Attending college is a dream that I never thought would come true. While that may sound cheesy or untrue, it is everything but that. My parents immigrated to this country with nothing but each other, in hopes of providing better opportunities for the family they dreamed of creating. They left everything and everyone they knew behind for me and my siblings. This is why college is my motivation for a better future, not only for me but also for my family. My hopes are that by graduating with a BA in Political Science, I will be one step closer to becoming a lawyer. After graduating from UC Berkeley, I want to become a lawyer. Finishing my education will allow me to represent and advocate for those who live underrepresented. As a minority and first-generation student, I understand how difficult it can be to live in a country where opportunities are more limited than they are for others. Our country’s system of politics has become so divided that it now seems as if the leading political party is the leader of every decision. We cannot live in a country that does not represent the people living in it. Our political system has been shaped to only allow those with elite opportunities to enter. It is a system that has closed out the perspectives of the underrepresented. Taking note that everyone lives a different life, full of different experiences, is crucial to a viable government. We are in a time where it is more important than ever to include diverse perspectives and allow them to provide answers to issues that the public faces daily. It is time to realize that there are many political leaders who live their lives with a blind eye to the many issues that surround diverse groups. This cannot continue. There is a need for change and if we don’t find a way to advocate for it, then our system will continue to deteriorate and only benefit those in power. Being an educated lawyer will give me the opportunity to fight for others so that they will have a chance, just like I did. My parents were not given the opportunity to finish school, being taken out before they could even finish elementary school, which is why I want to make sure that I take advantage of the resources I have. I want to be an advocate for other disadvantaged groups that cannot afford to seek their passions. Attending college will allow me to become successful as I strive to help other minorities while providing a better lifestyle for my family.

Attending college is a dream that I never thought would come true. While that may sound cheesy or untrue, it is everything but that. My parents immigrated to this country with nothing but each other, in hopes of providing better opportunities for the family they dreamed of creating. They left everything and everyone they knew behind for me and my siblings. My parents were not fortunate enough to finish school and because of that, they struggled immensely to make a living and raise a family of 5. I wake up everyday grateful to have grown up in a country with more opportunities and a chance at a successful future. I am a first-generation, Mexican-American, undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, studying political science. My hopes are that by graduating with a BA in Political Science, I will be one step closer to becoming a lawyer. After graduating from UC Berkeley, I want to attend law school. Finishing my education will allow me to represent and advocate for those who are underrepresented. In high school, I faced a lot of discrimination from school officials that had labeled me as a "bad kid." They never failed to mention how shocked they were that I was maintaining good grades because they always expected less of me. Once I realized how toxic this environment was, I moved schools and was able to graduate at the age of 16. However, I quickly realized that not every student who is being discriminated against has an easy way out of a bad situation like I did, which is why I want to work to end that cycle. Ever since I was old enough to understand the discrimination against minorities, I knew that I wanted to dedicate my life to ensuring equity. As a minority, I understand how difficult it can be to live in a country where opportunities are more limited than they are for others. We cannot live in a country that does not represent the people living in it. Our political system has been shaped to only allow those with elite opportunities to enter. It is a system that has closed out the perspectives of the underrepresented. Taking note that everyone lives a different life, full of different experiences, is crucial to a viable government. We are in a time where it is more important than ever to include diverse perspectives and allow them to provide answers to issues that the public faces daily. It is time to realize that there are many political leaders who live their lives with a blind eye to the many issues that surround diverse groups. This cannot continue. There is a need for change and if we don’t find a way to advocate for it, then our system will continue to deteriorate and only benefit those in power. Being an educated lawyer will give me the opportunity to fight for others so that they will have a chance, just like I did. My parents were not given the opportunity to finish school, being taken out before they could even finish elementary school, which is why I want to make sure that I take advantage of the resources I have. I want to be an advocate for other disadvantaged groups that cannot afford to seek their passions. Attending college will allow me to become successful as I strive to help other minorities while providing a better lifestyle for my family.

Life is a complicated term. There is no single definition that can explain what it means because it means something different to everyone. For some, life can be painful, and for others, it can be pure bliss. For me, life is the simple fact of existing. There is more to it, though. In my perspective, life is given so that one can leave their mark on the world. At first, it may seem that leaving a mark is impossible since there are almost 8 billion people in the world. However, every living, breathing thing deserves a chance at life. Although there are times when it seems that life is nearly impossible to endure, I push through because I remember that I still have so much to do. I want my life to count because I know that I can't take it for granted. We only get one chance at life, and because of that, I make sure to live my life the way I want to. I dedicated my life to helping others. As I study to become a lawyer, I will work hard to earn that position. As an immigration lawyer, I would help families reunite and much more. Life is already difficult on its own, and I don't believe that people should have to go through hardships without their loved ones. It brings me comfort knowing that my family is a short car ride away, but I know there are so many out there that can't say the same. I know I can't help everyone, but I want to spend the rest of my life helping those that I can because, as I said, life is short, and we only get one, so I want to make this one count.

As a first-generation student and the first in my family to graduate college, it has been extremely difficult to decide on just a single career. Although there are many career options that have stood out to me, it never seemed to be easy to just pick one. It was even more difficult knowing that my parents expected me to pick a job that would pay well because that would mean I had succeeded and made all of their efforts worth it. For my parents, a well-paying job meant that I had 'made it' because they gave everything up to provide me with the best opportunities. That pressure made it difficult to decide what my future career would be, but with the help of school counselors and guest speakers at functions/events, I decided that my dream was to become a lawyer. While I still don't know what type of law I want to study, I do know that I want to help others. I want to help others the way my parents helped me. I know that there are many other students that are going through the exact same struggles as me and I want to be in a position where I can guide those who are interested in law. As of right now, I am interested in immigration reform. I feel that being an immigration lawyer will allow me to help families in ways that I have always wanted to. I want to reunite families that have been separated and provide well-deserving people access to a country that provides nothing but opportunities.