Immigration is human nature A movement made by those who carry their hopes and dreams Self-reliant stream of hope that lights up the darkness Yet it is also dangerous It is a path that can mean either life or death I am the first in my family to be from the United States and the first in my family to go to school in one of the most unorthodox ways imaginable. I hitchhiked from Southern Maryland to Bethlehem PA. A trip that should have lasted 5 hours, lasted almost 15 hours. I left the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) before the sun rose and spent fifteen hours hitchhiking across state lines to get an education. Since I could not depend on the financial support, and college being my choice, I chose to get an education regardless of the risk. Jumping from car to car and walking through highways and woods wherever there was no pedestrian path. This is what being a first generation student means to me. It means the ability to create a story that no one in your family has ever experienced before, paving a path for those who come after you. Back then, I did not have a clear purpose but instead solely seeking to be able to live my life as I wanted and not the life that was decided for me because I was the child of immigrants. I have faced challenges that have created a collection of stories that can only be describe as perseverance under the struggles placed by society. It was through the obstacles that I decided on my career path of obtaining a JD to advocate for civil rights. A path I am currently pursuing by gaining experience as a immigration law paralegal. I have faced discrimination and witness the deportation of members of my predominantly immigrant community as a kid. Presently, I have nearly been deported thirty seven times due to discrimination of whether or not I was an actual citizen. A majority being while getting an education. I have studied while being homeless due to financial dilemmas and yet still achieving in obtaining a Masters degree. Yet none of it could hurt my determination to get an education and one day become a lawyer. I want to be able to advocate for the rights that were disregarded in my life. This in turn leads to what this scholarship would mean to me. This scholarship can help me continue my goal of becoming a lawyer in affording law school. It is an expensive endeavor and I would like to be able to focus more on my studies rather than worrying about the cost. The scholarship would mean a lot in reducing the cost of education so that I can freely apply to opportunities that focus on civil rights that usually do not provided stipends. This scholarship will give me hope.

I am original from Washington D.C. I am the first of my family to be from the United States and the first to go to college through hitchhiking. Hitchhiking has been one of the many risks that I have done to succeed in seeking out how to reach my goal. My goals have been (1) be able to determine for myself what my life may become instead of society, or specifically administrators, telling me what my life will be; and (2) practice the law: advocating for civil rights of people of low-income. My aspirations and educational pursuits was formed through administrators telling me that I will not be successful because I am the son of immigrants. This led to discrimination and confusion of where I actually belonged as I was not treated as a student, in most cases not even as a citizen of the United States. To this day, I have nearly been deported thirty-seven times. This has pushed me to take risks to seek my goals to overcome my past and prevent repetition onto others. An aspiration that led me to leave the predominantly immigrant community I called home, not by willing choice but by necessity. This mentality has led to some of the best accomplishments such as graduating with a bachelors without any student debt. I began college working several jobs as a full time first student but finished without needing to work, focusing on solely my studies. Studies not only in the United States but abroad programs on human rights laws in countries such as Nepal, Jordan, and Qatar. I have only dreamed on seeing other countries and was finally able to do so, in total several countries for human rights laws. Furthermore, I was a repeated deans list student and mentor for students entering as first years. I was proud to become an active member at college, creating a welcoming environment for all and showing students how they to can get involved in both academic and social settings. However, in my personal opinion though the achievements listed were some of the most incredible, one stands out the most. I was able to reunite with my grandmother after nearly two decades apart. This moment only strengthened my determination to become a lawyer as I witnessed how the law impacts generations. The law has the ability to bring justice but also divide families apart. For so many years, I was only able to hear my grandmother's voice better never able to hug her or see her with my own eyes. My biggest accomplishment was to be able to finally go see my grandmother after so many years. The money I will save by paying down my student loans that I accumulated will go towards preparing me for not only law school but for the loan debt I accumulated from my Master's degree. I hope to maintain, or better yet, increase good credit while ensuring as little stress as possible as I reach higher levels of education. I believe that money saved will give me hope that regardless of setbacks I may encounter from circumstances out of my control, there is still hope. I acknowledge that money in form of scholarships and grants is crucial as a result because earning an education is expensive and thus any amount, for me, should be use to decrease loan debt and place in tuition/book cost. Any remaining should be put in investments. I know what it is like to go without food, or even a roof at times, and yet still studying. This scholarship can help prevent a repeat.

Travel is a transformative experience that can teach individuals a variety of lessons in both their fields of study and life lessons. Differences, in my opinion, in cultures, perspectives, and environments can help strengthen points in an individual and reshape other points. Since D.C. I had the desire to travel after witnessing a variety of individuals visiting my home city, only hearing their descriptions of places but never seeing them myself. It can be argued that without travel, differences could be shaped in any form because we did not have first-hand experience to argue otherwise. Traveling helps to bridge different cultures, sharing ideas and ways of life, thus showing community and dissolving the idea of strangers. People from different backgrounds can now feel connected to another country. In my experience and field, travel has helped to showcase the connection between individual countries' laws and the rules of the United States. It has led to the development of international law because of experience that can be deemed crucial for partnerships and collaborations when needed. It has led to personal development in helping shape me into the individual I am today because of my experiences through my undergrad and personal opportunities to see beyond the United States. Even inside the United States, each state is unique and through experience, it can help shape a student's thoughts on what it means to be a citizen. Travel encourages critical thinking, and new methods to solve an issue because each country and each city has a different method of resolving a similar issue. In this new global economy, it is crucial to be knowledgeable about travel because it impacts work. In other words, the way one acts towards foreign companies can determine success and lack thereof and showcase an individual's abilities to a company in helping to achieve. In personal growth, travel has taught me what pathway I wish to go towards, and could help other individuals as well. None of my countries (my birth country, and the countries of my parents) are similar, each is unique in its way and has brought personal growth when I visited. I learned the difficulties in life and the beauties of life based on one's background, each factor making an impact. Impacting how an individual may be treated when visiting a country to what an individual can afford when in that country that the individual may not have afford in their own country. Life is impacted through travel, and may even affect how one chooses to view their field of work or change it.

Calculus is important in the STEM field because it helps design the framework for understanding and quantifying change. Many scientific phenomena involve rates of change, and calculus provides tools to analyze and model these changes. For example, in physics, calculus is used to describe motion, electricity, magnetism, and fluid dynamics. Furthermore, in advanced physics, calculus is an indispensable part of the field as it provides the backbone of the area. The laws of classical mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics are described using calculus-based mathematical models. Calculus has become its own form of language within the STEM field. I learned from my significant other that calculus has engineering applications as well. Engineers often require the use of calculus in the design and analysis of systems. However, each field of engineering may use calculus differently from another, which only becomes more evident in the importance of calculus in the STEM Field. Electrical engineers use calculus in circuit design, civil engineers use it in structural analysis, and mechanical engineers apply it in designing and analyzing motion and forces. Its applications are diverse and foundational to advancements in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In other fields of science, calculus has not only been crucial in academics and innovation but also in one's own well-being. In medical research and practice, calculus is used to model biological processes and analyze medical data. Pharmaceutical companies, in the process of creating new and current medicines, use calculus when researchers study the absorption and distribution of every drug in the body. Before a medication is approved to be sold to the public, calculus is used to not only create the medicine but also to test its effects and how it can be approved. Medicine has grown in part, thanks to calculus. STEM requires calculus because of the field's ability to help in a diverse array of STEM jobs. Finally, the STEM field not only is important within the STEM field in regard to physics, engineering, or medical jobs but also in daily leisure, which is also STEM. When playing a video game, calculus was involved and continues to be involved in the gaming experience. Game Development and Computer Graphics use calculus to create the video games that people enjoy. For instance, calculus is used in computer graphics and game development to simulate realistic motion, lighting, and physics. Understanding calculus, allows the developers to create visually compelling and physically accurate virtual environments the consumers enjoy. Calculus is an important part of the STEM field for not only its impact in the innovations and research world but also its impact on the daily life of people not in STEM too.

