental principles to "calm your mind," to regain focus on the simple things in life, and to remind yourself that patience and serenity are the true virtues in life. Also, another optimistic thing meditation has taught me is that the universe is just so large and vast, and that there are endless possibilities that we can manifest into our lives if we just change the way we are thinking with our hearts, and feeling with our minds.

In order to have a positive impact on the climate, I myself have adopted a plant-based and minimalist lifestyle. Asides from the Environmental Science courses I've taken throughout the years, I've also spent my own time researching and reading books regarding humans' influence and interactions with the environment. I am aware that we are disrupting the balance of nature and that our lifestyles are unsustainable towards the longevity of the planet, its resources, and its inhabitants. Although I am a Physics major planning to focus on Astronomy, I also like teaching others about sustainability and conservation because earth is my absolute favorite planet. I especially enjoy teaching my 5-year old son and others about how they can make little changes in their day-to-day lives to help save our mother earth. I like to promote all the amazing things about our planet and educate others on how and what we can and must do to protect and preserve it for the sake of our children and the following generations to come. "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children" -David Brower

I deeply feel that giving back is the ultimate way to show your gratitude in life. If you have the means to do so, I feel that extending your hand out to others in need is one of the most impactful ways to spreading kindness and positivity out into the universe. Giving is important to me because although I did not grow up with much, and although I still don't have "much" even as an adult, I feel that I still have so much to "give" and that there's still so "much" to go around. Nobody should have to struggle just to exist or matter. I believe that each life on earth is precious and we should all do our part to help one another. I full-heartedly believe in the saying: "what goes around, comes around." I won't be ignorant to the fact that bad things still happen to good people however, I do believe that for the things you do have control over, you should CHOOSE to do good in the world because the world will only change for the better if we ourselves choose to change for the better. Nothing in the world changes unless something inside of us changes. If we want peace in the world, we need to instill peace in others. In order to instill peace in others, we need to show and give peace from within ourselves. It all starts within each and every one of us.

A simple pleasure I have in my life (asides from my amazing 5 year old son), are my baths. I absolutely appreciate and look forward to my baths every evening because other than the literal act of cleansing myself, I really do treat my baths like they are also a "spiritual cleanse." Throughout the day, we go through stressors and may even come across negative energies that we end up taking home with us. The way I like to wash those things away, is through my meditative baths. I will have some lavender Epsom salt sprinkled into my bath. I'd have the lights dimmed or off, with some aromatic candles lit all around. Then, I would also have perhaps rainforest sounds playing from Spotify to emulate the environment of a tropical rainforest as I imagine that I bathe underneath the calmness of a soft and steady waterfall... Because this is such a peaceful time for me, I end up going into a meditative state to calm my mind. Once it's all done, I am able to go to bed, relaxed, at ease, and of course, happy.

Joy to me is happiness and contentment. I think joy can consist of both the simplicities and the complexities in life. Joy can be a singular event that has just occurred in your life and has given you pure happiness in that moment in time. Joy can also be a ongoing grounding sense of being and state of mind. I can honestly say that I have never been a "joyful" person (quite the opposite actually) however, through recent times, I have learned to begin to find the joys and beauties throughout my everyday life now. The way I seek to experience joy in my life is not simply through just singular events, but on a higher level such as through meditation, consciousness, and education on our impact of the "quantum field." Continuously learning about these things have been imperative to my growth as an ever evolving human trying to find peace within myself and in this conflicting world.

Similar to Patrick Stanley, I am of course a non-traditional student as well. As Patrick earned his Bachelor's Degree at 28, I just turned 28 and am still currently working towards my Associate's Degree. We all have a different path, and some of us don't even know yet of what we're doing until a little time passes for us to figure things out. I've learned that it is never too late to go back to school though. I had such a difficult time during my high school years (2008-2012). I didn't have a very good support system at home. Also, my first relationship was quite toxic so I ended up getting into a deep dark depression because of it. I barely went to school- I would just spend all of my time in my bedroom finding comfort in solitude. The school's faculty, especially the Dean truly tried their best to encourage me to just at least show up for the classes, but I just couldn't find it in me to do so. It wasn't until 2015, the year my son was born when I decided to finally go back to school to earn my GED. I then began to attend community college in Fall 2019, but completely failed or withdrew from the classes that semester. I felt that I was not fully prepared when I entered community college so I took another year off to focus on my military obligations. Then I decided to try school again in the Fall of 2020. I was so scared because I was a single mom, military, and full time student. I thought that the odds were against me. But I'm glad I decided to pursue school again and go headstrong because I knew I had to work on myself hard if I was going to get through this. I started my college journey with straight F's and W's, and now I've been getting straight A's and finally making it onto the Dean's List. I don't know how I did it, but I did it. My biggest motivation is my son. I wanted my son to understand how important and valuable education was and to take it seriously the first time around. I want my son to know that I fully support his academic journey regardless of what he will choose to study- and even if he chooses to take a break to find himself first like I did, that's ok too. All the mountains we climb in our lives are not meant to drag us down. These mountains are opportunities for us to learn to persevere and rise above it all.

