My name is Morianna Llapa. Going into the trades was something that was frowned upon my peers. They said going to a university will get me better jobs than going to a trade school. I was so discouraged at first but I knew that I wanted to go into health field and a trade school can teach me just as much or even more than a university. I learned from my mom who went to a university to be a nurse that it's not always better to go to an expensive college when a trade school is half the price and can give you the same outcome. She ended up being $80,000 in debt and currently still has $40,000 to pay off even though it has been over 16 years. My dad on the other hand went to a trade school to learn about mechanics. He barely had to pay anything due to how cheap costs were for trade school and since he was very low income he was able to get scholarships. He doesn't nearly make as much as my mom does but he isn't drowning in debt. He is able to living comfortably and save for retirement while my mom wonders when she will ever be done paying off her debt. I don't want to walk the path as everyone else and go to university. I want to prove to my peers that a college degree from anywhere is still a degree. I want to get a certificate for phlebotomy and then get a sonography degree. My goal is to help people and with a sonography degree I can use technology to help find the root cause of what is causing people pain or sickness. I currently work full time to pay for this dream I have to make it a reality. I want to have a purpose and helping people and the community is my calling.