Being the daughter of an immigrant family is complicated in matters of personal and educational life. Having the opportunity to come to study in the United States from an early age is something that I am grateful to my parents for. For this reason, I have always tried to be a good student and make my parents proud so that they can see that their sacrifices have been worth it so that I can be here studying. Although I had internal and external battles from the moment I set foot in elementary school to High School I can even say that today in my second semester at college. From an early age until my teens I had to cross the border every hour of the morning every morning alone, no matter how hot or cold it was, I had to wait for the school bus. To only return home exhausted in the afternoons when the autumn season was hardly present or the sweltering heat of the sun in spring. But seeing my parents with my younger siblings waiting for me at home reminded me and encouraged me to keep going. Besides as older sister I knew that I had to set an example for my siblings, that despite the cultural barriers, language and exhausted routine, I would keep going and I promised from the bottom of my heart that I would be the first to graduate in our family. And I did it, I was able to graduate from my High School in white even though my parents were not with me in person at that precious moment for me but I knew that they were watching me on the television at home all thanks to the school that understood that There were students whose parents could not cross the border so they broadcast the ceremony live so they could see their children finish a stage in their lives. Right now, I am in my second semester at school far from home, it has been complicated not being able to hear my mother laugh when she talks on the phone, hear my father's truck when he returned from work as well as my brothers' screams when they play to the console but despite that overwhelming feeling of loneliness, I am determined to make a positive impact on my future career. Being a social worker is a job where you make an impact by using emotional intelligence through empathy and listening. With that, I understand some of the difficulties and I will be able to help immigrant families with the necessary resources, so that they can overcome their difficulties and, perhaps, make it possible for parents to be there with people at important moments for their children. Because, I wish they had been with me in person and I know there are more people who know understand that bittersweet feeling of achieving something in your life and knowing that the people who inspired you to keep going are proud of you but not that they can be with you to share the emotion.

Angel

My name is Luna, a student about to graduate and hoping to continue studying. Offering my help in sad, happy and in difficult moments. Being someone emotional, with knowledge that it is toxic to keep emotions deep in the heart. Comprehensive and attentive to the words of others if they need my help without being judged they will be. Full of imagination that cause to forget about reality, but focused on things. Despite the hard work both in school and in agriculture, it will be difficult to advance in the next step thanks for the finances but is not impossible.

The way I try to make a positive impact in this world is by showing kindness, caring, and understanding to people. I know that it sounds simple but as the aforementioned, together with selfless actions in not expecting to receive something in return, it can cause an impact to people who could become inspired to be better even if their faith in humanity increases. With the consciousness that I am only one person in millions, I may not even be able to make a global impact that can change the world in a positively drastic way from day to night or even after a couple of years. But, with at least helping someone in a significant way to make their day better, to feel safe and above all to have a ray of hope in being able to improve the problem that makes them have a smile on their face that, for me is a world-wide change for that person's world. Therefore, it may not be much but no one said that changing the world for the better is easy but with small steps it can be achieved even with small action it can be done is just keep determined but always stay kind above all.

The quality that I personally value the most in myself would be that I am someone who is understanding with people for their situations that I come to empathize with and show kindness to them. I value this characteristic because I feel that it is something that unconsciously helps people and inspires confidence and assurance that they will not be judged by me. Also, cause them not to be afraid to express themselves to me, that if they need to talk about something or even help they can trust me and I will try to do what I can to help them. I know these characteristics are not much but by showing and inspiring that confidence by being understanding you can change a person. Perhaps you can even cause a small domino effect by demonstrating it and inspire people to be more often towards other people. In addition, it is something that we need more since these difficult times of pandemic, destructive climates in all sides of the planet, discrimination of everything, poverty increasing with the passage of time as well as hunger and the extinction of the various species that exist only They demonstrate the lack of help and importance of the human being that is destructive against everything that is in the world as against ourselves. So I think this feature will help me in this mountain of emotions called life. My main objective is to help people in different areas to brighten their day, to feel that there is hope and people who still want to make a change by doing it in a positive way. I say it that way because even though many of my generation as people of past generations who have the same vision, they do what they can to change the world but it will take a long time for that. Either in a peaceful or violent way, things will take time so you have to be patient and little by little you will see the change but for that we have to be understanding, kind and empathic with others but above all with oneself. Although, as each characteristic has its good things, it also has its bad things, it can cause people to take advantage of one of several ways, I have lived that but that should not mean that I should stop doing it for those negative people, they only show My point and I will continue to show understanding as kindness no matter who or what. That is a promise that will continue to stand no matter what.

