Nyla Garcia It is an early school morning, around 6 am to 6:30 am. I wake up from sleeping on my bed, the couch to the sound of my alarm, and then proceed to wake up my younger sister. I make sure she is dressed and ready for the day while I am also getting ready. My mother is not home because she cannot be late for her 2 am shift. I make my sister breakfast, walk her to school, then walk myself to school. After school, I go to my club meetings, after I pick up my sister from her school, walk her home and then proceed to go back to my school to make it to practice on time. After practice I do some chores, maybe cook dinner if my mother is not home from her work shift, but if. If my mother is home she is already sleeping by the time I come back home. Some chores are followed by hours of studying to maintain my high honor grades. I lay back down on the couch, go to sleep, and repeat this day over and over, in a repeated cycle. On weekends I volunteer, have a varsity game, or work my part-time job so my mom can have a little more financial help. Coming from a single-parent household has shaped my educational journey significantly. Many hardships have come with it and this has only been a block in the journey but also motivated me. I want to succeed in my academic journey to end this endless cycle of struggle for not just my mother but so my younger sister does not have to go through what I did. I am currently in college as a first-generation student and worry if I can continue this education because of my financial situation and no guidance in my college journey. It may not have seemed like it but coming from a single-parent household, my mother has supported me the most in reaching my academic goals. From the situation we are in she still wants me to be in college. From working crazy work hours or giving me pep talks when I am at my lowest and feel I have no support, she reminds me she is always right there even when it does not seem like it. I would have given up if it was not for my mother. Seeing her struggle only makes me want to continue.

Nyla Garcia A song that has the most important message to me is “Pink + White” by Frank Ocean. In this song, he writes about a childhood friend who has passed. As soon as the song starts the lyrics are “That’s the way every day goes. Every time we have no control. If the sky is pink and white. If the ground is black and yellow” I think this means, as he states, we have no control over life. We can not control everything so we should not stress about it. Life is precious and it can easily slip away. He controls to repeatedly say “Glory from above”. Everything happens for a reason and enjoy the beauty of life before it is gone. Because this song is about the passing of a friend, it is upbeat which only continues the idea to not be down and be grateful, “Kiss the earth that birth you”.

Nyla Garcia It is an early school morning, around 6 am to 6:30 am. I wake up from sleeping on my bed, the couch to the sound of my alarm, and then proceed to wake up my younger sister. I make sure she is dressed and ready for the day while I am also getting ready. My mother is not home because she cannot be late for her 2 am shift. I make my sister breakfast, walk her to school, then walk myself to school. After school, I go to my club meetings, after I pick up my sister from her school, walk her home and then proceed to go back to my school to make it to practice on time. After practice I do some chores, maybe cook dinner if my mother is not home from her work shift, but if. If my mother is home she is already sleeping by the time I come back home. Some chores are followed by hours of studying to maintain my high honor grades. I lay back down on the couch, go to sleep, and repeat this day over and over, in a repeated cycle. On weekends I volunteer, have a varsity game, or work my part-time job so my mom can have a little more financial help. Coming from a single-parent household has shaped my educational journey significantly. Many hardships have come with it and this has only been a block in the journey but also motivated me. I want to succeed in my academic journey to end this endless cycle of struggle for not just my mother but so my younger sister does not have to go through what I did. I am currently in college as a first-generation student and worry if I can continue this education because of my financial situation and no guidance in my college journey. I plan on giving back to my community by starting with the students that are just like me. I want to start a mentorship program to show struggling students that they are not alone and to give their parents a little helping hand. Whether it is by guiding them with school work and how to balance everything in their life or picking up their younger siblings from school, and dropping them off at home. I do not want students with a single parent to struggle and make just make things a little easier on them.