I've always been a fan of reading books, and for a long time if someone would've asked me what my favorite book was, I would've probably said the last book I read at school because even though I read a lot of books, no book really spoke to my heart. I never really thought I could find I book I could memorize and engrave each word into my heart until I opened my Bible. Since freshmen year, I was surrounded with confusion. I was interested in many careers, but nothing caught my attention. I was always tribulated on the inside because I couldn't find passion for anything. I couldn't find purpose and joy in the clubs and even sports I enrolled in throughout high school. Even though I read motivational books, fiction, drama, romance, philosophy, and many other things, nothing spoke to me and gave me direction nor wisdom. At the beginning of 2021, I was even more tormented and fearful than ever before. It was the spring semester of my senior year, and I didn't know where to apply for college and I didn't know if I wanted to go to college in the first place. It was a very dark period because I was enslaved to confusion and fear that didn't allow me to move or think forward It wasn't until February that I was so attacked with anxiety that I turned to the only book that could give me 'some' hope. This led me to go to church more often to seek the Word of God and serve in the kids ministry, and right there God put a desire in my heart to study education and become a teacher. Amazingly, it all started with James 4:8 'Come close to God, and God will come close to you'.

Pursuing higher education has been my goal since I visited the college of my dreams back in freshman year. Until I visited the Houston Baptist University campus, I had no idea that college was an option for me, or that I even belonged there. As a little girl, I would’ve never thought that I could potentially attend a private university, nonetheless live in a different country, and learn to adapt to a whole different language and culture. Thanks to the resilience and the determination of my mother, we were able to move to the United States, ironically, with only five hundred dollars in our pockets. We scaped the lack of prosperity in Venezuela and moved to the land of opportunities. I was thirteen years old when I moved to Texas and lived in one room at my aunt’s house with my mother and two suitcases filled with a couple of memories from our old life. I had a beginner-level vocabulary when I moved here. It was a challenge to start the second semester of eighth grade not being fluent in the language, because everyone had their own group of friends, and the classes were already ahead. Those five months were a horrible transition, but I certainly didn’t know what was ahead of me. With having that experience in middle school, I thought high school was going to be the same. Throughout my years in high school, I made the decision to take many AP and Dual Credit classes. I saw it as an opportunity not to only make my application to colleges more marketable, but it was an opportunity to learn vocabulary and practice the language with other students that were as equally or more intelligent as me. In this season of my life, I really learned that nothing is impossible if you set your mind to learn and grow, and especially work hard for what you want to accomplish. Being placed in ESL classes the first two years didn’t stop me from accomplishing what I wanted, and it certainly didn’t hold me back to accomplish the short-term goals I set for myself throughout high school to achieve my ultimate goal. My goal throughout high school was to earn an internship during my senior year with Genesys Works. Thanks to every opportunity I took in high school, and the adversities and hardships that I thankfully went through, I am able to say now that I’m the marketing intern at Genesys Works National. I was also recently accepted to Houston Baptist University and I am committed to going after any financial assistance I could possibly get to give myself the opportunity to go to a private school and be the first one in my family to go to college in America. This not only makes me and my family proud, but now I am able to inspire others to don’t settle for less and work for what is worth fighting for.

