Anxiety can feel and show up differently in everyone. Growing up, I did not understand why I always had chest pains, trouble breathing, and other anxiety symptoms. It was not until the age of 26 that I got diagnosed with generalized anxiety. All the years of worry and confusion I dealt with almost daily finally made some sense. Throughout my life, it was always difficult to deal with certain situations due to my anxiety. My anxiety brought me fear, discomfort, and overthinking in many situations, especially stressful situations. Not knowing that what I had was anxiety and not having adequate coping skills and self-regulation techniques affected me a lot growing up. I was unable to regulate my nervous system, and due to that, I had many anxiety attacks. Luckily, now I am taking medication to help manage my anxiety daily. Going to therapy and learning about what anxiety looks like and feels like has helped me understand myself and my body better. I still have some difficulty focusing on school and work-related tasks because anxiety can cause brain fog and a lack of concentration. From time to time, I still get the physical symptoms of anxiety, which are chest pain and feeling nauseous. Now I can acknowledge it and do something to regulate myself from having an anxiety attack. Some days are easier than others because my anxiety will sometimes take over my day, but with the tools I have learned, I’ve been able to control it better. Pursuing a college degree is important because I am a first-generation student who wants to make my parents and myself proud. I am pursuing my master's degree in social work to help my community..As a social worker, my goal is to obtain my license to provide psychotherapy services to individuals who struggle with mental illness and victims of sexual abuse. I aim to support them in processing these traumatic experiences. I want to create a safe environment where people can share their experiences, regardless of their magnitude. By offering this support, I hope to help them become mentally and emotionally healthier individuals, enabling them to succeed. As an immigrant, it is an honor to get a higher education to break the stigma of being an immigrant in the United States. Becoming a therapist will be the beginning of my career, I want to open my private practice and be my own boss. Pursuing a higher education will open up more doors for my career goals and aspirations.

I am a first-generation immigrant who graduated with my bachelor's degree from California State University, Northridge. Being the first in my family to obtain a degree is a privilege. It is a privilege because I represent the resilient and hardworking immigrants who find a way, no matter what it takes, to make ends meet to provide for their families. I am a product of two immigrant parents who sacrificed their lives to give me a better life. Parents who sacrificed their dreams so that my sisters and I could live out ours. Despite all the obstacles and challenges I’ve faced due to my legal status, I will pursue my master’s degree in social work at San Jose State University. As a social worker, my goal is to obtain my license to provide psychotherapy services to individuals who struggle with mental illness and have faced medical illness. I aim to support them in processing these traumatic experiences. I want to create a safe environment where people can share their experiences, regardless of their magnitude. By offering this support, I hope to help them become mentally and emotionally healthier individuals, enabling them to succeed. Working in mental health and experiencing my own lived experiences, I understand the impact cancer and other traumatic experiences can have on a person's mental health. My mother was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in April of 2022. For many months, my mother complained of not feeling like herself and having a ball in her neck but was not getting any answers from doctors. She went to many doctors' appointments to have exams and was misdiagnosed every time. The frustration and worries grew more for her and our family. Not knowing what was wrong truly affected my mother’s mental health because she felt defeated and weak. After countless tests, I received a phone call from my father telling me my mother had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The feeling that came after those words is indescribable. My whole world turned upside down with tears rolling down my cheeks, and my chest quickly tightened. After receiving the devastating news, I quickly drove home to be with my mother and family. I understood what was going on because I was old enough, but my little sister was only 11 years old. Watching my mother break down at the thought of having to tell her broke me inside, but I had to keep a strong face for my mother. Unfortunately, my little sister found out through someone else, and it was not the way we wanted her to find out such delicate news. The confusion and worry in her eyes were heartbreaking to see. Being the older sister and one of the oldest daughters, I had to appear strong in front of my mother and family, but behind closed doors, I quietly broke down. After months of waiting, my mother had surgery to remove her tumor and continued with radiation for months. Her slow recovery was overwhelming for everyone because she could not speak for some time. To this day, my mother does not sound the same and is constantly worried about her health. Her diagnosis and healing journey impacted our family in many ways, especially mentally. My mother, like many cancer survivors, is left with relief and fear. Cancer was and is a scary disease that brings so much fear, sadness, and worry to families. I hope to bring my own experience into the mental health space to support individuals with cancer and other medical illnesses to help them process and overcome the emotions they encounter.

