I am sure we all enjoy chocolate cake, ice cream, cookies, or candy because who doesn't? I will be the first to say these are my favorite desserts. When I indulge in one of these desserts on a hot summer night or at home binge-watching a Netflix show, I enjoy myself. Equally, I enjoy biting into a greasy Hawaiian pizza when I am out with my friends or dipping my fries in ketchup. I see these types of foods, in a way, good for us. We have the right to enjoy them because they make us happy. However, although this may be true, I love feeding my body the nutrients it needs to be at its best, a little more. My parents have always invested themselves in working out and eating smart. Due to this, I am sure it is where I get it from. I have grown up seeing them make sure they have greens on their plates and fruit bowls on our counters in the kitchen. When I was young, I never paid attention to why they would eat superfoods because when they would make me try them, I did not like them. I tried to imagine I was biting into my favorite candy bar. However, as I kept growing and being active in sports, I started to learn more about the nutritional side of being an athlete. The better I wanted to perform in my sport, the more aware I was of what I was eating. I did this because I could feel the difference between when I would eat nutritious food before a game compared to greasier and fried food. So, I really fell in love with superfoods because I am an athlete. Additionally, I fell in love with how good I felt when I ate superfoods. Some of my favorite superfoods I eat every day are leafy greens like spinach, avocado, salmon, fruit like blueberries and apples, Greek yogurt, and eggs. These foods became part of my lifestyle. When I think of it as a diet it feels like something I am forcing upon myself, but because I am so used to eating these foods as just another normal part of my day, they became part of my everyday lifestyle. I love to eat my eggs with greens like spinach or kale. Fruit can be either a snack or a side to my eggs in the morning. Avocado is a healthy fat I always enjoy with my lunch or dinner either with chicken or salmon. When I eat Greek yogurt my favorite thing to add is walnuts. I mix and match all my superfoods for whatever I feel I need to incorporate into my meal, whether for breakfast, dinner, a snack, or to fuel me for a workout. Eating superfoods is one of the best things I feel I do to stay healthy. It has so many benefits that I plan on eating them for a long time. Without superfoods, I wouldn’t perform or feel as good as I do playing my sport and living my day-to-day life.

I was born and raised in a small town called Windham in the state of Connecticut. This town is all I have known as a home, having the only time I have moved was across the street because me and my parents loved the neighborhood so much. My parents are from Hispanic descendants, my mom from Mexico and my father from Dominican Republic. I have visited both countries and they have been two places I love visiting. Especially because I love spending time with family and friends when I visit. My family and friends are very important to me, they are those who I enjoy spending my time with and who I love and support as much as I can. Although it is a small town many have never heard of, I have a great pride of being from Windham. Specifically, when it came to athletics. Athletics, especially basketball, is a great part of the person I am. So, whenever sport competitions came around competing was always something I looked forward to, representing not only my school but Windham in the proudest way possible. Even when I was younger, you could find me with all the boys running around playing tag and not worried about my hair or my clothes. However, at times because of our societal norms I would be looked at as a tomboy only because I enjoyed sports. This never discouraged me, leading me to work so hard I am now a player on the woman’s basketball team at my university. I am currently attending Western Connecticut State University where I am majoring in Justice and Law Administration with a concentration in Criminology. I am a first-generation college student, so being able to say I am attending college is something I am beyond grateful for. This is one thing I wish to do with my degree, show other students that although they may be first-generation students as well, they can achieve whatever they set their mind to. Even though I still am unsure on what specifically I want to pursue with my college degree, I know I want to make our criminal justice system a better one. Whether it is by using my intelligence to try and improve our system or help those in the system, I want to make a positive change with the knowledge I have and will go on gaining throughout my college years.