My name is Marla Flores. I am a 24 year old, Mexican-American graduate student, and I am considered to be the 1st generation college student in my family. Growing up, my parents would tell me stories about how they lived their lives as children. Both my parents are Mexicans and immigrated to the United States when they found out that they were going to start a family. At a young age, my mom would tell me how she was the youngest sibling of 5 children and would have to wake up early to sell homemade pastries to the Pueblo before heading to school. My mother would also share how she would leave school and go from door to door asking if anyone needed laundry done in order to make money for her family. I remember one story she told me and that was when she was 13 years old. When my mom was around 13 years of age, she shared with me that she had to drop out of school, leave her family for months at a time in order to make money due to the limited opportunities for obtaining income in the same town she lived in. My mom would tell me how she would go nights without being able to sleep because she missed her mother. My mom always had the dream of finishing school to become a teacher but was never able to reach those goals because of her circumstances. My father is another story that has impacted me and how I view the importance of higher education. My father was the oldest of 7 children. Unlike my mother, my father was able to complete a Jr. High but dropped out when my grandmother became a single mother. Since my father was the eldest son of 7 children, he shared how he stopped going to school in order to support my grandmother and aunts and uncles. My grandmother would share with me how my father loved going to school compared to my aunts and uncles, but dropped out in order to support them. My father came to the states at the age of 15 in order to financially support his family. My father's dream was to become an engineer because he loved math and science. These two stories are what I have held close to my heart as I have continued to strive for higher education. I did not come from a wealthy family, but where I came from was from two hardworking parents who gave up their dreams in order to support their family. I am grateful to have the opportunity and support of my parents who have continued to push me to strive for their dreams they were never able to accomplish. Receiving a higher education is more than just the income that can be made, to me; it's about finding a career that allows me to continue reaching towards the things I am passionate about. As someone who has faced adversity in several aspects such as coming from a low-income family with two immigrant parents, being bullied for my ethnicity, growing up as a child survivor of domestic violence, facing depression and anxiety as a teenager, I have come to the realization that I desire working in the field of Mental Health which requires a higher level of education. Obtaining a higher education is not only to reach my own goals in life, but it's to make my parents proud and show the world that it is possible despite the circumstances we grew up into.

My name is Marla Flores. I am 24 years old and attending Nova Southeastern University for my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I was raised by my parents who were considered illegal immigrants at the time in a low-income community. Growing up, I have witnessed domestic violence from the age of 12 to around 17 years of age. I was the oldest child of three children, my younger sister being the middle child, and my brother being the youngest in the household. I grew up being told that I was never allowed to speak about my troubles and that I have to work hard for everything I want in life due to the way we were living. I grew up holding in a lot of anger, hurt, depression, and anxiety. Within my culture speaking about mental health was unheard of and not something to discuss to others outside the family. As young girls we were told to stay strong, never cry, and never let a man or anyone see your weak side as you then as seen as weak minded and vulnerable. I have gone through a lot of challenges growing up that allowed me to reflect on what services I wish was available for my family and myself growing up. When I had graduated with my B.S. in Human Services, I was offered a job as an assistant advocate for an all women's domestic violence shelter as a bilingual assistant advocate. I grew a passion for helping women who faced similar challenges as my mom did. I also grew a passion for encouraging self-empowerment for women and children to take control of their own destiny rather than become another statistic. I believe that in guiding women and children towards a direction of self-empowerment, self-love and respect that it can lead to an infinite amount of opportunities. I have continued to work with women who have grown up in a culture that did not allow for them to speak for themselves and have encourage finding their voice with respects of their own personal beliefs and values. The change I want to make within our society to continue to advocate towards an increased awareness in intimate partner domestic violence and children of domestic violence. My goal is to graduate with my Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and become licensed as a therapist specializing with women and children, and targeting low-income communities in order to provide the necessary mental health services needed. In today's society, women still face challenges despite the advancements made towards women's rights and equality. I want to be able to assist women to be able to make the changes needed to overcome barriers that society has placed on them.