My experiences have taught me to be understanding, compassionate, and determined and to work hard for my goals and aspirations. At six years old, I migrated to the United States for a better life, like most people. At such a young age, there was no way I could begin to understand the challenges I would face on my journey to the U.S. The month-long journey consisted of crossing the Rio Grande, boarding a cargo train, walking countless miles, and being detained at the border in the same cages you might have seen or heard about in the news. These large metal cage-like enclosures were filled with people sitting on concrete with only a piece of aluminum to cover us from the cold. It was an experience I would not wish on anyone, but this experience allowed me to become strong and grow as an individual as I got older. For many years, I felt a lack of belonging and acceptance. However, everything changed on June 12, 2012. 44th President of the United States enacted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act, commonly known as DACA. The years of fear and hiding felt like something I could finally leave behind. It felt like I finally had permission to dream big and no longer had to dim my light. DACA protected me from deportation; I could continue my education and start working. The sense of relief would vanish rather quickly. By 2017, approximately 600,000 individuals under the DACA program faced significant challenges when the current presidential administration stopped the program, preventing us from renewing a critical pathway to a better life. I remember feeling hopeless and scared all over again. Thankfully, a miracle happened: DACA was reinstated. I could breathe again. I could work, continue my education, and fulfill my goal of becoming the first-generation immigrant in my family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. Having spent many years without a voice deeply inspired me to advocate for those facing injustice and those without the opportunities to raise their voices. Being a young girl who suffered in silence instilled a strength in me that is best shown through helping others. I work in the mental health field and serve low-income and diverse communities. Working with youth has always been a passion of mine, therefore, I decided to continue my education to obtain my master's in social work. I was accepted to the master’s program of social work at San Jose State Unversity. As a social worker, my goal is to obtain my license to provide psychotherapy services to individuals who struggle with mental illness and victims of sexual abuse. I aim to support them in processing these traumatic experiences. I want to create a safe environment where people can share their experiences, regardless of their magnitude. By offering this support, I hope to help them become mentally and emotionally healthier individuals, enabling them to succeed. Throughout my life, I have experienced hardships that have shaped me into the strong woman I am today. I have done my work to overcome the challenges I have faced throughout my life by going to therapy and learning how to better manage my day-to-day life. I hope to help families the same way others have helped me throughout my life. Being an immigrant, a minority, and a woman has not stopped me from dreaming big and fulfilling my dreams. My personal and professional experiences motivated me to pursue a career to help people like me. Immigrants, minorities, women, and other individuals from marginalized communities who are oppressed in their own homes.

About fifteen years ago, my family and I migrated from Guatemala to the United States in hopes of a better life. My mother, my sister, and I attempted to come to the United States twice, and both times we were placed in immigration facilities. We were sent to a family center in Pennsylvania where my sister and I were separated from our mother, only being able to see her for certain times of the day. Being six years old, I was very attached to my mother, and not being with her was unbearable. After being there for five months, we were deported back to Guatemala. Thankfully, in the second attempt in 2006, we were able to stay in the United States with an open case after being in the ‘cages’ at the border. It was not until DACA(Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) that I felt a sense of relief from all those years living in constant fear of deportation. The hardships I have encountered throughout the years have made me stronger, knowledgeable, and a determined person. I have been able to break the stigma of being an immigrant. Coming from an immigrant family, I am a first-generation attending a university and graduating with a bachelor's degree. I need to take advantage of the opportunities I have received and make my family proud, by being the first to ever graduate from a Master’s program. I want to pursue higher education to become a Marriage and Family Therapist and provide adequate mental support to minority, low-income, and marginalized communities. I would like to advocate for more mental health services for individuals suffering from mental illness in my Hispanic community and any community necessary. Unfortunately, being an immigrant has pushed back my dreams due to my financial status. I had to decline my admission to a master's program because I am not able to get student loans because I am not a U.S. citizen, therefore I have to find ways to pay for a future program. It is unfortunate but I believe with hard work and dedication I will be able to achieve my dreams.

