Life is about perspective and mine is constantly changing. The way someone lives their life and views the world is determined by the perspective that individuals have. The decisions and habits that people have is also due to perspective; in order for people to change both their decisions and habits, a change in perspective is required. My ability to rapidly change my perspective in everyday situations is what makes me unique. It took me a while to realize why people would come to me with their problems for advice or for conflict resolution when they are having a disagreement with someone. I understand now that it is because I have the ability to see multiple sides of a situation including possible solutions. This unique quality is extremely useful in order to help others. One of my favorite quotes is by Jackie Robinson: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” Using my unique ability puts me in the best position to have the largest impact on others. Living in a poor neighborhood surrounded by drugs when I was younger has some part in how I am able to view the world in various ways. When I was living there, I was with my biological father, who was heavily involved in dealing drugs and eventually went to prison. When I moved back with my mom, we lived in the suburbs, and I was put into a nice school and always had everything that I needed. Living in these two very different environments I was able to pick up on how different people behave and why. We are all different and in order to get along with those who are extremely different, it is important to understand their perspective. I make it very well known that there is always more than two sides to every story, which is probably why I attract so many people that need help solving conflicts. Even people that I do not know very well confide in me with their personal stories and background. I listen non-judgmentally and only provide advice that is warranted. We can all relate in one way or another, and it may be harder to understand others’ perspectives but it is imperative to try. Understanding others’ perspectives does not mean that I have to personally agree with them, but it does mean that I have the ability to put myself in their shoes to understand why they think or do the things that they do.

I am a first generation college student that graduated in the top 2% of my high school class, ranking 12 out of 481 students. Yet, that is not my greatest achievement to date. I got accepted into the top ranking public university in Texas, and have been able to maintain above a 3.0 GPA, but that is still not my greatest achievement to date. During my third year of college I was classified as a senior with the opportunity to graduate early, and the reason that I have decided to stay my originally planned 4 year term is related to my greatest achievement. Being a part of Longhorn Powerlifting, competing, serving and giving back to my team is my greatest achievement to date. I have been a powerlifter for almost 5 years, beginning in high school and I absolutely fell in love with the sport. Once I knew that The University of Texas at Austin had a powerlifting team, I was sold. I was recruited out of high school, and immediately felt welcomed on campus. Austin is a big city with a big university, which was overwhelming. My team helped me feel comfortable here and became my family. My freshman year I qualified for nationals during my very first collegiate competition. I did not compete at nationals however due to an injury I had sustained, along with the implications that came with COVID. My sophomore year I did not feel ready to compete, because I was still recovering and didn’t feel like I had trained enough. I was finally able to compete this year and qualified for nationals again. This time I was ready and got to travel with my team to Chicago, Illinois to compete in one of the largest powerlifting competitions hosted by USAPL. Our women’s equipped team, which I had the honor of contributing to, placed 3rd place overall. Longhorn Powerlifting has given me so much, including a community, a family, a sense of belongingness and purpose. It is only right that I give back to the team. For the 2021-2022 academic year, I served as the team’s secretary and I felt I was able to make a large impact on the team. I was then nominated as the 2022-2023 female co-president and was elected. I am extremely excited to be in a position where I can continue to make a direct positive impact on the team that has allowed me to thrive at this university. These experiences and opportunities have taught me that I cannot be satisfied by just being a part of something or achieving things for myself. I do not truly feel accomplished until I am able to give back or when my accomplishment also benefits others. In the future I want to be able to make enough money to be able to provide scholarships of my own, specifically to Little Elm Powerlifting and Longhorn Powerlifting. One of my favorite quotes that represents what I’ve learned and what I hope to achieve in the future is by Jackie Robinson: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”

I was assigned female at birth, my pronouns are she/her and my sexuality is ‘straight’ or heterosexual. I am a cisgender heterosexual woman, but not everyone has a gender identity that matches their sex assigned at birth. Not everyone follows the gender binary or the sexual identity that the majority of society expects them to. No one should have to live up to the expectations of others, whether that’s family or complete strangers. I commend everyone that lives their lives the way that they want to, despite the challenges that they face everyday. I cannot say that I understand what the LGBTQIA+ community goes through, because I do not experience what they do. But I will stand up and support them in any way that I can. The world can be a very mean and brutal place, and it is so unnecessary for all of the hate that is spread and diffused in the air. I want to contribute to the love that our world needs, to continue to showcase its beauty through the diversity of people. I do my best to educate myself on the struggles that members of the LGBTQIA+ community experience, as well as on questions that are and are not appropriate to ask. I spent a lot of time learning the difference between gender identity, gender expression, and gender attraction; everyone should understand the key differences between the three. The misunderstanding of those three ideas creates confusion and can lead to unfair judgment. One of my teammates is a part of a student organization on campus called Peers for Pride. They had a performance at the end of April with the purpose of educating the public about the dos and don’ts in professional settings while addressing members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The performance also had some helpful tips about how to support friends that are in the community when witnessing any kind of discrimination. I made sure I attended this event, because no matter how many friends or family I have in the community, I can never learn too much when it comes to supporting and defending them. Their performance was amazing and interactive. To ensure that the audience members were staying engaged the performers asked us questions in between scenes regarding the previous scene. Hearing the personal stories inspired me and I stayed after to talk with some of them. I was captivated the entire time and I believe that everyone should hear their stories. One thing I learned about my role is that I do not have to be a superhero. Sometimes just being there and having someone’s back is enough. Being an ally means learning and growing everyday.