I feel like the best way to live a long, healthy life, is to do your best to avoid the things that discourage you from making the best of it. Surrounding yourself with positive energy, practicing self care, eating healthy, and doing the activities you enjoy is always something to work towards that goal of living a more fulfilled and happy life. Learning to love yourself and trust in yourself is also very important, because when you doubt yourself, you are giving up the power you have over your own destiny and putting it in the hands of external sources. It is like you are now visualizing a daunting mountain that is towering above you when instead you should be envisioning the mountain that slowly fades below you as you climb closer to the peak. Trust in yourself and the power to your own life. You create your own destiny.

Seeing my son happy brings me the most happiness in the world. He truly is my best friend, the light of my life, and the center of my galaxy. My son has such a kind, adventurous, and giving heart, so it makes me just want to do all that I can to contribute and grow that within him. I love seeing him go outside, climb the mountains, and play in the sand. His ideas and thoughts are astounding and I know that great minds and hearts like his are the hope for our future and generations to come. Everything I do in life is for him- to always stand by him throughout the years as he grows and to prepare him for what may be up ahead. It brings me so much happiness and warmth inside my heart to see this little human being enjoy life and all of its wonders.

1. My name is Llana Marquez. I am a mother, airman, and student. Asides from the motivation I get from being a single mother to my amazing son, the hope for a better future for myself, my family, and the world are what motivates me every single day. I feel like the world in its raw organic form is such an extraordinary place and that some of us just don't take the time to experience it more. If I could do anything with my life, it would be to find a way to end world hunger, reverse climate change, explore our world, and then maybe even find a way to safely and effectively explore the rest of our galaxy. I understand that missions and dreams like this may realistically require funds to achieve, more than just the pure hope and passion for it- but I know for certain that without the hopes and passions like mine, even with the required funds, change may still not be possible because we all know that the funds in the world are out there, but "if there is no will, there is no way" and that is why I feel that these dreams have not been implemented by others. For now while I am still in school, I would like to study Physics and Astronomy to better understand our universe and the way we interact with it because there are just so many things much bigger than us outside of the scope that we see. 2. The things that excite me most about STEM are the endless possibilities we can learn and create to solve some of the world's greatest issues. Medicine, scientific research, engineering of all kinds, and technology are just some of the fields that STEM consists of. Throughout history, we can see how far we've come through the continuous development and improvement of our inventions throughout time. There is nothing that we have created on this earth that has been "perfected." Anything and everything can and will still have its flaws. Also, the world is not perfect, so even beyond our already existing creations, there are still more inventions that still need to be created for the new plethora of issues that we will face. That is why we continue to pursue STEM in order to keep improving and advancing in our creations. I feel like STEM is a field filled with wonders and solutions. It has the ability to change the world for the better if we let it. For example, astronomers can utilize information technology for educational purposes. Astronomers are able to translate the things we see through our telescopes to generate our images. We can also use programming to create and plot our graphs to gain the ability to gather further information from the celestial objects we find beyond our atmosphere. I feel like I could make a positive impact through information technology because I myself would like to be able to collect, analyze, and disseminate my own data from my findings and then translate/simplify them in an easier way for others to better understand our universe as well. 3. The greatest challenge I have had to overcome would perhaps be the journey to "finding myself." I learned that it had a lot to do with the way I saw my self worth, self respect, self esteem, and self love. It had a lot to do with the way I was "speaking to myself." I was lacking in so many areas within my life that I realized that it may actually have had a lot to do with the lack I had within me. There have been so many experiences throughout my life where I just ended up feeling so broken and empty. I thought that all this negativity may have stemmed from my environment, my circumstances, or the people around me, but I've realized that although those too were all just factors that kept me in a negative space, the biggest factor of them all that kept me in that negative space was myself. There were times I felt that there really was no hope for me and that I was floating around the dark desolate universe lost, alone, and without a purpose. It took a tremendous amount of strength out of me to even just take a step out of that darkness and reach for a star, any star. I can't say that I've managed to fully get "past it" because it truly is a lifelong challenge, but just like innovation, I continue to improve on this journey to self discovery and self healing everyday. It was always such a challenge for me to fully understand and appreciate the beauty of the life that was all around me and importantly inside of myself, but I was slowly starting to see the light through it all by reaching for just that one star. It all starts inside of yourself. The path to happiness, peace, and fulfilment begins with you.