If I could choose, the squad I would form would consist of Eleven, Dustin Henderson, and Jim Hopper. The reason I choose Eleven is because of her powers and her knowledge/ experience with the government secrets of the other side. Eleven is the strongest of the group of children that the government experimented on and was able to escape. Eleven could have simply left everything behind and not gotten involved anymore with anything involving the heinous acts of the government without any judgment. Her character portrays a trustworthy and strong member who wants to make a difference, caring about those around her instead of solely her own well-being. Dustin Henderson is the second member because of his character. He was the first to meet and help Eleven by providing her refuge at his place. Although he has no authority or power, Dustin has a strong trait that is crucial to a squad, hope. He had hope that those around him were safe, he viewed them as friends regardless of what happened because, at the end of the day, friendship stands. He cares for his friends and seeks to help, regardless of his own strength, he finds a way to help. His character makes him trustworthy and I know through such acts that he can bridge the team through calm and harsh waters. Lastly Jim Hopper, in the start is seen as just a regular police officer with a tortured past. However, through his curiosity and desire to help, he becomes a strong member of the team. Jim could have left the ruckus and assumed that people were just going crazy or that people were simply leaving the city, not disappearing, but he chose to act. He chose to go beyond his line of duty and thus I know, in the squad, he will not abandon seeking the truth.

I resonate most with Michael Scott. He once said, "sometimes I'll start a sentence and I don't even know where it's going. I just hope I find it along the way". To me, that quote describes my entire life. I rarely have a plan on what to do, I simply go with the flow and see where life ends up. For example, when I was accepted to my undergraduate I did not know how I would arrive from Maryland to Pennsylvania. Especially as I have never been outside of the Washington Metropolitan Area. I began the trip to college without knowing the exact method of travel but I arrived safely. I resonate with Michael Scott cause we both just let life flow whether calmly or like Niagara Falls. The show shaped my sense of the workplace by portraying that all jobs were environmentally fun. It was one of the first series that taught me about U.S. culture, at one point I assumed everyone had a cat in their work cabinet. At times worried such as making a fake fire scene for practice, I thought I would fail the test immediately. Overall, the series shaped my sense of humor by being myself, although it means at times being clueless. The Office made each day memorable and that is how I wish to make each day, finding something to laugh about.

My favorite game to play in co-op mode is Super Mario Party. Prior to any Nintendo games, my cousins and I used to go outside whether it be 'rain or shine', and play soccer. When my oldest cousin bought a Nintendo system it was a spectacle to see, not even playing any video games, just witnessing the box. The moment we saw the box reminded me how much technology has changed as each new innovation was a spectacle to behold. Seeing the Nintendo Box was a spectacle to behold and something that would provide a fun alternative when there is a storm. Super Mario Party was the first game that I, or any of my cousins, played on the Nintendo. It is memorable because it was with family, creating a strong bond as each person was learning how to work a Nintendo. At one point, my cousins and I planned on going to GameStop for a form of lecture to learn about Super Mario Party, preferably in Spanish. This hectic spur on learning about Nintendo to know how to play Super Mario Party is what makes the game memorable. It was the curiosity and creativity to try to travel to a GameStop, without none of the cousins knowing how to drive, that makes this game my favorite one.

Mental health is a critical aspect of overall well-being and can significantly impact a person's thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships. For many individuals, mental health challenges can be as impactful as physical health issues, if not more. For me, it has truly impacted me this semester which is the first that I officially became a law student. My first semester of law school was not only stressful because of wanting to achieve academically, but also reminding myself of what I am studying for. I hit rock bottom by living a period of time under a bridge and walking to and from the institution to my next resting place due to financial issues. It was a bigger struggle studying while attempting to have food and a safe place to reside until I recover financially. Studying became more difficult and made me question whether or not I should continue my higher education or I should halt while I could ensure my health. This was my rock bottom that tested my mental health. My mental health was impacted in the small space between undergrad and grad school. When I began undergrad I had to work several jobs to make ends meet and felt I achieved when I graduated through my hard work. However, once I arrived at grad school, all my work faded faster than the time spent creating it. I was left with none of my savings, as it began to freeze. I questioned the reason why I was traveling to class in the situation that I was in. Yet, something kept me motivated to keep going and gain stronger mental health. Being farther away from family, and not having the courage to tell them about the dire situation I was in, I fell in despair. It was only the thought of returning back home that gave me the courage to study as much as possible. It gave me the strength to ensure my mental health, and am near to succeeding on that goal, of returning back to my home city. Return to my family and significant other I used my past experience of being questioned about my US citizenship and hours of hard labor from my undergrad, to remind me of what I have gone through. If I was able to graduate undergrad through hard work and academic struggles due to being the first in my family to go to college, I can succeed with this new obstacle. This is my encouragement that helps to strengthen my mental health.

Recovery is synonymous with hope—a belief that no matter how dire the circumstances may be, there is always the possibility of renewal and growth. It requires perseverance, courage, and a willingness to confront difficult truths. It is an ongoing process that requires patience and dedication, but the rewards are immeasurable. I have seen myself recovering from living on the bare minimum, waiting for the chance to recover and keep on studying. Recovery also extends to the environment and the planet we inhabit. Our world faces numerous ecological crises, from climate change to environmental degradation. The concept of recovery in this context involves adopting sustainable practices, regenerating damaged ecosystems, and finding innovative solutions to preserve and protect our natural resources. As I reflect on the concept of recovery, I see it as an opportunity for personal growth and societal progress. In my own life, I have witnessed the transformative power of recovery as I faced and conquered challenges. Whether overcoming academic hurdles, adapting to new environments, or dealing with personal setbacks, the process of recovery has taught me valuable lessons about resilience, self-awareness, and the importance of seeking support from others.

Because of the Practical Applications. Mathematics, in my opinion, has extensive applications in various fields, including science, engineering, finance, and computer science. Though limited in my current field of law compared to other fields, mathematics is still present in reasoning and argumentation which often relies on logical and analytical thinking that possesses a mathematical concept. I strongly believe that quantitative skills and an understanding of basic mathematical principles can be valuable for lawyers and legal professionals. In statistical evidence, or complex legal scenarios that involve numerical analysis, mathematics helps to provide clients with concrete information to let them make the best choice for their cases. There are many other moments to apply mathematical concepts to real-world problems, as it allows people to see the practical implications and usefulness of mathematics. In studying, not practicing law, mathematics is helping in my spending throughout my undergrad and graduate studies. With the cost of higher education, mathematics helps me to know the exact amount of available spending I have after cutting for rent, food, etc. Mathematics is helping me now, as well as beyond, to prepare for a future where I am financially stable and debt-free. These are the reasons why I love math.

