The biggest goal that I strive to achieve in my life is that of starting my very own private practice close to my small rural hometown. Getting mental help, especially for low-income families, is very difficult these days as prices are soaring, and more money is being stripped away from these much needed facilities. I want nothing more than to contribute to my community and those who live nearby by offering the important resource that is therapy. Not only that, but by being a bilingual person myself, I will be able to extend help even to those in the Hispanic community who are not fluent in English. They are a minority who are most affected by not having this help available to them in an affordable and understandable way, and I want to help bridge that gap to make it more accessible for more people like them. I also want to contribute my own research on mental disabilities, especially Autism Spectrum Disorder, to be able to define it better, work to destigmatize it, and find better therapy methods to treat it with. My greatest motivation for this is my little brother, currently 6 years old, who was diagnosed with Level 3 Non-verbal ASD at age 3. He's been taking speech and occupational therapy ever since and takes special education classes in elementary with a group of kids who also have similar disabilities. Recently, he was also diagnosed with ADHD, due to his inability to focus on tasks for long and his hyperactiveness. Despite his disabilities, he's a very smart, caring, and happy-go-lucky kid whom I adore very much and wish nothing but the best for. Seeing how some of his teachers struggle to handle his behavior though, has made me realize that there needs to be more trained professionals around to help guide teachers and staff on the best way to educate him and others with his condition. Thus, my goal was now crystal clear. Not only do I want to become a licensed psychologist who will help those mostly in financial need, but I will also conduct and contribute my own research on mental disabilities and mentor those in caretaker positions, including local schools, on how to treat those with said disabilities. Hopefully with my work, it will also destigmatize mental health problems, at least at my local level, and people will recognize that there is more work that needs to be done to ensure that those with disabilities get treated fairly and with respect as well. There is nothing I fear more than my little brother getting pushed to the sidelines, belittled, or even hurt purely because of his disabilities, and I don't wish that on anyone else either. There's a lot of work left for me, for EVERYONE, to do to ensure we make this a better world for those with disabilities. This is my plan to make a positive impact on the world and my community.

I've had several people help me achieve many of my academic goals over the years, but none would compare to the support and encouragement I have received from my mom and my grandma. Both of them are the people I admire most in my life, both are strong women with incredible stories of perseverance, even through the toughest of times. I couldn't be more grateful for all the love and care they've both given me. Both of my parents worked to be able to provide me and my sister a good home, comfort, and our necessities. During days that neither could take care of us, my grandma would step up to babysit us, and I can say she spoiled us to the fullest extent (and still does). When I was 5, my mom was incarcerated and was unable to care for us for 3 years, and my dad was deported back to Mexico shortly after. He would pass away only two years later. That left the responsibility of raising me and my sister fully on my grandma's shoulders, who didn't have a job, wasn't fluent in English, and had very limited reading and writing skills. I look back at this era in my life in appreciation and awe of my grandma. I remember sleeping in the living room during summer Thursday nights on a small foldable bed, arguing with my sister for more space, as my grandma worked till 3 AM, making tamales and preparing other foods. We would leave every Friday morning with pots full of all kinds of tamales and platters of food to sell at local markets, stores around our town, and other small towns nearby. Thankfully, we had some great neighbors who didn't hesitate to give us a ride to wherever we needed to go. The money my grandma earned from her sales was enough to keep us well fed and dressed, even if we couldn't afford anything else other than that. She did, however, encourage me to keep focusing on my education. Of course, that was the least I could do, and I still strive to do so. As I see that she gets more and more tired everyday, I want nothing more than to see her worries washed away so she can live peacefully, and I really want to provide that for her someday. Now, the relationship with my mom has had many ups and downs, especially since she wasn't around for a part of my childhood. I was so used to my grandma, that even calling her "mom" was strange for a little while. Despite this, we have learned how to understand each other over the years, and I can admit that she has never let me down when I ask for her help or advice. In a way, she has not only been a great mom, but also an amazing best friend and confident. The greatest support regarding school has come from her, as she advised me that succeeding at school would help me be a successful adult, and I want nothing more than to pay back everything both her and my grandma have done for me. Both set goals for me to reach, like getting AB and A Honor Roll, getting homework done on time, and good behavior. Sometimes they rewarded me with some money or my favorite snack whenever affordable, but I was usually satisfied with a little praise. Honestly, it was enough to motivate me to keep going, learning and succeeding. Everything I've accomplished personally and academically, well, it's thanks to these two wonderfully hardworking people that I adore.

