I take care of my mental health by painting , reading books , practice self love and indulging in positive affirmations and well as going to the gym

A quote that has always inspired me is "If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough." This quote impacts me a lot because of my family. My mom came to the US at the age of 13 when she was pregnant with my oldest sister, she came here to purse a better life for all her children and she really did give us that. Growing up we never really had much, my mom was a single mother raising 5 kids and working three jobs just to provide us with the essentials; food, a house , and school supplies. I never really saw much of her and was mostly raised by my grandmother. I was always aware of the sacrifices my mom made just to give us a comfortable life style, I didn't used to understand that when I was smaller, but now that I am older I can learn from her bravery and dedication and always remember my powerful Mexican role model, my mom. I never had a dad, well I at least did not know him, I never felt the lack of that until I looked around and realized it was not normal. But like that quotes says if you look at what you do not have you'll never have enough. I now work my hardest and always give it my best to make sure I can make my mom proud. I was always grateful for what we had , even when it was not much and I will continue to be grateful for my mothers sacrifices until the day I can pay her back for everything she's done. My family is considered low-income, although my other siblings did not have the opportunity to go to college because my mom couldn't pay, I am dedicated to becoming the first in my family to go to college and graduate. Nothing will stop be from achieving my goals and my mom is a constant reminder to stay strong, anything is possible when you have the dedication to make it happen, when I look at what I have, I have a lot. A lot to work towards, a lot of achieve , but most importantly a lot to be grateful for, I will succeed in college and never doubt my capabilities. I come from a long generation of Mexican warrior women who have had to make it on their own. They never gave up even when it seemed hard or just downright impossible to keep moving, it runs in my blood and because of that, I know that I can, and I will.

Being a first generation student has impacted my journey towards pursing a healthcare career because the main reason I want to be in the medical field is to help my family. My mom in particular came to the US at the age of 13 and she already had her first child, she was scared and alone and gave up everything she had so that my siblings and I could have a chance at a good life. The rest of my family do not really have papers since they are latinx immigrants and sometimes fear going to the doctor because of fear or being deported or because ICE is nearby the area so they stay home and hide, not to mention the lack of money since my family falls under the low income section of society. But I feel that if I am a nurse I can help them, help to treat them and give them a better and longer overall life. They sacrificed everything to come to the US and give me a better life and with all my heart I want to pay them back and make them proud. Their good deeds never go unnoticed and always motivate me to try my hardest even when I feel that I can not. They inspire me to always put my best foot forward and remind me that I am capable of succeeding in anything I put my mind to as long as I have the dedication to achieve it . Although I am not the oldest child, I am the second to youngest out of 5. I would be the first to go to college because sadly, due to my family's low income , there was not enough money or resources for my other siblings, but because of the school I go to (Animo Pat Brown) and government aid as well as scholarships like these, I hope I will be able to have enough money to attend college and be successful in my pursuit of a nursing career. I will strive to make my family proud and always remember that if they can do it, so can I. I have always believed that success comes to those who have the dedication to reach their dreams and never give up no matter how hard the journey gets, and I have more than enough dedication to ensure that I will be successful, as well as the fact that giving up is not an option for me, Mexicans are not quitters, we work hard and get it done.