I am a first-generation U.S. citizen and college student from Washington D.C. I left my home at 6 am to get a higher education without even knowing how to get to the college I was accepted into or how to pay for the education. No one in my immediate family knew that I was accepted or left because I was worried that the acceptance might have been false, and I did not want to give my family false hope. I sought to travel alone to ensure that I was actually accepted, and was grateful when I confirmed that I was accepted. My parents have not assisted my higher education financially due to current financial woes thus I took it upon myself to carry on individually. I hitchhiked and bused through states until arriving at the institution and worked tirelessly as a full-time student and worker. In my first year alone I worked as a painter, landscaper, secretary, manual labor, etc. to make ends meet. My situation improved year by year through networking til I got a stable circumstance that allowed me to simply study with ease, knowing my finances were in order. I encouraged myself to keep moving forward, reminding myself of the end goal of graduating from law school. The goal of helping people, indigenous and immigrants, whose rights are trampled. Having left their respective home country, seeking a better life in this country but without awareness of where to begin and whether returning home is an actual option. I want to help. I graduated from undergrad and went on to law school. However, financial woes arose once more and I was left, for a while, without housing but with the passion to study. I was farther away from family because I chose to save money for one year before transferring to another institution to continue my law studies. I walked an hour and a half to and from the institution, even when I got a place to reside. I sought work, such as an undergrad, to continue to make ends meet in reaching my end goal of becoming a lawyer. Currently, I seek to transfer institutions to be closer to my family, to find work, and to have easier access to my institution This scholarship will help me begin the process of paying off my student debt and allow me to focus more on education rather than how to afford it. This scholarship will also provide encouragement that my dream is supported.

My family is what matter most to me. The definition of family for me is those, biological or non-biologically related, who encouraged one another and stuck by one another in the most difficult of moments. For me, this would not only include my parents and siblings but the members of my home community. My home community was the one place where I felt like I belonged in a city that saw me as a 'street rat'. The surrounding city called me 'a street rat' due to my living situation and due to my background as the son of immigrants. I was mistreated and began to believe that I did not belong in the U.S. although I was born in D.C. My home, gave me hope that I was not alone, that I had somewhere that I could call my home and would not be treated any differently from any other person. For me, having a place to call home with family, even if not biologically related, matters the most. The members of my community did not have to help raise me but did so, believing I had a future contrary to my school at the time did not have hope in a future for me. I had hoped to have my home community for years but was lost due to deportations. I moved to another city which I argue protected my parents. To me, the thought of losing any more of my family frightened me to the point I sought an education. At first, to reunite with my family in Latin America after nearly two decades apart. Education would later change as the ability to protect my family and as a means of preventing what occurred at my home from occurring again. The most valuable insight I have learned from the law school process is to not stick to solely one pathway, but rather search for opportunities throughout. When applying to colleges I sought any institutions that had the degree I was seeking because I was aware of the restrictions on my finances. Also, the thought that transferring is an option, and being you, be open to studying at a different region in the U.S. that I may not be familiar with. The insight has helped in the transition to law school as I plan to transfer institutions, and offered hope for my education and my finances. The insight also presents encouragement onto searching for opportunities beyond solely what I could do during the summer. Not being bound by the notion that solely cause I am a first-year law student, there are restrictions on what I can and cannot do. If the opportunities are not present, and they were not, for first-year students then it is the encouragement oneself to create the opportunities. Recently, I have found an opportunity to gain legal experience during the semester because of networking and asking, strangers (alumni, 2Ls/3Ls, etc.) what can I start doing to build my legal resume. The insight helped in the transition to law school by taking leaps and exploring for myself how can I transition to law school as effectively as possible.

My dream version of myself in the future is someone who is capable of helping his community

My experience with education has influenced my career aspirations tremendously. I have studied in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Florida each of which holds different environments. This has impacted me as I continue my studies to get a JD in both immigration and international (focus on Human Rights). I began my studies, and career, in Washington D.C. learning about the foundation of the legal structure of law in the United States based on common law and growing to what it currently is with state and federal legislation. This grew into learning how different states' environments have formed their unique legal structure that corresponds to their societal views and priorities. Things such as immigration are a bigger focus in Florida but less of a focus in Pennsylvania due to their proximity to an international border. It has been incredible to learn about the different lifestyles in the same country, and the diversity learned through studying. However, it is just as interesting to witness the difference within the school system of each state, and how each state teaches. This has inspired me to study law even further and to address the current social issues that plunge the legal area in the United States. The difference in the education system, or even affording an education in itself is a huge issue in the United States. It has inspired me to focus more on fulfilling my Pro Bono credits through assisting where I am currently residing by both helping clean the area and providing legal assistance with licensed attorneys. I not only want to gain the experience required to perform my future legal work but also assist those in need of legal assistance/ advice who feel it is out of their expense or do not know where to begin the process. I want to help to be the bridge between them and legal justice. I lost my home community and thus, to overcome hardships, I have had to constantly learn to adapt because I continuously moved around. It has allowed me to overcome hardships in my life because it has been ingrained to do so. For example, during the beginning of my undergrad, I had no means of paying for education so I used the skills I knew how to do such as carpentry and landscaping along with any who needed manual labor to make ends meet. It is something that I have used to overcome emotional hardships as well while away from family. When I am stressed from studying I begin working and vice versa.

I believe it is important to have healthy eating habits because of how a college student is, especially a first-year college student. When I first began college, I sought any free food events which more than likely were not the healthiest of foods but with the costs of school, free food was always the go-to meal. I would at times skip meals because classes were back to back or work was back to back. I worked to be able to pay for a college education, it was a sacrifice that would become unnecessary if networking provided better jobs. Jobs that gave me great benefits and helped give me the space needed to study for my classes. However, as the years went on I began getting more financial stability through working multiple jobs that I was able to improve my eating habits. I made time to learn through the weekends and breaks to buy ingredients to practice cooking. The main notice I have had on my physical health is more alertness and energy to get from one class to another without the starving sensation of skipping breakfast. It helped to wake up 'on the right side of the bed' because before healthy eating, there was no energy to get up or in waking up, there was just an attempt to get to class and stay awake. This also coincided with my mental health in a multitude of ways which I think was the best result. The mental health side before learning and having the tools to make healthy dishes was low. I left my home for an education and thought to myself that my current position was necessary. I remember telling my parents what I ate that day like rice and hoagie but in reality, it would be two slices of pizza from an event. It was painful for me to tell my parent's false statements to ensure that they did not worry about me. I kept repeating to myself that it was my choice to get a college education so it was my responsibility to find a way to make it through. I come from a low-income family so I did not want to add to their burden. It took a toll on my mental health which I would then try to remedy by work and studying, trying to distract my mind. It was not until my second year of college that the situation became better and allowed me to begin getting healthier meals and making them. It brought more joy into the conversations I would have with my parents being able to tell them I was alright, and fully mean it not just partly. I learned how to cook to avoid returning to the moment I was in where I had a little bit of money, I thought it was best to have a contingency in case something happened to my economic foundation. Since then both my mental and physical health have improved, which is why it is important to me to make a habit of eating healthy.

I am a first-generation law student from Washington D.C. who fled from home at the age of eighteen at six am to get a college education. My main goal when I began getting an education was to see my grandma in Guatemala but then the aspirations I had growing up took further shape in the first few months. I aspire to advocate for Human Rights that I saw being infringed daily on immigrants and indigenous when I was a kid. I heard stories from members of my community about why they fled their respective countries to the United States. Reasons such as poverty, civil war, and being indigenous were some of the main reasons. The stories were supported by their views of the United States as their new home, which inspired me to want to become a lawyer. I want to help others as I was once helped, by defending basic rights. I wanted to and still do want to learn about this country that I am a citizen of, and how the opportunities within can help me reach my goal. Even the bad moments have inspired me to reach my goal. I have nearly been deported even though I am from the United States, a moment that made me question what will I leave behind. I questioned what I would leave behind while acknowledging that the current system is not perfect nor should it be to encourage activism. It takes the courage of future generations to reshape the system to what is now necessary and keep what should remain. For, this motivated me to into law inspired by both the kindness I was given and the discrimination I faced. Nevertheless, as the years progressed since leaving the community, in terms of accomplisments, there are three major points. My major accomplishment was returning to Guatemala as a college graduate and prospective law student. It brought me joy to have been able to get an education and foundation to finally be able to see my family after two decades. The second accomplishment is the opportunities that were provided in college, not only did I get an education but so much more. I was able to study abroad and create social events for the students on campus. The third accomplishment is the new chapter of my life, I am a first-year law student, nearly reaching the goal of getting a Juris Doctorate in International Law and practicing it. After law school and paying down my student loans, I will put a portion into savings for retirement and my future family. I was raised in a low-income community and do not want future generations to go through what I did. I lived in portions of apartments and basements, I refuse to allow that to repeat. The rest of the funding will go into a house for me and help my older brother with his loans. I have enjoyed walking and taking public transportation, and will most likely keep doing so.

