I got Diagnosed with epilepsy in January 2024. I have juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and it impacts my life in many different ways. I was 14 when I got diagnosed, I am now 17, about to be 18, still not knowing how to drive and not getting a license any time soon. The medications we try don’t seem to work long enough and it’s hard to get a job because I don’t know when I will have a seizure. This will help my education because I can focus my personal money on appointments with the neurologist and needs for my epilepsy, mean while I use the money from this scholarship to help fund my books and necessities needed for college. I intend to honor her legacy by getting a minor in psychology, as it has caught my interest because I am taking AP psychology right now. I am Mexican-Salvadorian and I will be one of the first in my family, besides my father, to get a degree in college, I plan on going to my masters in health sciences to become an obgyn, while getting a minor in psychology at the same time. Knowing Arlin also had epilepsy and wanted to study psychology makes me look up to her. I don’t know her but it feels like I do because of the same condition we have and the same interests. Living with epilepsy is hard. I have to wake up and immediately take a pill, be careful with what’s in my drinks because I haven’t have caffeine. I have to be consistent with my medication, and I can’t really have fun with my family on holidays because I have to be in bed by a certain time to get the needed amount of sleep. When I wake up from my seizure with bites all over my tongue, it’s terrible because for the rest of the week, I am struggling to eat. It’s hard to travel because of jet lag and having to consider what time I need to take my pills because of the change. I never knew how lucky I had it before I got diagnosed. I have to look at everything with a new mindset, thinking, “how will this effect my epilepsy”. It feels like my life will never be the same again and I will never has as much fun as I used to. I’m also scared that when I decide to have children, I will pass it down to them. I got my epilepsy from my grandma, and it just so happened to be me that got the epilepsy out of all her grandkids. It feels so unfair sometimes. Why did I get stuck with this. It feels like I’m targeted. I want this all to go away, but being a teenager, my body is still growing and changing and the medication might not do it because of how much I’m changing. I would do anything to go back to when I didn’t have this. It hurts and it hurts my self esteem and my mental health.