If I could have everyone in the world read just one book, it would be Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon Letcher. This book was the stepping stone for me to become financially literate. It follows Robert Kiyosaki as he learns financial lessons from his best friend’s dad whom he calls his “rich dad.” These lessons include the idea that the rich don’t work for money, instead they have money work for them and also the difference between a liability and an asset. He simply states that an asset makes you money and a liability takes money away from you. He then uses these lessons to contrast with his own dad whom he calls his “poor dad.” While he was well-educated and a successful teacher, he never learned the importance of financial literacy. So when he lost his job, he had nothing to fall back on and he died broke. Prior to reading this book, I had very little financial skills. Any money that I received, I spent almost instantly. It was usually on video games, action figures, or any nick-nacks that I “had” to have. Since I was very young, I never thought anything of it, I thought that my spending habits were normal. About two years ago, my mother gave me this book to help with my financial skills, and I read it from cover to cover. This book gave me a whole new perspective on money, as something that can be used as a tool, and inspired me to start saving and investing. Once I started working, every paycheck that I received went directly into a savings account. I most likely would not have gained these habits had I not read this book. I feel that if everyone were to read this book, everybody would have the foundation that they need for financial success.

To me, education means opportunity. We live in a society where more people are educated than ever before. It gives us the opportunity to succeed and have careers that are above menial jobs. Education is the best way to raise people out of poverty because it gives them the power to help themselves. It equips them with the skills they need to succeed in life. My life goal is to become a licensed architect and give people access to well-designed buildings while beautifying my community. In order to get the design skills that I require, I will need to get a degree in architecture and learn as much as I possibly can from my professors. I want to learn the theory behind design so that I can be better equipped to help my clients with their projects. I will then need to gain three years of experience at a firm before I can take my licensing exams. After I pass my exams, I can become a licensed architect and even stamp my own drawings. I will then continue to work and when the time is right, I would like to establish my own firm. I would like to build something from the ground up just as my parents have with their business. I would also like to have control of the day-to-day operations of my business and lead my team to achieve our clients’ design goals. None of this will be possible if I do not first receive my education in order to gain the skills of an architect. For as long as I can remember, I had a passion for design and buildings. When I was young, I was always building structures on Minecraft or out of Legos. I also enjoyed visiting various cities in Southern California, where I grew up, to see their architecture. A little over a year ago, I was wondering what my career goals were going to be. I decided that I wanted to be an architect, so I walked into an Architecture firm in my town to ask if they had any internships available. Thankfully, they were interested and I have worked there ever since. Being in this industry has allowed me to use my passion for design in order to make a living. I am currently a senior in High school, and I would not have gotten this internship if it were not for the education that I have received up to that point.

Music has been a huge part of my life. It can motivate me when I'm feeling tired, and it can calm me when I'm feeling down. One of my all-time favorite songs is "Reckless Love" by Cory Asbury. It reminds us of the amazing love that God has for us. The song tells us that God will always come after us and never leave us behind. The lyric "It chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the 99" is especially important to me because I was previously an agnostic. It refers to the parable of the lost sheep when Jesus told the people that a Shephard will leave his 99 other sheep to find the lost one. He will rejoice over finding the one sheep than for the other 99 who were not lost. This reminds me that God never left me even when I had doubts and he welcomed me back with open arms.

I can imagine my mother crying when the doctors told her that there was a problem with my heart, with the fear that I would not be able to live or that I would need surgery. I was born with a Ventricular Septal Defect. Thankfully, surgery was not needed, but it did require ongoing monitoring by a cardiologist. The cardiologist said that the VSD was very small, but due to its location, there was little hope that it would ever close. The main driving force in my life has been my parents and most importantly God. We continued to pray and did not give up hope that one day it would close. Every time that I went to an appointment with the cardiologist, they said that nothing had improved. But a year ago, we went to an appointment with a cardiologist in Las Vegas. He did the usual echocardiogram, but this time he said that he could no longer see the VSD. He was as surprised as we were because he too, thought that it would never close, and every single cardiologist that I went to before said that it would never close. I know that the healing that I received was from God. I have decided to dedicate my life to God. I volunteer at my church when I can, and I am actively involved with a youth group. This past year my family has had the opportunity to visit Israel and learn more about God and the holy land. Since then, my family and I have had the opportunity to speak at church about our experience and will continue to hold presentations to tell people about our experience. I am forever grateful for the healing that he has given me, and I will forever worship him for that. My parents have also been a large driving force in my life. They have been with me and encouraged me throughout every part of my life. My mother set the foundation for me to worship God. She has also prayed with me constantly for my VSD to be healed. My father is also a big part of my life from hours of Lego building, to coaching my flag football, to teaching me how to drive. Today, I am a student and an intern at an architecture firm. I plan on attending college to earn my bachelor's degree. My goal is to become a licensed architect and to have my own firm. None of this would be possible without God or my parents. My parents have encouraged me every step of the way.