To be yourself or to become something in a world that is constantly trying to make you something your not is probably the hardest accomplishment in life. However, if you overcome that thought and start to truly believe in yourself it is a great accomplishment in itself. It does feel impossible to be yourself when often all you are looked at is a product of your environment. I won't allow myself to believe that. I choose to live boldly every day by not allowing anyone or anything to stop me from pursuing my dream career. It is bold to me because I don't come from a family of lawyers and judges. In fact, I come from the total opposite. I come from a family that has a history of incarceration, drugs, and violence. But I am bold because I will choose to stand in a room full of powerful people and still feel like I deserve to be there more than most of them because I worked that much harder to prove to the system that I am more than they ever thought I could become. I dedicated my entire life to pursue a dream that most will call impractical but I choose to live boldly and overcome any obstacle I face to get to call my dreams reality and remain true to my highest self as I continue my education in law.

I often get embarrassed when asked why I have such a strong passion to become a lawyer or a judge because my experiences are not who I am. Then I think to myself if it wasn't for those experiences I wouldn't be where I am today or have the dreams I want to be reality. I want to become a lawyer because I know firsthand what it feels like to be drowned in a system that was never meant to protect us. I was a ward to the court when I was sixteen years old and made out to be nothing but a juvenile delinquent. Instead of helping me learn from my mistake, the system washed me in it. So, I know firsthand what it feels like to be seen as just another minority fitting the stigma of my environment. As much as I wish that those memories never happened they molded me into someone I am proud to be today. That memory is stuck in my head forever and all it pushes me to do is to help do everything in my power to avoid it happening to anyone else, especially juveniles. This memory has impacted my life in so many ways that many will never understand unless you went through it yourself. That is why it is so important to me to pursue my dreams to help others in any way I can because I personally understand what they are going through. This did not only change a part of me it changed my entire mindset on the world and how the world sees us. It made me become a strong and dedicated woman who strives to fight for those who don't have a voice or who don't have anyone else to believe that they aren't their mistakes.

If I was a highly influential figure, the main thing I would stand for is justice and equality. It is critical to help mold this world into a better place by demonstrating and striving for everyone to be just and equal. I hope to have a positive influence on the world by working from the inside out. I want to show the world that not all those in law are crooks and cons or just out to get you. I want to make a positive impact in our justice system that will later along the line help mold the world into a better place. My dream is to create an environment where people feel safe, even in a courtroom where most feel is an unfair and injustice systematic setting. It is indeed critical that we start to make changes and honest influences from within the system so that we can make the world a better and safer place for everyone. I plan to influence positive mindsets about the justice system that most think very harsh and negative about.

Independence to me means that if there was nobody else there for you that you can still do things without the help of others. Independence means that you have the freedom to create your own life and make your own decisions no matter the background you came from or the obstacles you may face. Independence means YOU got it all on your own and you are strong enough to have no one else present. Independence is being true to yourself even if no one else is. I take pride in my independence because it separates me from the stigma that I face from people that are on the outside looking in on my journey. I definitely discovered myself more as my independence grew. I learned my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to myself and I have learned to enhance my independence in every aspect because I have nobody else that understands my position or my goals in life. I strive for independence in my everyday life because it builds strength and character. Independence also helps in times when you won't or can't have anyone around and you have to be able to stand on your own. It means you will be okay no matter what and it will help you realize who you truly are or what you want to be. But most importantly independence give you a sense of peace to seek your highest self.

Honestly, that number is not shocking to me. It is hard for people to love and encourage themselves when many compare themselves to others. I have learned that everyone goes at their own pace and one's success does not determine where another should stand in life. I found myself often shaming myself for taking so long to finish an associate's degree when others only take two years. It did lower my self-esteem but now I appreciate myself and my journey so much. I have learned to give myself self-affirmations and to turn every negative into a positive. Yeah, it may have taken me five years to finish school but I tell myself I am strong for sticking to it and never giving up. I tell myself most people would have given up by now but I keep going. No matter how many times I fail I tried again until I got it right. I am proud of myself. I feel that the most admirable and loveable thing about myself is that I am persistent and strong-minded. I know what I want in life and I won't let anyone stop me or tell me I can't do it. I can and I will and I love that about me!

I agree that education is the most powerful weapon one can use to change the world. Being educated is key to change. The more you learn and the more you are educated on the better it is to help those around you. I want to make a positive impact in our justice system that will later along the line help mold the world into a better place. This is why I worked so hard to earn an associate's degree so that I can further my education in law school. My dream is to become a lawyer, a judge, then a supreme court justice. My passion is law and my dream is to create an environment where people feel safe, even in a courtroom where most feel is an unfair and injustice systematic setting. It is indeed critical that we start to make changes from within the system so that we can make the world a better and safer place for everyone. I am passionate about leaving a positive mark on this world and I will do everything in my power to continue paving the way for dreamers like myself. I will always push my dreams into reality no matter how many times I fail. I know I can do this and I will prove that with my dedication to my education.

I felt that statement about mocking dreamers as impractical wholeheartedly. When I tell people about my dream life it is always pushed off as an unrealistic dream. I never believed that myself. If nobody else is going to believe in you, you have to believe in yourself and strive to prove them wrong. It was an unrealistic dream for me to graduate college just with an associate's degree. I did that and I am proud of myself even if it took me longer than most. I never gave up and plan to take my education even further to become closer to my dream life. My dream life is to become a lawyer, a judge, then a supreme court justice. My passion is law and my dream is to create an environment where people feel safe, even in a courtroom where most feel is an unfair and injustice systematic setting. It is indeed critical that we start to make changes from within the system so that we are able to make the world a better and safer place for everyone. My impractical dreams will one day become a reality and I will do everything in my power to continue paving the way for dreamers like myself. I will always push my dreams into reality no matter how many times I fail. I know I can do this and I will prove that with my dedication to my education.