If I could have everyone in the world read just one book, it would be "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou. Although the book specifies the history and life within a portion of the United States, I believe it resonates with people everywhere. This book speaks, with humor and compassion, about the struggles faced by ignorance and prejudice which can be seen globally. The discriminating tensions can be seen in terms of race, class, age, religion, and so forth. It shows the strength that is required to rise above ignorance and live a life that can reshape a generation. The first lesson this book taught me was the acknowledgment of the past to not repeat the same errors in the future. For, this book inspired me to want to make a difference with a degree in international law. The book reminds me of what has occurred in my own country, the United States, what it has become and what it could become. The acknowledgment that the United States has not always acted in terms of liberty and equality for everyone has changed as individuals have risen up to fight the legal system. It inspired me to find how I can make a difference by advocating human rights, specifically Indigenous and Immigration rights. I witness these two rights being infringed growing up and this book inspired me to go into my current passion for law studies. For others, I hope that these books inspire them to follow their own path and teach that through obstacles that life may throw, individuals, come out stronger because of it.

I am currently searching for work once more to address my current and future loan debt during my law school studies. In my undergrad, I performed a balance of working multiple jobs and applying for scholarships to eliminate my student loan debt, and it worked. However, I realized and am witnessing that law school requires a different adjustment if I am to begin addressing the new student loan debt. This is added to the current stress of paying monthly rent and food which is much higher than I imagined, as a student who has independently worked to afford his education. In law school, more time is required to complete assignments and keep on track with the daily discussions per class. It leaves little time to find a job, which also is due to not being familiar with the area (Orlando). I will continue to apply for scholarships while I search for part-time jobs to help me pay off my student loan debt and the monthly rent. Scholarship applications such as this one help keep me motivated that there are still many opportunities to pay off my debt and become more focused in class rather than the stress of the next day. In addition to possible scholarships through applications, I also view these applications as ways to practice my writing by timing myself and sharpening my skills. This is how I am currently addressing my current student loan debt, which will adapt when possible for the future loan debts of the next two years of my law school career. Saving where I can save money, and searching for opportunities in the summer and winter that offer paid positions to help even further. I hold back from spending money on wants and only spend on necessities such as textbooks, mandatory insurance, tuition, etc. This method assisted me with my undergrad debt as my parents do not assist me in paying for my education. I worked several jobs while being a full-time student with the skills I learned from my father and other members of my home community. This catapulted me into higher positions that offered housing or tuition assistance. I was able to finally breathe knowing my finances have stabilized. Being in law school is the acknowledgment that I must repeat what I did in undergrad as it is a new school, and new environment and must once more find a way to pay for my future.

I have not particularly helped my own community as I have the larger group. My community, my home, inspired me to help others through education and hard work. Before education, I helped by offering work in construction, painting, landscaping, etc. During and after my education, I believe I have been able to help more. Once I got into college, I was able to learn what it meant to be a college student and it fueled me to give back to the school that had accepted me. I was a runner, always running to class, to work, or to events that needed to be set up. The final piece was how I helped to the community. I created events that offered students a space to relax from the stressful academic life and have fun. It was also a place where students in their first year or transfer students could start building their own community. The events were a setting in which any was invited for free with the possibility of prizes and free food. This social space went alongside clubs and organizations on campus that would host such events with the organization(s) I was with, so students could also learn what is available on campus in terms of activities. Yet, the biggest giving back I did was in going home after two decades. This year I went to Guatemala to see my family that I missed for such a long time. I was able to inspire the students through not only my stories of where I began and what has become of me but actually being there. Showing them that I had never forgotten about my roots, and then being able to offer support to encourage more education. It is something that has continued since then with being a part of organizations such as the Exchange Alumni which helps promote and spread awareness of US-funded programs and scholarships. Students in college who believe they cannot afford to study abroad will get aware that it is possible. I am proud of how I have been able to help 'my community' by helping others as 'my community' once helped me. I am proud to be able to share my story of academics to inspire others to continue or to begin their academic journey knowing that it will be difficult but it will also be more possible than once imagined. I am proud to have helped my home country, even if a little bit, because I know I will be able to do more in the future.

If Everyone Card by Nickelback has the most important message for me. If everyone cared then no one would die, and I see it being played out in the current problems around the globe. If everyone cared then there would be no war because we would respect one another's sovereignty. If everyone cared, we would take care of this planet we all inhabit. If everyone shared and swallowed their pride, then everyone would have a place to call their home. Without these traits, it has led to led to multiple wars, discrimination, etc. My home community was like the song. People from different parts of the globe care for one another. Their home became the United States and thus each individual wanted to create a makeshift remembrance of home in this country. A home for themselves and those to follow. People from different sides of their respective country's war buried the hatches, realizing what war caused. For me, this song tells me of the world that I wish to see one day.

Legacy is a story that is left behind by an individual. Their don Don(a), to me that is the highest rank that any individual could receive in my community. I was raised in a predominantly immigrant community where I was told a multitude of stories of people who left a legacy and earned the title of don(a) soon after. Stories of the courage of people who served their respected country. Stories of compassion, people who helped others regardless of the consequences. Stories of people go far and beyond the limits of their environments to fulfill their goals. Stories upon stories that taught life lessons, mistakes to avoid, and keeps the ancestors alive by never forgetting them. The legacies had one thing in common, it was one choice that made each a legacy. So far I believe I have begun a strange story. A kid from a predominantly immigrant community in Maryland who had no clue about anything. I was the first of my family to be from the United States and the first to go to college. I have had no idea what was possible in life, I just knew that I wanted to be able to decide for myself. I was once told I was 'unteachable' and would stay in the ghettos, I wanted to prove them wrong. However, I doubt anyone expected how I would ultimately do so. I fled from home at the age of eighteen to get a college education. Worked five jobs my first year as a college student which catapulted me into a variety of opportunities. I have defined my own life, traveled to many countries, become a mentor, a residential assistant, and soon a law student. I want to study international law because of the stories I heard. Many took huge risks during times of civil war, revolutions, overall violence in their respective country. International law is my way to thank those before me by helping advocate for the rights of indigenous and migrants of today. When I returned to Mexico, I was told I was continuing the legacy of my grandfather. A legacy of taking risks but in my unique way. The elders of the city asked me why I would return to a city that saw violence. I only responded with one sentence, "I will never abandon my roots". I want that to be my legacy, my don. The stories spoke of taking risks but also about honor. Each legacy gave something to the next generation whether it was a life lesson or something physical like a fresh start in a new country. For me, regardless of how many opportunities or achievements I receive, I can never forget my roots. Legacy is a story of how someone made a name for themselves. A story that has been passed down from generation to generation. A story that teaches generations about one's mistakes; courage to take risks; and ultimately, keeping the culture and the ancestors alive through their stories. I hope my legacy inspires others to reach their own goals regardless of the obstacles that they may face. The picture is of my grandfather. A man who spent decades as a boxer and never received a proper education. He changed future generations by leaving Mexico during growing violence in Veracruzto come to the United States. A risky journey with no promise of success, my grandfather was willing to do so to then bring his family safely across soon after. Although he never received proper education, he wanted future generations to receive a proper education