Pursuing higher education has been my goal since I visited the college of my dreams back in freshman year. Until I visited the Houston Baptist University campus, I had no idea that college was an option for me, or that I even belonged there. As a little girl, I would’ve never thought that I could potentially attend a private university, nonetheless live in a different country, and learn to adapt to a whole different language and culture. Thanks to the resilience and the determination of my mother, we were able to move to the United States, ironically, with only five hundred dollars in our pockets. We scaped the lack of prosperity in Venezuela and moved to the land of opportunities. I was thirteen years old when I moved to Texas and lived in one room at my aunt’s house with my mother and two suitcases filled with a couple of memories from our old life. I had a beginner-level vocabulary when I moved here. It was a challenge to start the second semester of eighth grade not being fluent in the language, because everyone had their own group of friends, and the classes were already ahead. Those five months were a horrible transition, but I certainly didn’t know what was ahead of me. With having that experience in middle school, I thought high school was going to be the same. Throughout my years in high school, I made the decision to take many AP and Dual Credit classes. I saw it as an opportunity not to only make my application to colleges more marketable, but it was an opportunity to learn vocabulary and practice the language with other students that were as equally or more intelligent as me. In this season of my life, I really learned that nothing is impossible if you set your mind to learn and grow, and especially work hard for what you want to accomplish. Being placed in ESL classes the first two years didn’t stop me from accomplishing what I wanted, and it certainly didn’t hold me back to accomplish the short-term goals I set for myself throughout high school to achieve my ultimate goal. My goal throughout high school was to earn an internship during my senior year with Genesys Works. Thanks to every opportunity I took in high school, and the adversities and hardships that I thankfully went through, I am able to say now that I’m the marketing intern at Genesys Works National. I was also recently accepted to Houston Baptist University and I am committed to going after any financial assistance I could possibly get to give myself the opportunity to go to a private school, and be the first one in my family to go to college in America. This not only makes me and my family proud, but now I am able to inspire others to don’t settle for less and work for what is worth fighting for.

I came to this country 4 years ago from South America, and the language barrier was the first difficulty that hit me not even landing in the country, but on the plane. Learning English the first year was a challenging experience and obstacle that I thought I’d never overcome. Because I had a basic knowledge of the language due to my interest in American culture and folklore the distress thankfully didn’t last long, but it was very difficult. The only best friends I had at that moment were my headphones and Spotify playlist. The base of English I started to build back in my country allowed me to become more familiar with the system. The transition wasn’t as harsh as I thought it would be, but it was harsh nonetheless. But before the idea of moving to another country came up, I was very interested in the language and the American culture. I remember searching for the English version of all the songs on Disney Channel and learning how to sing it in English. The 10-year-old Luisana would’ve never thought she would’ve needed that practice later on. She always had that spark of interest in learning different things and imagining having a conversation with an English native speaker. One of my best friends, when I came to this country, was music. It not only gave me comfort, but it was also a great way to practice the language. I remember looking up the lyrics and trying to analyze what the song was saying. I started very superficially since I always found myself listening to Sia, Ariana Grande, and The Chainsmokers. As I got older, my taste in music deepened and now I could easily go from Elton John to Frank Sinatra to Billy Joel to Andrea Bocelli. Music not only gave me the opportunity to learn new words and learning slang, but it also gave me a social background of American values which have shaped my character today. As an example, I’ve been listening to George Strait songs from the 1980s-1990s Texas and southern culture; the culture in which I live today and plan to live for lots of years. I love the romance, the intensity, the rhythm, and the stories those songs from George Strait and other artists like him transmit to their audience. Pop music is always around me because of its popularity, but I find it superficial. I’m a person that analyzes every detail, even in the most insignificant song ever written. One of my goals is to stay in the Houston area to establish my own non-profit organization for children. I find myself to be very passionate about the injustices in the world and how I can come up with the best solutions to approach those issues. My dreams align with my character since I like to take into consideration every detail of things and procedures, and whatever project I set to my mind to, I’ll pour all my heart into it. And just like music once consoled me and helped me, it now sees me grow and evolve deeper from the things I've gone through to the things I'm going to do.

