I'm a first-generation Hispanic college student and an undergraduate freshman at Houston Community College. I am an active participant in many of the student organizations such as debate, Phi Theta Kappa, National Society of Student Leaders (NSLS), the Rotary club, anthropology, and philosophy to be more well-rounded in advocacy, cultures, and volunteering. I am also a student participant in my college’s LSAMP program which stands for, Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation, which helps high-achieving low-income students make their debut into research at local universities and institutions such as Rice. During this summer, I will be participating in the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program, which will take me one step further into learning more about the current science being developed to achieve sustainability and space exploration. In highschool, I was a part of my school’s MIT inventeam club and held the position of president for two years until I graduated in 2021. Before COVID, we were developing an invention proposal for a $10,000 dollar grant to create a drug dispensing device to fight the opioid epidemic in lower-income communities through the United States. Although our school didn’t earn the grant that year, another school who proposed a similar idea did and we are all so proud of them. Our club gained over twice as many members as it did in the beginning of 2019 and raised enough money to make and design our own club t-shirts using the machines at school. I was also a part of my city area’s March for Our Lives organization, which advocated for gun control after the Parkland shootings back in 2018. I was a participant of the organization during the pandemic and helped draft and send a letter concerning a local ordinance to our local senators during the George Floyd protests. It was also election season. I helped translate over 25 different documents, messages, website pages and pamphlets in Spanish to better inform the Hispanic community of Houston. The combined efforts of the MFOL Texas organizations and hundreds of other advocacy youth-groups in high schools, colleges, and universities across the state almost turned Texas blue in the primaries that year by a 5.6% margin. I'm passionate about using technology to help bridge the poverty gap in underdeveloped nations with engineering and advocacy. I always wanted to be an inventor. My favorite inventor and electrical engineer is Nikola Tesla, and yes, I know it’s pretty cliché. He's a true underdog icon but that’s not why I admire him. It's not because he's trendy with hot-shot billionaires and his exceptional ability to do calculus in his head doesn't resonate with me (or most people). He pioneered different forms of renewable energy and tried to improve the electrical infrastructure that we still use to this day. His ultimate dream was to create a clean, infinite supply of energy that was safe and free for everyone and was strongly opposed to coal power stations which emitted large amounts of greenhouse gasses and pollution. Everytime I turn on the lights at home and turn on the radio from my phone, I am reminded that this man helped pioneer the very technologies we use to this day. Everytime I watch snippets of the UN world conferences online, I remember the achievements of hundreds of dedicated men and women that made it possible to create a more sustainable world. The same people who, much like Tesla, were exceptionally dedicated to the leap of mankind, their craft as engineers, advocates, and scientists, and their love for humanity and innovation, is what I truly desire to achieve as an aspiring engineer.

Being a first generation college student and first generation American means being a pioneer of the "road of opportunities" for the rest of my family and those that follow. Both of my parents came from Mexico and immigrated to the US, looking for the opportunity to progress and achieve any dream, no matter what socioeconomic class or background. Their deep faith on the American Dream shaped my high ambitions from a young age. In my case, it meant borrowing years old AP and SAT/ACT study guides from the public library over the summers to try and learn as much as I could before having to return them while taking care of my younger sibling, helping out with chores, and my mother's small business. It meant downloading a look-a-like Ti calculator app on my phone to complete my math homework and having to skip fun trips to the mall, parties, and fast-food outings with friends and the fam. It meant having to file the yearly terror, aka the FAFSA on your own and having to meticulously check every single little box, praying that your application doesn't get lost in the mail or sent back due to an error. It also meant gawking at college tuition prices and having to translate the whole college application process with your parents over your shoulders at the dinner table. Being first gen meant searching for mentors everywhere and anywhere. Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Tiktok, attempting to trace the origin of the school's urban legend of that one kid that got admitted to 20 colleges three years ago, yup anyone who we can look up to and can guide us. Some are lucky to have college prep programs in their schools that are aimed to help low-income students get into college, but for the vast majority of us, not so much. The internet is a vast place full of resources, but it can be overwhelming to sift through all of that while dealing with mountains of homework, test prep, and extracurriculars. At some point in the college application process, (first gen or not), we all stumble upon the chic, effortlessly-preppy, east-coast college blogger gals on Youtube who would mention their takes on the college application process over their jug of iced coffee in their dorms. They would effortlessly gloss over their very accomplished resumes and poetic essays while tapping their nails on their laptops. They would mention doing cancer research at 14 was it was no biggie, while volunteering at the White House and funding an organization at 17. As much as we all admire their accomplishments and wish them all the best, there is a massive disconnect for most first-gen and low-income students. Most first-gen students have no idea those opportunities exist until junior or senior year of high school, once college applications start. Even I didn't know such opportunities were available back then and they sure would have been good to know. This disconnect on the type of opportunities available to us is huge and was definitely something I noticed while applying to college. I hope to utilize my experience with the college application process to help those who are struggling to obtain scholarships, mentorship, attention from an overworked school counselor, and strong teacher letters or recommendation by being relatable to the masses. There were time that I also struggled with keeping up with the process, and what most internet college blogs fail to capture is the actual mental load that the college application process has on student and that it's not all jugs of iced coffee, Harvard, and glamour.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said, "Patience is bitter but the fruit is sweet". Well, it's a good thing I like fruit. Patience is important to me because it allows me to achieve my goals despite the setbacks. This is how I keep a growth mindset. When I first applied to college for the class of 2025 last year, I could not afford my safety schools unless I took out costly loans. As much as I wanted to go to the University of Houston, my parents could not afford to send me. Of course I was a bit disappointed but I applied to my local community college and decided to make the best of it. I needed to push through and transfer with scholarships in two years. I have to pave the way for my younger sibling and cousins. Progress baby! There were many times during the fall and spring semester that have tested my resilience and patience. Due to COVID, most students could not get in-person classes and it was difficult to get in touch with the professor. The subject I struggled the most was with calculus. Being the first in my family to go to college and not having anyone to hold my hand with the subject, I had teach myself these topics in order to pass the class. I haven't felt this mentally beaten since my 4th year of French class. Patience and dedication to my studies and my future is what kept me going. The future I want to provide for my parents when they retire, the opportunity of a better life for myself and my little brother. I hope that when I look back at all the difficult times, it would have been worth it.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said, "Patience is bitter but the fruit is sweet". Well, it's a good thing I like fruit. Patience is important to me because it allows me to achieve my goals despite the setbacks. When I first applied to college for the class of 2025 last year, I could not afford my safety schools unless I took out costly loans. As much as I wanted to go to the University of Houston, my parents could not afford to send me. Of course I was a bit disappointed but I applied to my local community college and decided to make the best of it. I needed to push through and transfer with scholarships in two years. I have to pave the way for my younger sibling and cousins. Progress baby! There were many times during the fall and spring semester that have tested my resilience and patience. Due to COVID, most students could not get in-person classes and it was difficult to get in touch with the professor. The subject I struggled the most was with calculus. Being the first in my family to go to college and not having anyone to hold my hand with the subject, I had teach myself these topics in order to pass the class. I haven't felt this mentally beaten since my 4th year of French class. Patience and dedication to my studies and my future is what kept me going. The future I want to provide for my parents when they retire, the opportunity of a better life for myself and my little brother. I hope that when I look back at all the difficult times, it would have been worth it.