I am the child of the Land of Eternal Spring From the Cuchamatan Mountains to the Pacific Ocean Where one side fled from civil war I am the child of the Eagle with the red, white, and green tail From the sandy beaches to the high mountains and deep canyons Where the other side fled from the war on drugs I am where Virginia and Maryland meet From the political landscape to the national museums Where I left to make a name for myself But never forgetting who I am and where I came from I am Steven Escobar-Mendez

I am passionate about photography Photography has allowed me to take pics of the new chapter of my life. I always dreamed about traveling the world, even the United States, to know what else is beyond my home. This grew into the desire for photography as I do not want to forget any of the places I will travel to. However, I currently do not have a professional camera, relying on my phone camera and apps such as Snapchat and Instagram for adjustments. The passion has helped create a digital timeline of my time at college, without knowing what to expect, I am proud of the stories I was able to snap a memory of. Since arriving at college, it has been amazing to have been a part of so many amazing opportunities. I have traveled across the world to countries such as Canada, Nepal, and the United Arab Emirates. I have traveled through the East Coast of the United States, with plans to travel to the West Coast. Even on campus, I enjoy creating pictures out of daily materials since being at college is exciting in itself. I like taking recyclable materials such as glass or wood chips to create unique pictures with the Lehigh U landscape in the background. I plan to save enough money to buy an actual digital camera as I head out to law school. I want to be prepared for what the future holds, to remember the crazy adventures when I am older. For now, I want to be able to perfect my skills to take more pictures of the places I will see.

I fled from home at the age of eighteen to Lehigh University. Prior to college, I worked as a painter, landscaper, etc. anything that did not require a high school diploma or beyond. For a long time, I was told by admins that I would not achieve anything beyond high school. However, being from a predominantly immigrant community I met so many individuals who took the chance to make it to the U.S. Each member of the community had the courage to redefine their life, I wanted to do the same by being the first to apply to college. I wanted to prove the admins wrong, I prove myself of what I am capable of. With having no one to help me through college and no idea about life beyond the community (at the time), I was excited about not knowing what the future would hold. These pictures are proof of achieving the life I hoped for, one that I am able to take charge of not knowing what life had for me. I took every opportunity possible at college since day one and each one created an amazing story. I want to be able to take amazing photos of this life I am molding, one day at a time

"Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try" ~ U.S. Former President JFK To me, this quote has defined my entire life journey as the first of my family to be from the United States. This makes the quote very special to my history and future opportunities. I have taken insane chances to get to where I am currently, a senior at college with plans to go to law school. I fled home around 5 am to go to an institution that was far from my home. I did not know where life would go, I just knew I wanted to take the chance to get a college education. The quote from JFK inspired me to do so because it was told to me by individuals who came to the U.S. My family, biological and non-biological alike, taking chances is like breathing. I wanted to attain an education so I made the choice to leave. Going to college was and still is a huge accomplishment that started with the choice to leave home. From there, every choice has led me to more choices. I have traveled multiple times, I have found work that does not bruise require me to take long hours in the sum, and I had the chance to see my family after a decade apart. The final opportunity was one I treasure, as I never thought the day would come that I would be able to hug my grandfather again. I never thought I would hold my nieces and nephews that forgot my face. All this occurred from one choice. If I had not made that one singular choice to believe in myself and leave, I would have not been able to make so many amazing memories. I would still be a 'street kid'. This quote changed my future, as it asks each individual to try for themselves. Life is determined by no one but the owner, I am in control of my own life. My accomplishments will manifest by the choices I make for myself.

[Last picture left to right: Blanca, Ardilla, Maya, Fresa, and Graysi] The two group pictures: Rabbit Family Picture Individuals: Photography Model of the day

Immigration and refuge were the first things that I witnessed during my childhood. I am a first-generation American who was raised in a predominantly immigrant community within Maryland, I called it 'Little Latin America'. The people in my community immigrated to the United States from all across Latin America, as South as Argentina and as close as Mexico, even the island nations such as Cuba. Hence when I speak Spanish, no one can distinguish what Latin American country I am from because I mixed every form of Spanish that I heard on a regular basis. Growing up, I was taught about the world around me from the perspective of people who witnessed violence on a larger scale than the gang violence in Maryland. The United States provided the elders of the community with a place to call home when their homes had become lost. They all risked so much to arrive in the U.S and gave respect to those who never were able to reach this country. Hence at a young age, I was taught to protect my country, the United States, as the people in the community wished they could have done for their country, Honor y Patria. Yet, the challenges for me were not in how I learned about the United States or waiting for the neighbors to come back home in order to watch friends, it was the conflict of where I belonged. At times I would feel like a U.S. citizen in the community because I am from D.C. but outside the small community, I was another immigrant on foreign soil. When I saw deportation take place in my community, which was very regular, I felt as if my home was being attacked. Though there was no shared culture within the community, there was understanding, and for me, there was also a sense of home regardless of my status. The immigrant community was, at that moment, all I knew and loved. I admired the community for providing a place for people of any background to call their own. Hence why it hurt to witness deportation as there was still a wish to be achieved. The wish amongst the elders of the community was to one day return to their country of origin. I heard it through their stories, how they would speak about their country with joy but always ended in sadness, yearning for a happier ending. At this moment, the use of past tense words is noticeable, it is because the happy ending has still not occurred. Though the physical region is still present, the people I knew are no longer present. Many were never able to ever achieve that goal while others were forced to return through deportation. My challenge is not having my community alongside me when I graduated from high school, or as I continue in college. I still remember their stories as I continue my own dreams to return to my ancestral home that my parents fled from. I still remember their stories as they shaped my own vision of the future where people can voluntarily leave and return to their home country. Leave their home without risking their own life to do so and returning without fear of repercussions. My future and dreams in international law were shaped by the first place I called home

My passion for cultural immersion began in the community that I was raised in. I arguably had the most unique Spanish out of the predominantly immigrant community. There were individuals from Argentina to Mexico, and I adapted, taking pieces of each, in order to learn Spanish without considering the differences at the moment. My Spanish is a combination of unique words used by different countries throughout Latin America. This motivated me into having a passion for cultural immersion as it was what created my form of Spanish and perspective to Latin America as being my second home rather than a singular country though I only truly have roots in two. Cultural immersion grew as I moved across Maryland due to financial reasons and also in being from D.C. I was inspired by the many individuals I met from across the world. I wished to one day travel just of them and see places that I only imagined to see. I would like to study abroad in Russia because I have been grateful to be supported and funded by my university to travel to countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. I wish to continue by exploring different countries on different continents but hoping one day to have visited every country in the world. A study abroad experience has and is still important because it allows individuals to learn of different perspectives and understand their role in the overall safety of the entire world. Especially now as the epidemic has impacted some countries more than others, it shows the current work necessary to help one another not as a Global North or Global South but simply Global. Russia's relations with the United States are currently on a downslope but I hope to reconnect it in a way that benefits both countries and thus ensures the security of neighboring countries as well. A study abroad experience in Russia would help me grow by not only learning about a new country I have never been in before but as a symbol of my future goal. I wish to learn beyond the Americas in the land that I have traveled to with languages different from my own. It is also a symbol of what I hope to achieve after studying international law at law school which is a revival of Latin America that has faced countless wars in the last decades. In order to do so, I wish to connect with other countries on a social level because I believe current politics ignore the social impacts towards only economics. Economics, Society, go hand in hand but to only focus on one is to never fully sustain a country. My hope has been to travel to define my own destiny but also to symbolize my commitment to learning instead of merely teaching while in politics.