I moved to this country from South America four years ago. Back in my country, we didn't have any opportunities. Whether you had a Bachelors's degree in biology or just a high school diploma, the obstacles were always present, and they didn’t allow me to see my full potential because it led me to think there was none. My high school years were overwhelmingly difficult, but they led to the biggest opportunity of my professional career which was earning an internship with Genesys Works. Since freshmen year my counselor enrolled me in business and advanced classes. At first, I thought that it wasn't my pathway and I didn't see the opportunities that came with it. Now looking back at all those dual credits and AP classes that I despised and gave me stress and anxiety shaped my character and were worth it. The knowledge I gained in my business classes, combined with the strict and critical-thinking nature of AP and dual credit classes, allowed me to transition smoothly from a regular student to a young professional and scholar. With the help of my English teacher, Astrid Gonzalez, I could've never been able to be so strict with deadlines set by others and myself. She taught me determination and passion to do my work, and respect for other's time by respecting the boundaries they set for themselves and others - two main qualities that I apply to my work life today. There are many people that see a light in you that you couldn't see for yourself; that happened to me when I started working for Genesys Works National. I was very shy and nervous at the beginning, as all interns at the start of their new jobs are. This opportunity exposed me to amazing supervisors and co-workers that saw a light in me that I was not able to see by myself. Before my internship, I was questioning college because I felt like I didn't belong, and I didn't know what to study. This experience led me discovered that I was made to be a professional, whether is in marketing, administration, or sales. By gaining experience, exposure, and expertise in marketing, I was able to discover that I like my work and the responsibilities that come with it. The responsibilities are difficult since my whole internship was remote, meaning I had to adapt to work from home and manage my time efficiently if I wanted to succeed. During the training for the program in the summer of last year, I always thought I was going to be working for one of their biggest corporate partners. Instead, I ended up interning at Genesys Works National and I do not regret it at all. I get to know a lot of people from throughout the organization that are in different cities and it's amazing to me how they all so far away, find a way to stay connected through the same mission. We have the same goal and connection which is to help others, especially younger students to discover their abilities and join the workforce. Lastly, but not the least important thing I learned was a passion to help other people. I've always been curious and anxious about what God wants to do in my life and his purpose for me, but I can see now through my experience at work, that I was placed on this earth to make a difference by helping others.

This is a very broad question, but at this point in my life, I have discovered two main goals I have for myself on a personal and academic level. The personal goal I have for myself is to keep growing in my faith, and keep believing that in the presence of God I'll be in a peaceful and steady relationship with Him and myself. What drives me about this goal is that I feel so inspired and motivated to do things I've never done before, and explore the things I like and I'm good at; basically discover who I really am. The academic goal is to become a marketing specialist to apply again to the organization I intern at Genesys Works), and bring new and innovative ideas once I graduate from college and become a professional. What really inspires me about these two goals is that they serve my purpose on the Earth. They inspire me to become a better person through growing spiritually and therefore mentally so I can help others in their journey too. Providing opportunities to people, strengthen my faith, and becoming the person I aspire to be, are the biggest inspirations in my life right now, and what drives me is the hope and certainty that I will accomplish these goals.

A woman that has inspired me is Michelle Bachelet. She is the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights since 2018, born and raised in Chile. I’m a Latina living in the United States, a woman that deeply inspires me is her. She has accomplished so many things in her political career in Latin America, that she has broken the glass ceiling for many girls that don’t have much education and career inspiration in Latin America. She is also an excellent role model for me because I want to study marketing to continue to work for non-profit organizations to help others, and her current job is to help people around the world which is something I find amazing and very inspiring.

“Your life may take some detours but God’s will, will always find a way to say ‘right this way, just come right this way’ because you’ll always come back to where God has called you to go. Why? Because he has a masterplan, and you are his masterpiece.” -Jeremy Foster (Hope City Chruch, West Houston). During most of 2020, it’s no surprise that people, and especially students, felt unmotivated to accomplish their dreams, or even dream at all. For most of my senior year, I’ve been feeling unmotivated and feeling like I had no purpose and didn’t see myself anywhere in a relatively close future. The college application process is tiring and stressful and makes you doubt many things in your life. One thing that made me feel lost and unmotivated was the fact the thought that after graduation, I didn’t see myself studying something I was going to like or be good at; I didn’t see myself doing something I love and I’m passionate about. For most of the year 2020, I was in a flatline, not knowing where I wanted to go, not being able to be in contact with the outside world because we were quarantined, which made me feel alone and insecure. Since I started growing in my faith, working on my spirituality by listening to this pastor at Hope City, everything became clearer on a personal level. I also started to work as an intern at Genesys Works where I have learned work and marketing skills that have helped me figure out what I want to study when I go to college which is marketing. These two realizations have given me a vision and perspective to go back to the place God has called me to go. Studying this career (or another similar career) will prepare me to work on the thing that I’m passionate about, which is bringing to the market more eco-friendly products and alternatives to serve in the fight for climate change. This is what God has called me to do, and I’m ready to be the greatest masterpiece.