At the age of 12, I was diagnosed with several allergies, including but not limited to food allergies and intolerances. I had been hospitalized twice before that with severe reactions to, at the time, an unknown reason. After all the exams and questionnaires I went through, it was concluded that some of my allergies included peanuts and hazelnuts, which I had been enjoying at a local buffet's dessert bar before my hospitalization. The news actually came as a shock to me, since I was a huge fan of peanut-based foods (chocolate with peanuts, peanut brittle, pb&j sandwiches!) and I had always been perfectly fine afterwards. According to peanutallergyfacts.org, it actually isn't impossible for someone to develop allergies later in life, though sudden peanut allergies, like mine, are not as common as other types of allergies. Truly, I felt like the unluckiest person alive at the moment of my diagnosis. Ever since my diagnosis, I have become extra cautious when picking out food products and dining out at restaurants. I always have to read the labels and do research to make sure the ingredients don't include peanuts or were processed along with them. When people offer me sweets or unknown foods, I always have to ask whether they added any peanuts, hazelnuts, or other foods that I'm intolerant to. Heck, even my family overreacts when someone unknowingly tries to give me something with peanuts before I even get the chance to ask what it is! It's made me a little more paranoid than I was before. Sometimes, the memory of my hospitalization has made me feel like I have to live in a little protective bubble, just so none of my allergies affect me in any sort of way again... Other than being bummed out from not being able to enjoy a handful of my favorite foods again, and having to keep my guard up when eating unknown foods, my career choices have only been slightly stunted. I know I won't be able to work in any place that incorporates those foods into their job. Fortunately, my career choice, psychology, might be enough to keep me at a far distance from my food allergies at least. I'm aware I will have to give a heads up to any of my future co-workers and higher ups, just so they can help me avoid another unfortunate incident. If I ever achieve my ultimate goal, to open my own private practice, it will definitely have rules and regulations to make sure I, and anyone else with allergies, stay safe whenever I'm attending my own patients. I want my clinic to be a safe space for anyone who, like me, has severe allergies. By receiving this scholarship, it will help me get a little closer to achieving this goal without the stress of not being able to pay for my education. I will be able to focus on my classes more, and will be able to continue my research on how to successfully start my own clinic in the future. Maybe, it will be the key to starting a little safe haven for those with allergies, including me.

Art has evolved from a simple hobby, to something that gives me purpose, and gives me creativity. Art always had a tight grip on my heart. I admired those who could draw, either simple decorations or professionally, and I always tried to copy them whenever I had a chance. I knew I wasn't the most talented artist, nor the most creative, but that never deterred me from trying my hardest. I felt like art was a form of expression for me, no matter how others perceived my skills. In junior high, I was given the option to add art class as an extracurricular, and I was excited to join! Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed for any of the three years there, and I was placed in more advanced academic classes because teachers believed I had "great potential." Although I was grateful, it wasn't what I wanted. I could have let that get to me, I could have dropped my passion, but I was persistent! I was going to keep trying, keep drawing, and keep that passion alive! I would sketch every day on old papers and worksheet edges, learned how to blend colors with color pencils, and learned different styles. I would sketch cartoon characters, objects around my house, plants and flowers outside, and sometimes tried (and still fail) to draw realistic people. Imagine my excitement when I finally received my first sketchbook before going to high school and having art class confirmed for my freshman year, which was as fun and informative as I wished. Everything seemed to pay off in the end! Unsurprisingly, my strength lay in sketching, but I tried plenty of new media, including soft pastels, oils, watercolors, and ceramics. We always created hallway projects, and it was especially fun during December! I got some of the more complicated (yet fun) parts of the decoration process, which gave me recognition from many teachers around the school. So much, that I ended up getting called on over to work on art for them and was rewarded for it! At that time, I didn't know that soon, my art skills would be further expanded. I received my very first cell phone as a Junior, and soon, I joined multiple artist-friendly websites and apps and I discovered the vast and diverse world that was digital art. Granted, my close friend had already shown me some of her works, but I didn't know how accessible it was for everyone. It wasn't even a month before I had downloaded my very first digital art app to try it myself. Despite so many "firsts” for other media in art class, none of them made me feel it was impossible, and I learned them easily. Digital, however, felt like I was learning how to draw for the very first time again. There were so many technicalities, new rules, new tricks, and new tools, that I didn't even know where to start! Yet...I was determined again! Seeing so many positive art communities motivated me to keep learning. Today, I have figured out my favorite tools, my favorite tricks, and have settled on my very own style, which I refine constantly. I've built up my own audience, and this year I've started selling my own pieces! Although I ended up choosing something else as my main career choice, art will always be a great passion of mine. I'm positive I'll be drawing for the rest of my life. It's given me purpose, has refined my creativity, and even became a great side job. I'll always be grateful for everything it's given to me.