As I stepped onto the cracked road of Santa Mesa, Manila, I looked back at the concrete structure that I called home. Little did I know that would be the last time I would see that place. It was a brief ride to the airport; however, nothing was brief about the traveling. The Philippines to Taiwan, Taiwan to Seattle, and then Seattle to Anchorage, my Mama, two cousins, two aunts, and I found ourselves in a new world. Although I wanted to enjoy my grandparents’ warm hugs who came to pick us up, I instead thought about why Papa wasn’t with us. Although it would only make sense to me later, growing up without my Papa showed me the importance of personal sacrifice. From ages four to eleven, I lived without the physical presence of my father. Despite my lack of understanding, not once in those seven years did I ever feel fatherless. My experience is not uncommon among other Filipino children whose parents made the difficult choice of leaving behind their loved ones in pursuit of work elsewhere. Despite the fact that such a decision can leave a permanent impact, I believe that my story proves that critical lessons can be learned. I cherished my old J.C. Penney clothes and the broken Hot Wheels cars in my toy bin because I knew that Papa worked tirelessly to help buy those. I also learned that sacrifice is a decision that requires the strongest wills to make, and that sacrifice looks very different between various people. I want to help Filipino-Americans become more grateful for the choices that their parents made in pursuit of a better life for them. Their struggles should be acknowledged and commended. I also want to emphasize that even the most troublesome times do not last. Obstacles are an inevitable part of life that can be used as stepping stones to achieving personal definitions of success. In the future, I want to create an organization that combines education as well as storytelling to inspire first-generation, low-income Filipino-Americans in becoming more accepting of their background and upbringing.

It was a chilly autumn morning. I walked down the hallway towards the weight room where there was a small classroom in the corner. As I shuffled past students lifting dumbbells, I peered through the classroom door and saw a woman sitting in front of a school computer. At that point, I would have never imagined that she would become one of the most influential people in my life. That day, I interviewed to become part of TRIO Upward Bound, a federally funded program aimed at helping low-income students learn more about college. As a sophomore, I knew I wanted to attend college, but I had no plan. This changed when I joined TRIO. My first year with them was so enjoyable that I helped create the TRIO Leadership Committee, a small group of dedicated and trustworthy TRIO members who wanted to play a bigger role. As a Committee member, I assisted Ms. Jess - the woman who initially interviewed me - in organizing events, writing grants, and participating in a peer mentorship initiative that I also co-designed. It filled me with joy to see underclassmen join TRIO with the ambitions I had prior to joining. Although I wanted to become part of the Committee to become more involved with a program I loved, another critical reason was to develop as a person. Growing up, the leaders I saw in the media were courageous and outspoken white men which does not describe me. Asians are stereotypically portrayed as submissive and reserved which put me in a box and limited what I could achieve. Because of that, I had trouble picturing myself as a leader. My time as a Committee member changed that entirely. Great leadership is inspiring to me because truly anyone can rise up and assume the leader role given the right circumstances. Leadership brings out the best of our abilities which exemplifies just how capable we can be as people, even if we perceive ourselves to be ordinary. Besides highlighting the strengths of people, great leadership is inspiring because it unites us all. No matter our race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or political ideologies, we can come together and set our differences aside to complete a common goal under great leadership. It is one reason why so many people, of the past and present, learn about figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for example. Being a leader is important to me because it is so crucial to finding one's self-worth. Because of my time with Trio Upward Bound, I have discovered that I can lead and be a role model for others after so many years of being convinced that people who looked like me were only meant to follow. I now understand that I can achieve whatever goal I set my mind to, and hopefully, for those who are currently doubting their abilities, they can discover their inner leader soon.

Equity in obtaining higher education for low-income, first-generation students is a massive issue that is not garnering nearly enough attention as it deserves. As someone who identifies as being both a low-income and a first-generation college student, I strive to participate in programs that aid this marginalized group. These include working with TRIO Upward Bound as well as Matriculate. As a high schooler, I was a member of my high school's TRIO Upward Bound. After I graduated high school, I worked with that same program as a summer session teacher's assistant for its college preparation course and as a mentor for the upperclassmen members. I have been working with this amazing program for the last two summers, and I intend on working with them again in the future. It brings me such genuine joy seeing my students succeed and getting into college because it is a ginormous step in breaking the cycle of poor wages, higher poverty rates, and lower standards of living that tragically plagues low-income students who do not go to college. I also am an Advising Fellow for my university's Matriculate program. I am partnered with two low-income, first-generation students who I mentor and guide through the college application, scholarship, and financial aid processes respectively. It is very similar to TRIO Upward Bound in that they both have the main goal of catering to the needs of bright and talented students who do not have the luxuries that wealthier students have. My contributions in getting rid of the epidemic that terrorizes low-income, first-generation students is my positive impact on the world. Perhaps my efforts are small in its effect, but I strive for the day that my work in bringing equity in obtaining higher education can be seen on a national or international scale.

Growing up, my family was never financially wealthy. Both of my parents worked - and currently still work - at Walmart and Home Depot respectively which is a honest living but is far from obtaining riches. Given our financial situation, my parents were always frugal and were very disciplined in saving whenever they got their salaries. I watched all of this first hand, and the value of saving has been deeply ingrained into me as I continue to get older and become more and more acquainted with earning money. I wholeheartedly believe that saving money is one of the most important financial lessons one can learn. It is unbelievably easy to spend too much money especially once you first get a solid job that pays a decent wage. Once I first get a true paycheck (i.e. not one that's from some part time or work study job), I plan on saving 75% of it if possible and using the other 25% for necessary spending and investing. Given enough saving up, hopefully I can use it for my kid's education or perhaps traveling expenses for the family. Having the ability to save money is also a valuable skill that can branch off into more general areas in live such as being responsible and disciplined as a person. That is why saving money is truly a very important lesson that one should learn as early as possible.

1. As a sheltered and overly-spoiled son of two billionaire parents, I deserve this $1,200 as compensation. I could be shopping for designer clothes at Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles or partying in a multi-million dollar condo in Miami, and yet, here I am using MY valuable time to apply to this scholarship. The least you could do is give the money to me. 2. I want to cure cancer, but not because I want to help people, but because I want to monopolize it and make a ton of money regardless of peoples' well-beings. It's really not that far from what the American healthcare system is like now if you think about it. The countless amount of attention I would be getting for being the scientist who discovers the cure is a nice cherry on top as well. 3. Yesterday, instead of having my chauffeur pick me up from the country club in my dad's chrome Bugatti Veyron, he picked me up in the all black Lamborghini Aventador. I have never felt so cheap in my life. I really had to sit there and endure all of my friends laughing at me for being poor. Worst. Day. Ever.