Coming from a single-parent household and being the older brother of 3 siblings, I know the feeling of constant pressure and having to mature quickly. Being a first-generation Mexican-American undergraduate student is not easy, but I knew that I would still have it easier than my mother, grandparents, and the rest of family, which is why I will always be grateful for the position I am in and the privilege to work towards my dream of becoming a primary care physician. I am thankful to my family since I did not have to leave behind my family to immigrate to another country and I have not had to work 8+ hour shifts in physically or mentally demanding jobs to provide for a family. Without my family, I would not have been able to have the foundation which enabled me to pursue higher education. I saw the struggles of my mother and how she had to balance her financial situation with making sure that my siblings and I had a roof over our heads, food to eat, and clothes. My mom did all that she could and never gave up, even when behind closed doors and behind the smiles, she was thinking about how she would be able to keep up with the bills. When I think of my mother, my grandparents, my uncles, and other community members, I think of warriors. Humility is something that my mom told me to maintain at all points in my life no matter where I go, and that characteristic is something that was ingrained within me ever since I was a child. When I started my time as an undergraduate student, I did not know what to expect due the uncharted territory. Even though it was a first time experience for me and my family that accompanied me to enter a university, I walked confidently since I was equipped with the dichos y carino from my mother and grandmother and the encouragement from my community of family and friends. However, due to not knowing what to expect as an undergraduate student, over the course of my first quarter at UC Davis, I failed my first class and I was so disappointed in myself. There was so much pressure from keeping up with my family expectations and I felt like failing my courses and getting bad grades was equivalent to failing my mother and the rest of my family. However, as time progressed, I eventually got a work-study job and became a volunteer for a student-run clinic called Knights Landing One Health Center. These experiences granted me experience and confidence in knowing that I can be successful as well as make an impact within myself and those around me. The clinic at Knights Landing has been nothing short of transformative for me. From translating for a primarily Spanish-speaking patient community to being a leader for an afterschool program for high schoolers from the area, I have been able to exercise my ability to connect with people who share my culture and values in a way that I wanted to for my family. With the scholarship, I will be able to be closer to buying a car. With this car, I will be able to lessen the burden on my mother who has to travel a total of 3 hours to pick me up after work. It will also help me with my duties as the Executive Administrator of the Knights Landing clinic, in which I will be responsible for carpooling, deliveries for the clinic, and going to the foodbank and pet food pick ups.