It was not until I witnessed my older sister struggle with depression that I realized what I was passionate about. Her depression brought up a lot of miscommunication and conflicts within her relationship with our parents. One day, in particular, she was crying and said that she was tired of feeling alone and not receiving support from our parents. I felt helpless, you could hear the frustration and sadness in her voice, however, I had no control over that situation. A few days later, my parents and sister went to therapy and continued therapy for a few months. I saw the difference in her attitude and self-esteem, she appeared to be happier the more she went to therapy. Now, I am pursuing a career in Marriage and Family Therapy because I want to help individuals like my sister overcome mental and emotional disorders to improve their well-being. Throughout the years, I have had the opportunity to work with children of different age groups and diverse backgrounds. Working in an after-school program I have witnessed students overcome struggles in their life and develop skills that have helped them persevere. The majority of students attending this school need extra emotional, academic, and guidance support. Due to the high demand for emotional support, I have observed marriage and family therapists, counselors, and social works work closely with these children. Being part of the support and guidance for students is another reason I want to become a Marriage and Family Therapist. I would be able to gain the necessary skills to help individuals overcome obstacles in their life and be an asset to the community to overturn the negative effects of mental illness. As I move forward into my Master's program in Marriage and Family Therapy, I want to gain more knowledge on how to properly deal with mental disorders and the proper ways to speak to individuals to learn them overcome traumas in their life. Being Hispanic and an immigrant, I want to be a voice for individuals in marginalized groups to facilitate their access to mental health services. Learning about issues of oppression and diversity will allow me to be educated on how to deal with different circumstances when working with diverse communities. Most importantly, it will allow me to learn about how I can create a safe and encouraging environment for individuals to identify their strengths to obtain a better life. It will allow me to achieve my goals of becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist.

Coming from a low-income family, money was always an issue. Although my parents have always worked extremely hard to provide for my sisters and me, we have faced challenging times due to money. If money was not an issue, there would be so many things I would do. First, I would start by visiting my family back in Guatemala, who I have not seen since I arrived in the United States in 2006. I would travel all around Guatemala to learn more about my country and where I come from since I came to the United States at a very young age. After doing that, I would travel to other parts of the world to learn more about their culture and traditions. Even though traveling is something I would love to do, I would want to earn my Master's Degree without being in debt. The university I got accepted to is the University of Southern California for a master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. I want to take the time to get this degree because I want to help other individuals suffering from mental illness. After graduating with my Master's I would go to low-income communities in different countries to help communities build better houses and schools for children and families. I would love to provide the necessary supplies needed to survive, such as food, water, clean clothes, and shoes. If I was fortunate enough to be wealthy, I would love to help others because I think it is important to empower others and help others overcome adversities.

Sef-love has changed my perspective on how I view my life, relationships with others, and the goals I have set for myself. Although the self-love journey has been difficult, it has been rewarding and satisfying to see how far I have become. Throughout my teen years, self-love was not something I prioritized and I also had a hard time accepting myself. All this resulted in doubting myself and being negative towards others around me. It was not until I started college that I realized that self-love was essential for my growth and wellbeing. Of course, I am not fully where I want to be with my self-love but I have made enormous progress within myself and my self-love. Learning more about myself and loving myself for who I am has helped me become more confident and have a better attitude towards life and relationships. My relationships with family and friends have improved because I can understand my needs and the needs of others. I am more aware of the people I have around me because I have learned that negative people do not help me persevere or help me with my growth of self-love. In the past, I was not happy being on my own but currently, I am starting to enjoy and appreciate being alone. Through this journey, I have learned that being alone and focusing on my goals and dreams is a form of self-love and self-improvement. I aspire to be the best version of myself, mentally, physically, and emotionally and continuing to love myself and accept myself.