I am continuing to pursue higher education as a commitment to be the only one in control of my destiny and as a remembrance of the individual who ignited my education career. My grandma, beyond any other person, influenced me to pursue an education to leave behind to constant need to stand in front of stores for a job. This combined with the community elders, such as my grandfather, telling stories of Latin America and the reasons for leaving such as civil wars and economic collapses. Yet, the part that motivated many from my generation was that the elders wished to one day return home but have not done so because of fear of the current state of their countries. I was told of the opportunities within the United States for anyone who is willing to put in the effort in receiving, but knowing it will not be easy. Once I made the promise to my grandma to get an education, I was set to use the opportunities to help my home community be able to go home without consequence(s). At my institution, I participate in a vast array of extracurriculars as a way to explore new opportunities and as a thank you to the institution for giving me the chance to prove myself worthy of being accepted to receive higher education. I participate in organizations such as Lehigh After Dark to design large campus events and the Alumni Student Association to create events/ programs to bridge the gap between current students and alumni. I also participate in organizations that help recruit prospective students from the United States and beyond to Lehigh by interviewing them and providing a connection so that they may have their college questions answered. My institution helped fuel my 'hunger' beyond the campus by participating in programs in Florida State and Chicago-Kent but also in Google and Citi. I believe these opportunities overall, allow me to expand my network and be able to help prospective students even further. From Lehigh University, I plan to go into law school to study international law to prepare further in hopes to rebuild what decades of war have done to the homeland of my ancestors, Latin America. This passion is fueled by the three things that I hold most dear which are God, my countries, and my family. Higher education is an opportunity to build from what was left by my ancestors while working towards repaying their sacrifice that did for future generations.

I appreciate this counselor very much for all her support towards my higher education. At the time I met her, I recently moved from another high school due to economic reasons. I was excited to apply to colleges because, for me, it is the best way that I could define my own destiny and be able to make a difference in Latin America. Prior to arriving at what would be my final school before college, I was told that education was not for me and that it was best to continue working as a carpenter and painter because of being the child of immigrants. I disagreed heavily and was set to prove them wrong by applying to college and being able to help my community be able to return to Latin America, rebuilding what decades of war have destroyed with a higher education. However, during my third year, I hit a stump that made me question applying to colleges regardless of whether I knew the process of applying or didn't, which I did not know due to being the first of my family to apply. It was a time in which I was mourning the loss of one of the most influential persons in my family and in her community of Guatemala, my grandmother. I began to reconsider my choice and wanting to return to Guatemala to see my family but doing so would mean not having the budget necessary to apply to even arrive at college, it was either one or the other. My counselor helped me through that piece of my life by still urging me to apply by changing the perspective of college to not only be a way to define my own destiny but as a remembrance towards my grandma who helped ignited my education career. My counselor helped me search for colleges during my lunch hour and after school before I went to train with the soccer and lacrosse team. Yet, I must argue that this counselor is beyond phenomenal as she was beloved by all students, helping them even beyond high school to find scholarships and internships to apply to. The counselor was an influential person for many students in the high school because if anyone would get a scholarship or an acceptance letter, she had a wall that resembled a fridge. It was more motivation to have my acceptance letter of the 'fridge' and because of her, there was more than one acceptance letter. Hence how I arrived at Lehigh University with plans to go into law school to achieve the goal that I made 15 years ago.

It is important for people to be involved in their communities as it is through the work of the present generation that helps a community flourish for the next generation. I planned to help my community in helping to build a stronger bridge between them and the rest of the city in which we resided in. There was a gap due to citizenship and immigration status. However, my community faded away after years of United States immigration policies that left my community as a mere memory. So I have taken the desire to help my own community and expanding it to where they came from, Latin America. Each member of the community had the desire to return to Latin America once they are able to do so without repercussion or danger to their own safety. This helped me design my plan to study international law to positively impact Latin America to ensure stronger communities rather than just one. I wish to make a difference that would allow individuals to leave and return freely to their respective countries. To help provide a future for any place would allow hope to flourish amongst the youths of any community knowing that they are able to not have to leave to receive a better life. It should be provided in every community and every country for their citizens. Through international law, I plan to help communities in my future career.

My greatest achievement has been in returning to my second home after a decade of not being able to see my family. I returned not as a child who was scared of the world beyond his home, but as a college student who has traveled the world. I returned wanting to remember where I came from and the reason why I began to study in the first place, I wanted to reconnect with my biological family. I went to help as much as I could my city that had become a military zone and a hotspot for migrants fleeing Central America. I saw my return as a successful symbol of who I wish to be, that although a college education or traveling is an achievement in itself, my biggest achievement is being able to have my family, countries, and God by my side. What I hope to achieve in the future is what I saw once I returned to my city in Mexico. I want to study international law to help rebuild what decades of war have done to not only my home but to Latin America. I began studying to help my family and they were my motivation in me wanting to go into college with plans for graduate school, to not return home would be like forgetting who I am. My family, alongside my countries and God, and the three treasures that have helped in building my character and overall goal in the future. The goal was built by a series of events that would ultimately place me as an outlier. The reason I emphasized biological family is that in the United States there was another family in a community I called my home. It was a place where migrants from across Latin America arrived after fleeing events that were occurring such as the Rise of Fidel Castro or the collapse of the Venezuelan economy. The word family became fluid to be anyone regardless of origins, ideas, etc. because everyone in the community at least had something in common, we wanted to return home. This created my goal to focus on Latin America to repay the debt of those from my home community who wanted to return home. My goal is not to be rich but to rebuild what was lost so that future generations will be able to leave and return to their home as they wish because no one deserves to be alone.

A legacy is the embodiment of your life after your story ends, what people are going to remember you for. I have heard different legacies from a grandma who saw it better to raise seven children on her own during a civil war rather than fight to another legacy of a man who believed in fighting in the Salvadorian war to help people flee. Both are valuable legacies in their own respective way because they stood for what they believed in. A legacy, in my view, is committing to a cause without considering the overall consequences, you merely do so because that is where your heart tells you to go. The legacy I wish to leave behind is one of not being afraid to define my own story such as the legacies mentioned but in my own unique way. I wish for the future family generations to know of the 'street kid' from D.C. who changed Latin America. I wish for my legacy to be about how my life was in carpentry and painting before deciding to go beyond high school to stray away from being another statistic. Knowing how at the age of 18, I snuck away from home to get a college education and worked three jobs to be able to afford it before joining the residential assistance my second year. At the age of 19, I returned to Mexico after a decade apart, knowing that my second home had become a military zone due to the drug wars, simply to reunite with my family and help migrants fleeing Central America. This is the legacy I wish to leave behind, in not allowing others to define my destiny and not judging others as I know how it is to be judged. My legacy, I hope, also connects to the only things I pride myself in and define myself as, those being God, countries, and family. These are what I call my three treasures that define my character and overall goal in life. This can be seen in my choice of returning to Mexico and Guatemala or the overall goal to help rebuild what decades of war have done to Latin America. Although I have left the place in which I was called a 'street kid', I always remember my roots no matter how much I grow. This is the legacy I wish to leave behind, the 'street kid' who did not let others define his future.

