Being the daughter of two immigrant parents has taught me the importance of perseverance and courage. My life experiences as a member of the minority community have shaped who I am today and who I want to be in the future. Throughout my childhood, I was aware of the importance of being educated and making a better life than my parents or other family members could. My parents would use themselves as an example of what you don't want to be when you get older, yet I strive to be as strong as them when I do get older. In my heritage, I have always seen my people persevere and make something out of nothing, which has inspired me to make a difference in my community and help adults gain control of their lives by teaching Spanish and English. Allowing different cultures to better their lives by teaching them a second language has taught me many things, such as the importance of believing in your dreams and helping others achieve theirs. As I have been doing in my high school career, I hope to continue my impact and expand on it while in college and after I graduate with my bachelor's in Psychology and studio art with a minor in women, gender, and sexuality studies. Through my career in psychology, I hope to help low-income children and adults reach their highest potential by allowing them to receive the help they need. I hope to do this by creating a Non-profit organization that specializes in connecting unrepresented students and adults to therapists or counselors that can help them gain control of their mental health. Overall, I intend to continue to have a positive impact in my community as well as other communities in order to make the future a brighter environment.

My name is Sofia Hernandez, and I am from East Point, Ga, where I was born and raised. I am a senior at Tri-cities High School, where I will be graduating in May 2022. My hobbies include running, reading, gardening, cooking, and empowering others. Since 2018, I have been a part of a non-profit organization that specializes in helping Latinos find their voices in their communities. Since then, I have become aware of why and how I will make positive changes in communities before and after college. I hope to double major in psychology and Studio Art with a minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Oglethorpe University in the fall of 2022 in hopes of becoming a proficient psychologist. I hope to make a positive transformation in my community and the world as a whole while studying psychology in hopes of limiting mental health issues in low-income Latino families. Being the daughter of two hard-working immigrant parents has taught me the importance of being there for Latino communities because many times, low-income minority families lack support and help when it comes to their health. My parents have shaped who I am today and are the reason I continue to push and encourage many Latinos to get out of their comfort zones to make the world a better place for the future generations that will come by teaching how and why to vote and teaching English. I have learned to be open to different ideas, no matter how scary or difficult they may seem to be. This experience has bettered me while I was able to better my community. Through my career in STEM, I hope to create a non-profit organization that specializes in helping low-income communities from any background receive therapy and counseling because I have seen the impact non-profits have in societies, especially minority communities. Growing up in a Mexican household, I lacked emotional security because my feelings were often neglected, which later drove me to feel as if my feelings were invalid. This allowed me to see what not having a supportive environment or a psychologist public does to your mental health. This is why I am passionate about connecting others with a psychologist and one day becoming a proficient psychologist to make a better tomorrow. Altogether, I look forward to giving back to not only my community but many other low-income or unrepresented communities who lack support all around.

Since 2018 I have been a part of a non-profit organization. From 2018-2020 I created social media content for the Latino community of East Point, Hapeville, and Buford Highway about voting, COVID information, rent assistance, and other resources provided for them. This experience has helped me learn about the many disadvantages people have due to lacking bilingual skills or not knowing the primary language in their community. This is why in 2020, I joined my mother in her free Spanish and English class to prevent language barriers from keeping Latinos from missing out on opportunities. Throughout this journey, I became aware of the many challenges Latinos face due to the lack of knowledge about the resources provided by the government and other organizations. They miss out on voting, caring for their children, and the opportunity of caring for their health due to linguistic barriers and lack of communication. Throughout the two years of helping individuals become bilingual, I have grown to love teaching others. This has led me to many new opportunities and chances to connect with great and inspiring people who have inspired me to continue and grow my impact in today's society. I will forever be grateful for the life-changing opportunity teaching has given me and others around me, as well as the lessons brought to me. Altogether, I look forward to the many years ahead and the new growth along the way. I will continue to educate my community about their education, rights, and many more while expanding my impact to others outside my community to create a better environment for future generations.

Growing up in a Mexican household, I could barely talk about my emotions and trauma; this caused me to go through difficult times alone and overall made me feel unheard. I started to lack emotional balance, which caused me to become very discouraged in many aspects of my life. I overcame this by pushing myself to be okay with being alone. It took time and practice to embrace being alone. I also gained a better sense of who I want to be after high school. During this journey, I became conscious of how my education could help me support others the way I needed to be supported. This is why I choose to study psychology to help kids like me grow to become amazing young adults despite the challenges they might face in everyday life by giving them emotional security. I want to teach them that your weakness can become your strength. In today's society, several children and adults are hesitant to reach out for help due to fear, seeming weak, and many order societal myths. This causes them to experience depressive experiences and much more mental health crises alone. During my time in college studying psychology, I wish to participate in programs that benefit communities that don't have access to therapy or a supportive environment struggling with their mental health while also applying this to my future self. I recognized the importance of giving people a chance to grow and speak to someone, no matter their background. Furthermore, I look forward to achieving my goals while helping others do the same regardless of their mental health or pride because everyone deserves to be happy and heard.

