An important life lesson I've learned is to be patient with myself when dealing with trauma, and allow myself to feel my emotions. I always considered myself a composed person with control over my thoughts and actions. All my life I was shaped to be this way, because I was told that losing control over yourself is a sign of weakness. It was not until I was sexually assaulted in January of 2021 and had to move on with life and school that I really battled with myself over the feeling of being in control. Experiencing some form of PTSD was extremely frustrating to me, because I kept thinking to myself that I needed to be stronger and stop having emotional responses to certain things. As time went on, I realized that it is completely ok to allow myself to feel broken, sad, angry, afraid. I had no control over some of the emotions and reactions I had, and still to this day don't. But being angry with myself for feeling these emotions was the root of issue, and giving myself grace has been a life-changer in how I feel about myself. I will use this lesson to continue to heal from the past and use it to prepare myself for anything life throws at me in the future. I plan to find the balance between allowing myself to be emotional in the healthiest way, and keeping my emotions in check and keeping myself composed. I plan to become more emotionally intelligent as time goes on so I can know how to best cope with any situation. This experience has made me stronger by giving me so much confidence in myself. The hearing was in May of 2022. The outcome was amazing, the defendant got 5 years in prison and mandatory registration as a sex offender, and I got a Lifetime Protective Order. I realized that I went through something horrific, and right after was able to go to the hospital alone for the exam and beg the forensic nurse to get anything and everything that could be used for evidence. I was able to go live in Europe for 5 months less than a year after it happened. While I struggled mentally, emotionally, and academically, everything paid off. Now, I feel a deep sense of pride in myself for pushing through uncertainty and a feeling of hopelessness. Now, I am working to get my life back on track. I am working to earn scholarships to make up for the financial aid I lost when my GPA dropped. I am working to take time to do the things that I am passionate about. I am taking time to educate myself about the world. I am allowing this experience to fuel my desire to work in international law enforcement, and make the world a safer and united place.

1. I deserve this scholarship because I need money to make up for all that I have to spend so I don't relapse from a lack of coffee. This scholarship can pay for my coffee expenses for about one third of the year, and that's if I only get two chocolate cream cold brews each day from Starbucks, but it's still better than nothing. Because I drink a lot of coffee, I have energy to get more things done. So basically, I am very productive. 2. One of my academic goals would be to attend at least half of my classes and try to not spend the whole time online shopping. My career goals include being the best potential trophy-wife out there. My career would then solely be focused on marrying rich and constantly looking like my presence is worth millions. It's not easy, but I'm determined. 3. The most difficult obstacle I have overcome would have to be running across the roundabout with the Arc de Triomphe in the middle in Paris, France. I almost got hit by a few cars and a motorcycle. I was not aware that there is an underground passage to get to the Arc.

I am a first generation American and college student. I have had to navigate the bureaucracy of the education system, including College Board and FAFSA, by myself. I grew up in a very white, conservative, small town where my differences to others were more apparent than my similarities. I never felt like I really fit in anywhere, and it took me a long time to embrace my unique background. Constantly throughout my childhood, politics were a reoccurring conversation in my life. Even conversations as simple as the fact that I am hispanic means I should vote for Obama were very common. At a point in my life, I began to explore the "why" behind why my fellow classmates had this thought process, and that is where the initial interest in politics began. I want to understand the political system and policies in place in order to understand how that affects the lives of American citizens. Later on in life, my interest in all things deemed "foreign" or "international" grew immensely. I had many family members traveling all over the world, and after a trip I took to Japan through the KAKEHASHI program, I knew I wanted to pursue a career with some sort of international element. This was the initial spark. After traveling all around Europe for the past 5 months, I have gained even more of an appreciation for the world's cultures and diversity. I am convinced that traveling is a passion given to me by God, a passion I can use to make a difference in the world for the better. I want to mix the two; politics, and international relations. My interest in pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice came to me in a different way. I always loved crime shows and documentaries. But it was more of a hobby to watch these and also look at cases that I thought were interesting or unsolved. This was the case until January of 2021, when I was sexually assaulted. I thought I understood how criminal cases worked, but it wasn't until I was a victim myself that I realized there is more that goes on then what a TV show teaches you. Luckily for me, justice was served in May of 2022. I decided then, that I want to pursue a minor in Criminal Justice and understand the system, and one day work to help others get justice like I did. So now, I want to mix all three concepts; politics, international relations, and criminal justice. I want to work in a career that allows me to deal with criminals on an international level. I have my eye on specifically working to deal with terrorism, sex trafficking, or organized crime. I plan to use my education to obtain criminals, gather intelligence to prevent further crimes, and shut down any organizations in place. I also plan to strengthen relations between countries that have weaker relations for the purpose of sharing information, because this would allow more countries to work together when it comes to international crime instead of the border being a barrier for effective actions to take place. But I also plan on using my Christian education to show people I'm around the values Jesus teaches us to embody. I hope that by showing those around me love, the perception of Christians, especially Christians in law enforcement or political positions, will become more positive. I want to make the world a safer and more loving place.