Have you heard people say that, "Words have as much impact as actions" or a phrase close to it? This is one of the things I do to make people who are really important to me feel appreciated and loved by using words. In addition to showing it with my actions or with the physical contact of a hug, which are also loving ways of showing them. But the words have more impact because they come out of one directly, in the way we express it as well as the tone of voice they are said. So I try to say things carefully not to say something negative to any of my loved ones. To encourage them with motivational words that make that cloud of sadness blind them. Saying I love you as well as I love you in a platonic, family or romantic way can change the day of that loved one and make you feel that there is someone who appreciates you no matter what. In addition, there is something that is a fact, in these difficult times that do not seem to end, it should be a lesson, an awakening for people to show more love and affection to those loved ones to say more often that you love them from the bottom of your heart because you never know what will happen the next day.

There is no favorite way to help others at least not for me. Helping someone means that we do it in good faith and that we do it selflessly for the benefit of others. At the time when I have to help someone, whether the person asks me or voluntarily, I try to help in every possible way. Either, showing them kindness, the time to listen to them and offer my hand in finishing something that they need help. In addition, to be able to help clean from a small park to almost the entire town in small events that want to renew the town. Even showing sympathy to people who need some money to eat that or something to wrap up at night. That is why I mean that I do not have a favorite way of helping someone, helping is helping no more and no less.

The little things in life, that makes me happy. Spending some time with the family, remembering sweet moments with friends, having a good laugh, being calm doing what you like, hearing that favorite song, walking outside with the wind playing with your hair even trying that dish you like. I am a person who overthinking about things like knowing that the future holds for me that makes me forget the present, which I regret when in the blink of an eye it is night again. Therefore, these little things that go unnoticed by people or that really do not pay attention to them with the thought that it will be that tomorrow makes finding happiness more difficult for one. So, for me those things so insignificant for others for me it is something wonderful that it is not known if it will be there tomorrow so I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.

For me the act of giving is an act of selflessness that people do with sincerity and kindness from the bottom of their hearts without expecting something in return when helping someone. For this reason, giving is important to me, it is something, rather, a feeling of warmth that leaves you feeling better as a person and helps to improve the community. That is why, right now, especially in these complicated times of the pandemic in these last two years, it is important to be selfless and give support to the people who really need it at this time. Although, when someone does the act of giving to me, I cannot help but feel happy and deeply appreciate their actions but I cannot be calm, I have to show that I appreciate this. So to return their act of kindness, I commonly show that I am there for that person if they need something, that I can help them whatever may be within my reach and above all that they have a person who will be there for them in the difficult times they face.

Mostly, when I listen to someone who tell me about something whether it important,small or if they just want to express themselves, I don't interrupt them and show that I am listening carefully through gestures. Also, if I want to show that I am focused on that conversation is through eye contact but also to not go overboard since a lot of eye contact can intimidate the person. Also, one of the rules I have is to listen to whether to make quick conclusions such as judging the person without having fully heard everything since the person is taking the trouble to tell me something that may be important to the person who has trusted me. tell me how to do that, that is not very nice. But just like how not to judge and jump to conclusions, it is okay to ask questions that are related to the conversation both to clarify things for us but it also shows interest along with the focus on the conversation causing the person to feel heard. In addition, for me, being able to listen means understanding the other's perspective, as well as their state of mind, emotions and helping them feel appreciated. Sometimes, in order to help someone, they simply need someone to listen to them and that they can take out everything they have stored on their chest so they can vent. Although, not only in complicated situations we can offer our attention even, in normal day-to-day things. But that little detail that we do when showing interest through aural means a lot for the person who speaks to us, although most of the time we do not realize that of what we cause, so it could be said that we unconsciously help someone.