Growing up in a Mexican household, I could barely talk about my emotions and trauma; this caused me to go through difficult times alone and overall made me feel unheard. I started to lack emotional balance, which caused me to become very discouraged in many aspects of my life. I overcame this by pushing myself to be okay with not having validation and vulnerability from my peers, family, and community. I began to acknowledge my thoughts which helped me grow as an individual, a daughter, and a friend by pushing me to speak up about my emotions which allowed me to communicate my feelings with my parents, which helped me understand rather than blame them. I began to accept myself for who I am a bisexual Latina woman who is no longer afraid of being different. I also became aware of the power of my voice, which has led me to help many Latinos in my community become bilingual speakers. Throughout the two years of helping individuals learn English, I have shown myself and others that helping your community is the most remarkable experience one can have. I became amused with the idea that anyone or any small action can impact someone's life tremendously. This has led me to many new opportunities and chances to connect with great and inspiring people who have motivated me to continue and grow my impact in today's society. In the future, I will be helping my community in many more ways than I do now. I would like to expand my cause in many more communities because I know that my community is not the only one that struggles with language barriers. I would also like to allow teenagers to have a safe space and someone to talk to by starting my non-profit organization which will specialize in helping low-income families who lack these crucial kinds of resources access resources like mental health facilities, rent assistance, and many more aids needed. I will bring my vision to life by applying what I learn in my psychology classes as well as my entrepreneur class which I hope to take at Agnes Scott College, supplying me with enough skills and knowledge to make a positive change in the many communities. Altogether, I look forward to creating a better environment for future generations and providing adults with the knowledge that will make many communities a more promising place.

Growing up in a Mexican household, I could barely talk about my emotions and trauma; this caused me to go through difficult times alone and overall made me feel unheard. I started to lack emotional balance, which caused me to become very discouraged in many aspects of my life. I overcame this by pushing myself to be okay with being alone. It took time and practice to embrace being alone. I also gained a better sense of who I want to be after high school. During this journey, I became conscious of how my education could help me support others the way I needed to be supported. This is why I choose to study psychology to help kids like me grow to become amazing young adults despite the challenges they might face in everyday life by giving them emotional security. I want to teach them that your weakness can become your strength. In today's society, several children and adults are hesitant to reach out for help due to fear, seeming weak, and many order societal myths. This causes them to experience depressive experiences and much more mental health crises alone. During my time in college studying psychology, I wish to participate in programs that benefit communities that don't have access to therapy or a supportive environment struggling with their mental health while also applying this to my future self. I recognized the importance of giving people a chance to grow and speak to someone, no matter their background. Furthermore, I look forward to achieving my goals while helping others do the same regardless of their mental health or pride because everyone deserves to be happy and heard.

My favorite way to help others is by teaching my community English and Spanish. I started educating others about the beauty of becoming bilingual to limit linguistic barriers when I was around fifteen. Through personal experiences, I have learned about the many obstacles communities have due to only knowing their first language. I have dedicated my Tuesday afternoons to not only help them learn English but inspiring them to continue to educate themselves. Many times the voices of Latinos go unheard due to language barriers and straightforwardly not having enough support. That is why I make it my goal to help them understand what is happening in their community while also preparing them to tackle anything life may throw at them.

As the youngest of 4 in a Mexican household, I have seen the outcome of not knowing the primary language of your community. My parents have always tried to give me the best education I could receive regardless of their limitations, which taught me the value of being educated. Through personal experiences, I have learned about the many obstacles communities have due to only knowing their first language. They taught me the importance of supporting others the way my parents needed to be supported; this helped me encourage the Latinx community to learn English to tackle the linguistic barriers in our community. I have dedicated my Tuesday afternoons to not only help them learn English but inspire them to continue to educate themselves. Many times the voices of Latinos go unheard due to language barriers and straightforwardly not having enough support. That is why I make it my goal to help them understand what is happening in their community while also preparing them to tackle anything life may throw at them. The opportunity to encourage the Latinx community to learn English has been the most transcendent experience I had in my high school years. Teaching has taught me the impact helping my community can have on me just as much as them. It has influenced me in many ways. I was not only able to leave my comfort zone but, I could also explore many possibilities without limiting my impact on what benefits me solely. I received a better understanding of the importance of being there for your community and allowing them to strive with you. I have seen the true beauty of helping others and allowing them to exceed in their community regardless of their restrictions.