Hanh Nguyen; She was a loving friend, sister, daughter, but above all my mom. Seeing my mom lying in a casket at 14 changed the trajectory of my entire life. In August of 2021, I took the initiative to voice my truth, confessing that my stepfather had molested me as a child. At the time, I was staying with my older brother. After being notified by officers, my mom promised he would be removed from her home by September 15th, so I could return to a safe home. By the end of that same week, no one had heard from her. My mom was not answering any of her text messages or calls. It had dawned on me that something was not right after I called her managers and discovered that she had also not been showing up to work. Sensing a disruption in the balance of nature is an apprehensive feeling. On September 18th, my brother, Thien, found her lying face down in the guest bedroom of her own home. The discoloration in her legs had confirmed our worst fears. She had been dead for four days until she was found. Discovering that my stepdad had taken my mom’s life is my most significant adversity. It’s ironic how demanding justice for myself turned into seeking justice for my mom. No matter how much I wish it were, my mom’s death is not reversible. At first, I blamed myself. Bargaining consumed me until I realized that I could not rewrite the past and my mom’s death was completely out of my control. Losing my mom was hard, but I realized that choosing to remain in a state of suffering would have been equally as difficult. In grieving the loss of my mom, I learned to persevere and to use every ounce of pain not only as fuel for my academic integrity but also as a drive to be the best version of myself. I exemplified a commitment to my education by continuing to show up every day and maintaining a 4.0 GPA. My involvement in my community did not disappear after this tragedy either. I attended every cheer practice, performed at every game, and became involved in clubs such as the Chick-Fil-A Leadership Academy whose mission was to impact others through action. Overall, I wish to inspire devotion in others by leading by example. I hope that by providing a model of growth, discipline, and success for me, others will want to do the same for themselves. My greatest aspiration is to become a Neuroradiologist. We are only given one lifetime to live, so I want to spend my days animatedly with the utmost meaning. I plan to achieve this goal by obtaining my bachelor's degree in neuroscience and attending medical school. I believe that my purpose in life is to make a difference in society by leaving a positive impact on the lives of others. Through my endeavors to become a physician, I hope to continue my impact to make the world a better place. Tomorrow is not promised, but I will always live for today. When we pass away, we leave a legacy. I want to be remembered for my positivist influence and altruistic contributions. While my high school grades and achievements do not define me, they testify to my strength and resilience. My stepfather may have taken away my innocence and mother, but the vision I have for my future is forever mine to keep.

Whenever I walk into a nail salon, the intoxicating fumes of acetone and acrylic paints evoke a sense of nostalgia. The pungent smell of the chemicals takes me back to when my mother would bring me to work with her. On these days, I would sit and observe the labor and dedication that my mother put into her work. My mother was a hardworking Vietnamese woman who worked 12-hour shifts 6 days a week. While I wish she would have been more present in my life, my mother’s priority was to provide for her family. Because of my mother's sacrifices, I have never spent a day without a roof over my head or food on the table. However, as committed as she was to her profession, she woke up daily with disdain to cut another cuticle and paint another nail bed. During the Vietnam War, my mother immigrated to America with my aunt and grandma. All three followed the traditional path a Vietnamese immigrant woman would. Instead of exercising their free will, they viewed becoming a nail technician as the only means to survive in the United States. As rooted as it is in Vietnamese culture to become a licensed manicurist, I always held different aspirations to pursue higher education and become a doctor. My community's deeply ingrained cultural norms inspire me to go against what is commonly expected and seek my destiny. Taking AP Psychology my sophomore year of high school introduced me to an educational passion I never knew I had but intended to explore. The biological unit piqued my interest the most. During the following school year, I took advantage of my academic resources by enrolling in Biopsychology, a dual enrollment course at my local community college, that allowed me to deepen my understanding of the biological mechanisms of behavior. Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field that will allow me to pursue all of my esteemed interests which include psychology, chemistry, and biology. I view the brain as an intricate organ responsible for all of the aspects that characterize our humanity. The brain is a masterpiece. Vietnamese doctors account for 4.6 percent of all physicians in America. My goal is to increase this statistic. As an individual endeavoring to become a Neuroradiologist, I believe that pursuing a major in neuroscience will allow me to contribute my knowledge towards finding treatments for neurological disorders and the inner workings of the health industry. My commitment to the innovation of science motivates me to seek and apply my education in neuroscience for the betterment of society. By demonstrating a model of discipline and drive, I hope to empower young Vietnamese girls across the country and teach them that they are not confined to their community’s ideals. If there is a will, then there is a way.