To be honest, I have 2 passions in this life, it is both being able to help people and being able to enjoy and appreciate art. First of all, being able to help people because it means giving hope, showing that there is still kindness and compassion in this world both disastrous and diverse due to so many harmful social standards. In addition, to be able to put a smile on people's faces, that they feel that someone is listening to them and that there is someone willing to help them is a calm and warm feeling that nothing in the world would change it. Afterwards, art is a passion that I cannot completely separate since it is incredible to be able to create new things with my hands together with the endless creativity of a person as well as it is a healthy method of expressing oneself. So, I plan to bring these two passions together, if everything goes well, to help people express themselves in different healthy ways and feel safe either because of the help they want to receive or behind a canvas that expresses much more than the words themselves.

How do you aspire to have a positive impact on the world? I aspire to make a positive impact to the world by showing sympathy as well as empathy, understanding, equality and above all kindness. These are emotions and actions that we humans have largely been shown to lack over time. My words are not being exaggerated since with just listen or hearing the news about what is happening, in every abusive house there is but people do not do anything because it is not worth helping them, shootings at school there is always a reason behind the actions of the students who are the attackers, in the environment being mercilessly destroyed by the whims of humans and more things that may be happening right now all over the world by the apathy in the hearts of the people. It is something I want to change, I may be just one person against many but it does not mean that you cannot make a small difference, even brightening someone's day or listening patiently to what is happening with that person. Every single small action and do it with good faith can increase the small and even barely hope that still there and that can make a positive change in this world in small amount. So, despite everything destructive in this world I, no- we must continue to be kind since it is a strong virtue despite the fact that society sees it as something useless and weak but I know it is stronger and powerful than it seems. Furthermore, the world may not be at its best, as I said before, but among all this, good things have happened that have made a positive impact. People have been strong and dedicated in trying to make a change amid protests, social media, and even trying to find out the truth for themselves. Although, I have seen that things have become really tense and violent when that happens, even so I have noticed that that few people show understanding and kindness among themselves as if they knew that it is necessary to be so to demonstrate the change both actions and the way of express oneself. I want to help, be part of these small movements that become something big in the eyes of the worlds through a more pacifist means to reduce the genocidal ways that people continue to do today.

My parents have sacrificed things so that their families could get ahead. My father, someone who grew up in poverty, he never had the opportunity to study. Since he has told us that for as long as he can remember he, with his brothers and parents, always worked day and night in the fields. Regardless of how far away his home is, he and his father (my grandfather) went to work to get some money to feed themselves. It went on like this for a while, until his family decided to move to another place. I don't know the reason why they decided to come to live in one of the US borders in Mexico. But at least that decision he end up meeting my mother in this small town. My mother was lucky to have an education but at the age of 14/13 she had to drop out of school for personal reasons. Even so, she decided to work to get ahead to at least have some money to support my older brother. After a while my parents got together, they gave all what they could so I could been born in the USA and not in Mexico. They wanted me to have more opportunities in life compared to them. They lived for a time in the USA, after I born but they had to return to Mexico. They heard that the border policies were separating the children from the immigrant parents so they had no other option but to return. Over the years, the family grew but only two of us are legally US citizens. Currently and like the past years I have had to face some difficulties in education as a migrant. Living on a border and with parents who cannot cross, in order to study I have to cross the border that separates Mexico and the United States. Almost every day at dawn regardless of the cold or rain in the morning where I have to wait for the bus for a maximum of 45 minutes, until arriving again after a batch at school, arriving until the afternoon where almost two missing hours for darkness take over the sky. After a while I have managed to drive calmly despite the weather conditions, I have gotten used to it but there are days where the body feels exhausted by the number of hours of sleep. Although, something is sad knowing that your parents gave and risked so much that I could have what they did not have but that they cannot witness in person when me and my younger achieve something. Like when I graduated from a school in 5th they couldn't come because they couldn't cross by the law, they could only see me through videos and photos when I got home after the ceremony, and it has always been that way even today. I really want to continue studying but I have a couple of problems and that is money. Having parents currently in Mexico is not easy to get money, my father works around 8/9 hours and only manages to earn around 500 pesos (almost $ 25) per day. I want to help my family and show that if it was possible to obtain a degree in a university in the future. That their efforts were not in vain and despite the fact that if I go to study I will be far from them but I will always have them a my heart since they are my reason to continue as I and my brothers are the reason to continue for my parents. (1) What does it mean to you to get a college education? For me, being able to receive an education at school means for me a dream and a new hope in being able to have a good future dedicating yourself to doing something that you are passionate about. In addition, it is like breaking the chain of both families such as the mother and father to be the first to go further in education thanks to your support and that they believe in me. (2) Tell me about a typical day or week in your life outside of school. A typical day outside of school is a quiet day. Having the habit of getting up really early to go to school makes it difficult to sleep an hour longer than usual. Normally, after having lunch with my family, I help to clean the house even to hang the smoked clothes after a wash. If my parents have to leave the house for a moment, I have to take care of the safety of my younger siblings and of the house, being the oldest in the house I have to be there for them. In addition, I try to spend quality time with them since there are many hours being away from home during the week or I even take the opportunity to draw a new canvas to be able to relax for a while. (3) Tell me how you feed your curiosity inside and/or outside of school. It is easy to feed curiosity if most of the time you wonder about the new things that one learns as time goes by. Wondering why various things, both good and bad, is a virtue that is in humans without hesitation. Also, living in a small desert town and just following the same routine is difficult trying to not be curious, wanting to know more new things and being able to hope to experience new things in people would be amazing. The world is too big with many things inside but few opportunities to experience it so curiosity remains intact or increases more.