Jesus has changed my life immensely. In being from a predominantly immigrant community I was treated as an immigrant although I was born in Washington D.C. At the start, I was already told what my life will live up to, nothing but another statistic. After a few years of hearing the same thing, I began to believe that I would not achieve anything especially after losing my home community. What changed that perspective was Jesus, although I was Christian during the time, I was not firm in my belief. I questioned whether it was true that my life would not go beyond the community I was raised in and if it was true that we did not belong in the United States because of our Latin American roots. However, once I began to believe more in good, inspired by a church pastor that took it upon himself to mentor me, I began to see a bright future. He told me that there should be no expectations or idea of what the future looks like because everything happens for a reason. I see that as a full trust in Jesus if something fails it means it was not meant to be and if something succeeds then that is the path I will happily follow. Although I lost my home community through years of deportation, I believe to this day that Jesus has prepared a beautiful journey for me. It took a leap when I applied to college without even knowing how to apply and sneaking away to college soon after. From there I have put full trust in Him for what tomorrow brings. That same trust allowed me the chance to travel several countries, go to the United Nations, have a job that did not consist of hard labor, and received an education. Jesus allowed me to see my family in Mexico after a decade of not seeing them. Once I put my full trust, I have no fear in what tomorrow brings because I know that He will be alongside me through this journey.

Family is a word that I have expanded as a result of being born in the United States while being raised in a predominantly immigrant community. In the start, I could only speak and understand English while only being able to write and read in Spanish. I did not belong in either world that I was born into whether it was the United States or Latin America. I began to simply attempt to communicate with anyone who I would be able to understand until learning both languages in their entirety. I began to learn more about the world from living in a community that could arguably be called little Latin America as there were migrants from all over Central and South America. The expansion of family grew from not having much of family in the United States with me so the migrants in the community helped raise me while sharing their own story of migrating. I heard stories such as the Fall of the Venezuelan Economy; the Rise of Fidel Castro; the Guatemalan 36-year civil war; the Colombia drug wars; etc. These stories brought a sense of love for the Patria for the United States that has become a refuge for many in my home community. In the case of my parents, I was even told their stories of fleeing the Mexican drug war and the Guatemalan war, respectively. It was these stories of having 'lost' our home countries that motivated me to continue my education in law school. Prior to even thinking about getting an education, I felt fine with merely working as a carpenter or painter. Once I began to study is when I began hearing the stories, and I felt that there was more I could do to repay the community that had become my home. Not only do I remember where I came from, but I remember where those before me came from, and what happened to bring them all to the United States. The world has beautiful moments and awful moments but both are able to flourish into something better. From the struggles of Latin America, a community was born in the United States which came to be a home for many such as myself. From the community, a family was born and a new generation which I am happy to be a part of. The community taught me so much, especially in knowing what I can do to make a difference in Latin America, to rebuild what decades of war have done.

My grandmother was my support and the inspiration for my current goal to be accepted into law school. My grandmother and I never met in person, only knew one another through the phone as she lived in Guatemala while I was in the United States. Her youngest son fled the Guatemalan Civil War to the United States, where I was born so she never met me but the stories about my grandma were vibrant across the home community. People spoke about how she would feed the homeless while feeding her seven children even during a war or how my grandma would work multiple jobs for her children to go to school. I was astonished by these stories because it was the closest thing I had to truly know who she was, and in a way, what I must live up to. One day, we made the promise that after I graduated from high school, I will return to Guatemala to finally meet her in person. The promise, although I did not know at the time, was designed to be after high school because she did not want me to continue working without education and for me, it ultimately motivated me to pursue law. I grew to love education and began having the dream to be able to help my family with the education I am receiving. Each birthday was incredible because it would always end with a call from her in which I would tell her of the achievements I made in school, motivating me to do great in school to have something to tell her. It was a special day for me, even when everything around would collapse, I was happy to be able to talk to my grandma and counting the days until I would meet her. However, as with every chapter of life, there is an ending but I never wanted this chapter of my life to end. She passed away at the age of 85 when I was a junior in high school and it felt like someone stole the finish line away when I was near arms reach of it. The promise I made to her became the last promise I have made because it was a tremendous loss that I felt like a complete and utter failure. I was never able to return to Guatemala to see my grandma, I was never able to hug her or show her the results of her dedication to her family and community. Yet, from that pain, I began to think about my goal of merely being for my family. My grandmother lived a humble life, raising her children alone while feeding and clothing people who had struggled from the Guatemalan economy. I thought that of her life as an example of what I wish to follow, in wanting to make a difference in Latin America. Knowing that my family was separated, along with those in my community from their own family, due to violence and corruption I want to follow in her footsteps. I wish to study international law to help ensure voluntary migration in Latin America, with the ability to freely return without penalty. I wish to follow in the similar footsteps of my grandma. My hero. My inspiration.

The foremost reason I want to go to law school is to fulfill a promise that I made to my home community. I was raised in a predominantly immigrant community with many members wishing to return to their home country, but unable to do so because of the violence that was occurring. Although there was a yearning to return home, the stories I heard of Latin America gave a sense of fear when even considering returning to one's home country. I felt a responsibility to confront the issue of migrants fleeing their home country and the inability to return as the community taught me values such as loyalty and honor. The responsibility is grown further because not only is it the home of the community that helped to take care of me but it is also the home of my ancestors too. This responsibility was shaped by the individuals that I considered my family in a city in Maryland that we all called our home even if none of us were born there. Although the community disappeared after years of deportation and other events, the promise still stands strong. The promise is on gaining education to be able to help ensure safe travels to and from Latin America were thus created from loyalty. From there, law school is my way of stating that my background does not define what I can do. Growing up, I worked as a carpenter and landscaper before deciding that I wanted to be able to take control of my own life. At first, to fulfill the promise, I thought of merely working to gain enough money to make a dent in Latin American politics but then it grew when considering the opportunities present in education. Education was barely supported because of the lack of alumni that achieved further than high school in the community. Additionally, I was defined by my background instead of by who I am, I was never given a chance to prove myself so I sought to climb the social ladder to write a story of determination. This explains why I began school in order to prove a point that I kid from a predominantly immigrant community has to value. The determination provides reason on why I snuck away from home to gain a higher education with a college degree, something I independently applied to without fully understanding the college application process. Both goals aligned well because law school provides a chance to help my second home of Latin America while proving a point that I control my own destiny. I hope to study international law to make an impact in Latin America to fulfill a, nearly two-decade, promise. I plan to advocate for the rights of migrants traveling through international borders and the problems that have forced migrants to make the difficult choice of fleeing. I have recently been inspired by the words of President Bukele of El Salvador who has made remarks over the influx of migrants being caused by violence, poverty, and other issues in Latin America. I plan to follow a nearly parallel goal but through international law to be on a podium where political figures must listen, to the kid from a small Hispanic community.

For me, being an American is to strive to be a better person than yesterday. To strive without hesitation towards my goals no matter what obstacles may come my way. I have lived my definition by being a child of immigrants and working odd jobs to currently earning a college education with goals of going into law school. This is what I believe is what it means to be an American, something that I learned from my father and grandfather who came to this country for a better life. At first, I saw my citizenship as merely a title of what country I stand by and saw every individual as a citizen of this country no matter if they are from the United States or from another country. However, it was both elders who helped me realize its true meaning. The United States is a place where opportunities flourish for anyone willing to work for them and although it may be hard, that is the beauty of the U.S. It motivated them to flee their country to work towards a better life in the United States, always creative in finding their way here. Similar stories were said by the members of the first community I lived in, everyone saw this country as having opportunities, but never entitled. The word entitled was never a word used to described being an American. To be American meant that each individual is judged by their own work and not that of others. I took it as meaning that I must make my own leaps in order to achieve my own goals while never forgetting my roots. It has become a kind of oath that I have followed since deciding to get an education. When I applied to college, I had no one to show me the process so I taught myself through Youtube tutorials. When I was accepted into college, I had no mode of transportation to cross state borders, as it was out-of-state, so I made the trip to a bus station alone to begin my journey. Since then, I have worked three jobs till the epidemic using the job skills I learned from my community such as landscaping and carpentry to pay for my college education. This is what it means to me, to be an American, determined spirit to overcome any obstacle in order to reach my goal, no matter my upbringing or obstacles to come.

