As a low-income student, financial literacy is an important element to have in life. Transferring to an out-of-state college has been costly, as well as off-campus living and car expenses. Understanding financial literacy will allow me to achieve my education goals while setting my future up for success, and still enjoying the present day. Most individuals fantasize of a dream house, dream car and even dream vacations, and there are many ways finances can help pursue those goals, even if you aren't in the best financial situation. Educating myself in financial literacy is a strict goal of mine because it's important to understand the importance of finances and how it can help or hurt you. I practice understanding financial literacy by reading numerous financial wellness and economic books, and trusted websites. Over the summer and during winter intercession breaks, I often enroll in courses that allow me to comprehend these topics. Even though these courses are not required for my major, they are guaranteed to benefit my future and current financial situation. Finances can be confusing when you're not taught the correct or relevant information for specific or broad circumstances. Encouraging my boyfriend to enroll in financial courses is important because we both want the best future for us. I also advise him of different topics I learned so he understands brief points when he is exposed to the topics in his courses. Being an older sister means influencing younger siblings to be successful as well. My little sister, who is a freshman in college, recently moved out of our parent's house and is now required to pay rent. Occasionally, I ask how her classes are going and which courses she's enrolled in to obtain an understanding of what her priorities are. I often advise her to enroll in financial wellness courses if possible so she can become financially literate. As an older sister, it is rewarding to be able to guide my younger sibling in an educational direction where she can learn how to handle stressful financial situations she may soon have to face. I frequently encourage my friends and family to be financially literate because everyone at some point in their life, if not already, are faced with finances. This can include credit card debt, money management, investing, retirement funds, and accounting. Having the ability to access and share these resources is something I express immense gratitude for.

The characteristic I value most about myself is being a Filipino-American. I only knew 1 other Filipino in my 16 years of living/growing up in Georgia. I didn't necessarily hide who I was nor was I ashamed, but it was very hard to understand my ethnicity when I was one of the only ones. I would often underestimate myself as well, due to the lack of confidence since I had been in the minority. When I moved to San Diego in the middle of high school, it was quite a culture shock when there were more people from my cultural background. On one of my first days of school, I met another Filipino friend along with others, and I remember running home to my grandparents and raving about how I met people who were Filipino and even spoke Tagalog. With much cultural diversity in San Diego, it was easy for me to embrace who I am. Moving cross country was a difficult time in my life being that I was still in high school, however, it was the best thing for me because I became more confident in myself and learned how to embrace my cultural background. This influenced my life so positively because I've grown to appreciate my culture, and my confidence and happiness in myself have led me to push toward a successful career. I've been blessed to come from a large family from the Phillippines and for many of them to be able to gain citizenship here in the United States. I value my family and my culture so much and we are all very close. My grandparents grew up poor in the Philippines and they have taught me to be humble and grateful for everything I've been given. Growing up, all of my cousins were a little older than me, but they had much influence on how I grew up and my life choices because they were the people I connected with the most. Most of my cousins are pursuing careers in medicine, whether it's nursing or pharmacy. I've always looked up to my cousins and they always led me down a successful path. With part of their influence, I am majoring in biomedical sciences and want to pursue a career in physician assisting. Understanding what it means to be Filipino impacted my life immensely because I've been able to gain the confidence I needed to embrace who I am and lead the life I've always dreamed of.