My vision is to be able to help people in some healthier way or at least give them options that they can do to improve the situation a bit as well as use art in some way that brings awareness to people. I have grown up listening to stories either on television such as the news, documents or the words of the people of injustices that have happened, the lack of understanding and empathy, and discrimination on the part of humans. That hurts me, it hurts me to see the lack of empathy and kindness in people that is why I want to make a change in the future, it may not be so great but being able to help someone and be able to put a smile together that this person can have more hope is enough. Although I will be direct, I had bittersweet experiences in the years that I have lived but those experiences have shaped me as I am now along with my present strengths and weaknesses. I am not perfect, I am still working on myself but at least I already know who I am and not like before in the past where people defines who I was as well as being stomped by the years of bullying being someone so emotional that my heart did not fit in my chest. But I remember drawing to help me express myself in difficult times or simply to calm myself when I did not know how to react to difficulties. That is why I plan in some future to put my visions together so that I can bring happiness, relief and hope to people in some way, I'm determined to accomplish my goal in one way or another.

It is a complicated question to answer if I have to choose which piece of art has come to inspire me the most due to the fact that in all the pieces of art I created, have left a part of myself or some meaning that I can understand for myself. But, maybe I can talk about a piece that I have recently finished, not more than a week, and I have spent a lot of time. This painting created with pure acrylic paint was inspired by fictional diseases that I got to read, a called "Stella-Auromilacria" aka "Golden Star Tears" this fictional wish is about people who are easily fooled by love in either a romantic way like platinum. A painful experience for anyone who experiences it whether it is with a partner, friend or even with your own family. Then the other disease is called "Adfectus-Flora Lacerations" aka "Heart Wounds" this disease is a body's response to healing wounds caused by deepee emotional trauma causing flowers to start bloom in the affected area. So in this part with the flowers I decided to put Sunflowers being a plant that represents loyalty as kindness, but this flower could be in the chest since they say that emotional people have so big hearts compared to their chest. Being honest, this piece has more meaning and emotion embodied in a single canvas since it can be considered as a vent art to express negative emotions and experiences in something beautiful to remember that everything is fine.

We have all been in difficult situations, some more serious than others, but a difficulty is a difficulty. I am not the exception either, I have had to face small as big challenges and one of those is something about my education. You know, originally speaking in spanish, since in my first language, and then being in an educational system in the country that its main language is in english is somewhat complicated but it increases the difficulty a little when having mild dyslexia when speaking. It took years to be able to handle dyslexia to be able to speak spanish better but as I was working on that my english was not the best. That leave me behind from the others students but that did not stop me. I was able to study english until I understand it better and be able to read it, although I am currently still working on this, but is not enough to prevent me from meeting my goals.