Asides from my son (aka the light of my world and galaxy), I feel like spirituality and aspirations are what motivate me on a daily basis. Practicing mindfulness through meditation, reading books on spirituality and self-healing, as well as just reflecting on yourself to continuously be seeking growth and improvement every single day are just some things I myself incorporate into my daily routine. Having and envisioning my prospective goals and achievements help me strive to succeed in all the things I put my mind and heart into today in the present. Another thing that can be difficult but attainable would be to just learn to have a positive outlook on life. I have gone through a lot of hardships and "dark times" throughout my life, but I have found that although a lot of my perseverance came out of actions of "survival," that a lot of my perseverance also blossomed from actions of positivity and hopefulness. I feel like more great things gravitate towards you more when you are sending positive energy into the universe.

My favorite way to help others asides from volunteering is just "listening" to them when they want to speak. Everyone deserves to be heard and to feel like their voice matters. I feel that a lot of the times, we may feel insignificant or unrecognized for something, primarily because at times it feels like those around us do not care. Sometimes, depending who we are around, we may even feel "silenced" to voice what matters to us. I think the great thing about myself is that I am already soft-spoken and don't like to reveal much about myself as is, so oftentimes I just extend a hand out to others if they just need someone to listen to them for a while. Showing attentiveness, empathy, and sincerity towards another really goes a long way. I like being able to show others that I care by simple little things like this that anyone can do in their everyday lives.

My best skill would have to be that I am a fast learner and hard worker. I feel like it doesn't even matter what the task or subject is, as long as I have some type of interest or fascination with it, I will be able to complete it while also providing excellent work. There is a lot of improvement that can be done with this skill of mine. I feel like simply the passion to want to do something is not enough to be successful in life. I know personally for myself, I am aware that I get bored quite easily, and that there will be a lot of things we may have to do throughout our lives that we really don't want to do. Even if we don't have a "passion" for something, we should still be able to provide that excellent work regardless. Being able to overcome difficulty and discomfort to get to where you need to be is necessary for growth and development within ourselves.

I think empowerment for women should begin in childhood education for all children. Teaching children that we are all equal and that there is no "lesser or weaker" gender is imperative to women's empowerment. For example, we grow up believing that there is a specific kind of toy or color that is associated with our sex. Oftentimes, boys will be shamed for having interest in things like flowers and the color pink and that it's only appropriate for little girls to play with dolls and little pink kitchens. As a society, we are conditioned to believe that men must be "strong" and "powerful" and that women need to be "soft" and "sweet." One is supposed to show strength, and the other is supposed to show vulnerability. But vulnerability means that one is "open to injury." So why is it that only women should be able to experience this whereas men must be this kind of indestructible force? It all starts in childhood. What we learn as children with our developing minds, follow us throughout life and creates this kind of "blueprint" on what we believe life should be like. Children spend so much of their day in school and that's honestly where we learn how to interact with others beyond our homes. I think that diversity is incredibly important because it exposes us to the different types of people out there and that there is no "one size fits all" lifestyle for everyone. I think a good example of what children can learn in school would be that of the Women's Suffrage Movement. I think that it would be a great idea if it had its own whole separate lesson during history class so that children can learn to fully understand how difficult life was for women, and how hard they had to fight throughout the generations in order to just receive basic rights and respect like that of their counterparts. Children should also learn to recognize that it wasn't just women who fought for their rights, a lot of men also stood by their side to fight for them, with them too. Children need to learn that the fight still hasn't ended and that women's rights still continue to be an issue today in the present. In order for children to understand that there needs to be a solution, they need to know what the problem is, how the problem began, how to solve it, and what we can do to prevent history from ever repeating itself again- and that all begins with education.