I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to San Diego when I was 16 years old. During my entire childhood in Georgia, I only knew 1 other Filipino. When I moved to San Diego, it was quite a culture shock when there were more people from my cultural background. On one of my first days of school, I met another Filipino friend along with others, and I remember running home to my grandparents and raving about how I met people who were Filipino AND spoke Tagalog. With much cultural diversity in San Diego, it was easy for me to embrace who I am. In Georgia, I didn't necessarily hide who I was nor was I ashamed, but it was very hard to understand my ethnicity when I was one of the only ones. I would often underestimate myself as well, due to the lack of confidence I had. Moving cross country was a difficult time in my life being that I was still in high school, however, it was the best thing for me because I became more confident in myself and learned how to embrace my cultural background. This influenced my life so positively because I've grown to love my culture and my confidence and happiness in myself have led me to push toward a successful career. I've been blessed to come from a large family of Filipinos and for many of them to be able to come to the US. I value my family and my culture so much and we are all very close. Growing up, all of my cousins were a little older than me, but they had much influence on how I grew up and my life choices because they were the people I connected with the most. Most of my cousins are pursuing careers in medicine, whether it's nursing or pharmacy. I've always looked up to my cousins and they always led me down a successful path. With their influence, I am majoring in biomedical sciences and want to pursue a career in physician assisting. Being Filipino is such a blessing to me because I've been able to gain the confidence I needed and lead the life I've always dreamed of.

The year 2020 will be forever remembered as the year of the Coronavirus pandemic. It seems like everyone remembered exactly where they were when the states announced a lockdown. It was a very difficult year for most; many were out of jobs or laid off, schools and universities were moved online, and flights were canceled to the point where citizens couldn't come back to the States for months. We lost direct contact with the general public, and face-to-face interactions didn't exist anymore; in some cases, interactions weren't even possible with our families. Adapting to a new technologic reality was a difficult phase that felt like it lasted a lifetime. As everyone started to move online, students and professors were getting used to classes through zoom. Face-to-face contact was still possible as long as the camera was on, which some professors required it to and some didn't. My biology professor required ours to be on to mimic a classroom setting. On discord (a group chat app), the entire class decided it would be a great idea for each of us to hold up a "Thank You" sign for the professor to show our appreciation for her during these difficult times. A requirement for the signs had to be that it was decorated or at least some effort was put into your sign. When the day came, we all had our cameras off which she pointed out to please turn them on so she can see our "beautiful faces". One classmate made an announcement stating, "Professor, we would all love to thank you for being so kind and caring. It's been a very hard semester for all of us, but you made it easier to get through", and then advised the class to turn on their cameras. Everyone in the class held up beautifully decorated 'thank you' signs in front of the camera as she started to cry of happiness. Some classmates were crying, including myself, during this heartfelt moment. The year of the Coronavirus was a very dark, frightening time; Streets were empty, businesses were closed, and schools were vacant. Fear and panic spread throughout the world as everyone was left with questions but no one had answers. The world and our nation became polarized especially because of political parties. It was very difficult for everyone to transition to a new reality, however, we managed to do it. My class and I were grateful for our professors and everyone was well aware that we must work together in order to be successful in our classes. Showing appreciation was so rewarding and that little act of kindness went a long way for not only our professor but for everyone who participated.

When you first turn 21, it's an exciting time because you're finally legally allowed to drink alcohol. When I turned 21, I had a great time going out with friends, traveling to Vegas and taking advantage of that "forever 21" time. My best friend and I were inseparable, practically sisters, and shared many great, funny, embarrassing memories. As I got older, I realized that I didn't enjoy going out and drinking anymore, however, my best friend still found pleasure in going to bars and clubs. Before the weekend rolled around, I often told her I didn't want to go out and drink, but I would still go since she wanted to. It would get me in bad situations such as waking up the next morning feeling awful about myself and having regrets. There were many occasions when she would force me to drink when I told her I didn't want to. As time moved forward, I noticed that our relationship started to fall apart whenever I wouldn't drink. My best friend and I would constantly argue and we would point fingers back and forth. It started as one argument a month, and then one argument a week, and it turned into an argument every day. It was very upsetting to see our friendship fail because I slowly stopped drinking alcohol. After our friendship ended, I became very depressed and mourned our relationship for months but in hindsight, it was the best thing that could've happened for my health, family relationships, education and career. I believe that alcohol addiction is real, even if you're still in your early 20s, because I have indirectly experienced it with my best friend. It affected my relationship with her, and even my boyfriend because of the abuse I went through. Ever since I stopped drinking and ditched the party scene, I realized that I lost focus of my values, goals and aspirations. I was able to get back on track and strive for what I was aiming for with no other distractions. I moved out of state to my dream college where not only I can get my bachelor's, but also attend their master's program in physician assisting. My experience with alcohol addiction was very traumatizing and I still struggle with it to this day, however, I am grateful that I have moved past that time in my life. My relationship with my family, boyfriend, and friends got stronger because I am a much happier, goal-driven and confident person now.