One of my happiest memories has to be my son's first time seeing the fireworks at Disneyland. Disneyland has always been a special place to me, so it was so much more magical being able to experience it with my little one. During the fireworks show at the end of the evening, I could just see my son's little grinning face illuminated by the large bright twinkles in the sky. He cheered and swayed along to the music- this was probably the happiest I've ever seen him.

The legacy I want is to be remembered and respected as a hardworking mother who devoted her life to family, her independence, adventure, and of course the advocacy for the wellbeing of all life on this earth. I've realized recently that life truly is so very short and when you are not focused on what it is that you truly want from this life, this life and all of its opportunities will just pass you by. I want people to see that I've come so far regardless of all the obstacles and hardships that I've had to face and that this journey is not impossible. Change happens within YOURSELF. We need to remember to be patient with ourselves and one another and give each other the care and space to grow in order to make this world a kinder place. It is never too late to make a positive impact in this world and others' lives because we all have the potential and ability to do so. I want my legacy to be for others to want to have selfless and kind-hearted legacies of their own. I will always want to help others, to show them that there are good people out there and that your dreams can come true too as long as you put the work in. I want other people to remember me as someone who just wanted to do good and just encouraged others to want to do good in this world as well.

"If you want something to change, do something different." I feel like there are just a lot of disagreements and conflicts around the world- a lot of which I feel could easily be resolved if we changed the lens through which we see the world. Mindfulness and empathy are something we all need in order to help change the situations at hand as well. We live in such innovative and progressive times- the possibilities are endless and I feel that we as a society have this disconnect within the different realms of injustices that exist because these injustices may not directly be affecting our own lives at this very moment. These injustices nonetheless need to be acknowledged and addressed because they very much exist and are harmful to humanity and life itself. Clearly, if a certain method of doing things is not working, something within that method or the method itself must change in order for the outcome to change as well.

Education is wonder. Education is both a privilege and a key to changing the world. From my personal experience, those who are privileged enough to be able to focus on school WHILE in school have the most advantage of them all. Unfortunately, I myself was not "lucky" enough to have gotten such a head start in life and therefore I am where I am now. I have always had to work to support my family and work to simply exist while my studies had to come after all of that. Regardless of my circumstances, I will always be a huge advocate to education and there's nothing that can hinder me from continuing to pursue my own dreams everyday. Being in college has truly shaped the way I view the world because knowledge is challenging. Knowledge is understanding. Knowledge is freedom. There is so much to the world beyond the little bubbles we live in, but we will never truly know that unless we expand our horizons and explore all that is still out there. There are different reasons, different perspectives, different solutions, and different ideas existing and some of these ideas may even only exist in the future, if we change the present. If we are just limited to only what we already know, there is no opportunity for growth. For example, we must acknowledge that a lot of what we are doing as a society right now isn't working. So therefore, it is imperative that we share ideas and collaborate with one another in order to solve these issues. If one person has an idea and that idea has failed, and you get another person with the same idea, you may be certain that that idea may fail as well. To resolve this, you may need to involve someone else with a different idea, completely apart from these first two individuals. If you want something to change, you have to do something different. We still have conflict, poverty, war, global warming, the extinctions of endangered animals, inequality, cancers, illnesses, pandemics, etc. The list goes on. If each and every one of us practiced mindfulness to better understand our own roles and how our actions affect other beings' lives, I think that a good amount of us will see that learning and education is the key, the movement we need to have in order to progress and excel as a society, to improve in all those areas we are still lacking in. Everything we already know right now in our lives were taught to us. Education is a lot of things- both good and bad. But the more you begin to know, the more you begin to understand, and the more you begin to wonder. The world around is constantly evolving and you don't discover if you don't wonder.

The one thing I’ve learned that has started to change my perspective in life is: mindfulness. Mindfulness with myself and mindfulness with those around me. I used to care so much about the environment around me and it would negatively affect the way I saw the world. At one point of my life, I truly began to feel like there were more “bad” people than good and this mentality made me feel like there was no hope no matter my own efforts being put in. But after educating myself through self-help videos, positive affirmations, and meditation, I’ve been able to reprogram my mindset to begin to see the glass half full again. I’ve learned that it isn’t my job to “fix” other people and a lot of what people do to me or others is not because of me or other people at all. It is within themselves. I can only “fix” myself and change the lens in which I see the world around me. I’ve learned to just “trust in myself” and focus on the now and what it is that I can change in the now. I am beginning to live life to the fullest, in my most authentic self- Living and loving life, wielding my own power now to try to make the world a better place without being so influenced with the negativity that I may encounter along the way.

My dog's name is Denali and although she hails from the tundra, she is truly just a dreamy California dog.

I feel like educating myself about mental health was one of the best things I could have done for myself and others around me. I have struggled with mental health issues since I was about 15 I would say. I didn't have a strong support system growing up and I couldn't even comprehend what was happening within my mind, so getting help was kind of difficult. My depression has really kept me in a lot of dark spaces in the timeline where I spent the majority of that time sulking and not wanting to leave my bedroom. I was withdrawn from everything and everyone because I felt "comfort" in being in my bedroom by myself where I felt like that was the one place I couldn't "fail," the one place I couldn't disappoint anyone, and the one place no one could ever find me to hurt me. But times were changing and I was only getting older. Slowly but surely, and after some very important events in my life, I decided that this "lifestyle" was not sustainable and I had to take a step- it didn't even matter how small, I just knew I had to take A step, any step. Fast forward years later, I was able to earn my GED, finally be on the Dean's List at my college, been enlisted in the United States Air Force for the last three years now, earned my first Achievement Medal during a humanitarian mission, started my own Pet Sitting/Walking business, and the most rewarding thing of all was that I was also a mom now while I accomplished all this. Every single person has their own story regarding their mental health and this one was my own. Although I still have depression till this day, I've been able to get the help I needed by just educating myself and doing what I could to find ways to create love for myself internally rather than finding "validation" from external sources. I worked on myself HARD, every day practicing "mindfulness," watching self-help videos on Youtube, exercising, reading books, and listening to positive affirmations while I slept. Mental health is a very serious subject that I can relate to in such a deep level. For me, it has been a dark, empty, and desolate place that has been inhabiting my mind for almost half my life now. But I am also living proof that if you can just find even the tiniest spark of light in yourself, you can find ways out of that darkness.

This has actually only occurred to me recently where I'm just now beginning to understand and get to know the "real" me. I'm understanding why things affect me the way they do, why I feel how I feel, and how I need to "speak to myself" in order to create and maintain self-love, because the narrative I have been telling myself for years conflicted with all these things. For the longest time, I felt lost in life. I moved around A LOT and I realized that over the years, because I didn't have this real physical home, I began to subconsciously search for "home" within others. Because this was the only real "home" I felt I had, I would decorate these "homes" with all my love, and care. Whenever those people left my life, so did those "homes." I felt I was left with nothing. I used to feel so awful about myself when I became "homeless." I learned that deep down it isn't necessarily a fear of being alone, but rather a fear of just being alone with myself. I couldn't understand why I couldn't "live with myself." I began a self-healing journey- working on myself HARD, to get to where I am today. My self-healing journey consisted of a lot of practicing positive self-talk. It consisted of reprogramming my mindset through self-help videos on youtube, exercising, reading, taking walks, practicing mindfulness, and listening to positive affirmations while I sleep. I am understanding now that all the love and care I was putting into those external "homes" should have been put into myself. I should have felt at "home" with myself because at the end of the day, people will come and go but I will always be there for every single thing I will go through in life.

One experience that has shaped a part of who I am today would have to be the birth of my son, Luka. Before he was born, I can honestly say I didn't feel like I had a sense of self of who I was, what I wanted to do, and where I wanted to go. For so long I felt that I was lost and just wandering through life. The moment I knew I was having Luka and the moment he was born, I felt like I now knew my purpose. Throughout the years, we've grown up together and I've learned more about myself in these last 6 years than I have in my entire life. He is such a kind, adventurous, and caring child and he makes me want to improve on myself every single day. He has taught me to continue caring for others the way I care for him and the way I've now learned to care for myself. I've been able to achieve so much since the day he came into my life such as: - Getting my GED - Finally going to college (almost done and ready to transfer) - I completed 4 months of military training and have now been in the United States Air Force for about 3 years. - I received my first Achievement Medal in the military during a humanitarian mission. - I started my own Pet Sitting/Walking business this year (Luka loves it) He taught me that there are no limits to your dreams and the only thing that limits your ability to achieve those dreams is yourself and the way you speak to yourself. Your dreams are non-negotiable- and the reasons dreams HAPPEN, is because the habits of that person CHANGED. Living and loving life with Luka.