I am originally from Atlanta, Georgia and moved to San Diego when I was 16 years old. Growing up in Georgia, I only knew 1 other Filipino in high school; in middle and elementary school I did not know any other Filipinos. When I moved to San Diego, it was quite a culture shock when there were more people from my cultural background. On one of my first days of school in San Diego, I met a Filipino friend and I remember running home to my grandparents and raving about how I met someone who was also Filipino AND spoke Tagalog. With much cultural diversity in San Diego, it was easy for me to embrace who I am. In Georgia, I didn't necessarily hide who I was nor was I ashamed, but it was very hard to understand my ethnicity when I was the only one. I would often underestimate myself as well, due to the lack of confidence I had. Moving cross country was a difficult time in my life being that I was still in high school, however, it was the best thing for me because I became more confident in myself and learned how to embrace my cultural background, even when I visit to go back and visit all my friends in Georgia. This influenced my life so positively because I've grown to love my culture and my confidence and happiness in myself have led me to push toward a successful career. In a healthcare setting, confidence and comfort are very important aspects I strive for in my patients and even myself and my colleagues. Confidence is important to me because it sets you up for success and everyone should always take pride in their work and themselves. One of my goals as a plastic surgery (or dermatology) physician assistant is for patients to be confident in themselves because a beautiful trait in every person is happiness. It will be so rewarding to be able to treat patients as they walk out the door confidently and satisfied. I also strive for comfort in a medical setting. As a medical provider, a patient's comfort is very important because it allows them to open up and feel a sense of trustworthiness. These elements are most important to me because I lacked confidence and comfort when I lived in Georgia. It wasn't until after I got out of that environment that I was able to truly embrace who I am, and my goal is to provide that for others.

I am originally from Atlanta, Georgia and moved to San Diego when I was 16 years old. Growing up in Georgia, I only knew 1 other Filipino in high school. In middle and elementary school I did not know any other Filipinos. When I moved to San Diego, it was quite a culture shock when there were more people from my cultural background. I met another Filipino friend and I remember running home to my grandparents and raving about how I met someone who was Filipino AND spoke Tagalog. With much cultural diversity in San Diego, it was easy for me to embrace who I am. In Georgia, I didn't necessarily hide who I was nor was I ashamed, but it was very hard to understand my ethnicity when I was the only one. I would often underestimate myself as well, due to the lack of confidence I had. Moving cross country was a difficult time in my life being that I was still in high school, however, it was the best thing for me because I became more confident in myself and learned how to embrace my cultural background, even when I visit go back and visit all my friends in Georgia. This influenced my life so positively because I've grown to love my culture and my confidence and happiness in myself have led me to push toward a successful career. All of my relatives moved to the United States from the Philippines to Chicago in the 1990s and early 2000s, and there are still more family members trying to gain citizenship here. I've been blessed to come from a large family of Filipinos and for many of them to be able to come to the US. I value my family and my culture so much and we are all very close. Growing up, all of my cousins were much older than me - about 5+ years older, but they had much influence on how I grew up and my life choices because they were the people I connected with the most. Most of my cousins are pursuing careers in medicine, whether it's nursing or pharmacy. I've always looked up to my cousins and they always led me down a successful path. With their influence, I am majoring in biomedical sciences and want to pursue a career in physician assisting. Being Filipino is such a blessing to me because I've been able to gain the confidence I needed and direct the life I've always dreamed of.