Entrepreneurship, growing up, was always a field which I was very curious about doing but felt that it was only for students in STEM. As I arrived at college, my view changed as I received an opportunity to be a part of a program that revolves around teaching students about entrepreneurship. Through the program was where I learned about the ability to mix my studies of Political Science into creating new possibilities for social work, which I focused on Central America's Indigenous migrants. During the summer program, the topic I choose was on helping Indigenous migrants arriving in the United States but without any knowledge of English or Spanish that could help them in the legal obstacle, immigration court. This is a topic that I have studied prior to the program which led me into wanting to study internal law in graduate school without knowing that I could begin an entrepreneurial project now. I called my project Kulmaj which is a word in an indigenous language called K'iche in Guatemala. The word means to make a change by one's own actions, not to ignore it and wait for someone else to do it. This was a very strong word that I wished to title my project, especially as the United States' legal system lacks indigenous translators and ends up becoming a game of telephone with requiring appointments months prior to getting both an Indigenous to Spanish translator and Spanish to English translator as a singular Indigenous to English is extremely rare. This entrepreneurship program helped me to connect with NGOs in the United States and Guatemala on indigenous languages and the possibility of an app that can offer teaching services such as Duolingo and other language learning apps while also providing legal term vocabulary. My goal overall was to find a way to spread Indigenous cultural awareness while providing resources to Indigenous migrants making their trip to the United States who are in need of legal support. Through the program, I learned that I can contribute to the betterment of society through entrepreneurial vision with my understanding and experience of Latin America and politics. I can help to contribute to the critical issues facing communities in Latin America by relating to what it is that the residents of the area need rather than what I believe they need. That was a big lesson in the entrepreneurship program of the dangers of believing what is best for a group without ever meeting or understanding their environment. Through my experience and motivation of the own culture in Latin America, especially in Central America, I will continue to pursue entrepreneurship. With a focus on Political Science and future international law, I wish to work in entrepreneurship projects on the domestic level while advocating on the overarching international level.

Entrepreneurship, growing up, was always a field which I was very curious about doing but felt that it was only for students in STEM. As I arrived at college, my view changed as I received an opportunity to be a part of a program that revolves around teaching students about entrepreneurship. Through the program was where I learned about the ability to mix my studies of Political Science into creating new possibilities for social work, which I focused on Central America's Indigenous migrants. During the summer program, the topic I choose was on helping Indigenous migrants arriving in the United States but without any knowledge of English or Spanish that could help them in the legal obstacle, immigration court. This is a topic that I have studied prior to the program which led me into wanting to study internal law in graduate school without knowing that I could begin an entrepreneurial project now. I called my project Kulmaj which is a word in an indigenous language called K'iche in Guatemala. The word means to make a change by one's own actions, not to ignore it and wait for someone else to do it. This was a very strong word that I wished to title my project, especially as the United States' legal system lacks indigenous translators and ends up becoming a game of telephone with requiring appointments months prior to getting both an Indigenous to Spanish translator and Spanish to English translator as a singular Indigenous to English is extremely rare. This entrepreneurship program helped me to connect with NGOs in the United States and Guatemala on indigenous languages and the possibility of an app that can offer teaching services such as Duolingo and other language learning apps while also providing legal term vocabulary. My goal overall was to find a way to spread Indigenous cultural awareness while providing resources to Indigenous migrants making their trip to the United States who are in need of legal support. Through the program, I learned that I can contribute to the betterment of society through entrepreneurial vision with my understanding and experience of Latin America and politics. I can help to contribute to the critical issues facing communities in Latin America by relating to what it is that the residents of the area need rather than what I believe they need. That was a big lesson in the entrepreneurship program of the dangers of believing what is best for a group without ever meeting or understanding their environment. Through my experience in Latin America, especially in Central America, I can focus my major of Political Science and future international law to focus on the domestic level while advocating on the overarching international level.

I do not have a singular community that I help. Being from a Hispanic household helped me to inherent responsibility towards the homelands in Latin America, where my family is from and the people who helped raise me. During my time in college, I have given time which is something no one did for me when I was applying to colleges. Growing up, I had individuals that taught me about the opportunities in the United States but did not have anyone who could offer me assistance in sharing their experience of going to college. Once I completed my first year by taking a leap of faith in walking all over campus and connecting with anyone I came across, I wanted to help future first-years who might face the same issue of being the first to go to college. For the past two years, I have helped international and domestic students to have a strong footing into college with the assurance of having an individual who will always be one email away if there ever have questions. Additionally, I took responsibilities as a social event coordinator and residential assistant to help build community events for students to meet one another. However, I felt that helping students coming into college was not enough, especially as I came from an area where college was rare to even think about. In 2019, I returned to my second home in Latin America to not only see my family after a decade apart but also to help with the current crisis. One of the main individuals I wished to see in my return to the homeland was my grandfather, and he always told me that I should never forget where I came from no matter what happens in life. I took his words once I returned by helping my second home that has become a hotspot for migrants making the trip North. During my short time home I helped to build an elementary school and offering water and food for the migrants that were resting in the city until continuing on their trip. What I hope to do in my future is to go into politics to advocate for Human Rights, specifically for migrants in Latin America who are fleeing their homeland, not by free will. I want to rebuild what decades of war have done to not only my own family's homeland but the homeland of those who gave their time to raise me through strengthening the education systems and Human Rights in Latin America. That goal overall is to present the same compassion that migrants gave to me in the United States because although they were struggling in a new country, they gave their own time to help me learn about my Hispanic culture and the opportunities in the United States. If I was not given such compassion growing up, I do not believe that I would be in college or able to give back to our Patria, I wish to pay it forward.

In my own experience, I was raised in an environment that taught boys that in order to be men, we could not cry. There was a stigma in boys opening up their emotions which may have grown from the elders in the community, who fled or fought in their country's civil war. My community had people who fled from the Rise of Castro in Cuba, the Guatemala 36-year long civil war, the Venezuelan collapse, the drug wars of Mexico, and many other wars, so the elders felt a need to toughen up the new generation for what they believed was inevitable. When I snuck back to Mexico after a decade to see my family, the same teachings were occurring in my city because of the drug wars, children's exercises were military routines but numbed to be fun. At first, I was not affected as I strangely did not understand Spanish, only English though no one that me the language, but later on the pressure grew as I began understanding Spanish. As I began to understand, I soon was faced with pressure to either 'man-up' as I was very sensitive, or bring dishonor to my family name, which in Hispanic culture is a big deal, so I did but questioning in the back of my head whether there will be a day where the stigma will not be necessary anymore. The reason being that it was painful, most of the time, to not be able to express oneself freely due to fear of repercussion, harmful towards mental health which is shunned from treating. This lead to me listening even more to the oldest people in the community into what caused the wars and why they choose to either fight or flee. The stories, along with the growing mentality of loyalty towards the Patria (homeland) helped me to face both towards Latin America, desiring to return to the original homeland to rebuild what war has broken. It led me to want to apply to law school, which I recently completed the LSAT for, to study international policy with a focus on Latin America and Human Rights of migrants, indigenous and children all of which are severely impacted by war or the outcomes of war, the children. My goal is to advocate for the beginning of the transition towards more development in the public sectors of health and education to decrease the desire to join a violent group, and health to help those physically or mentally from a war or other mental illnesses that I saw through my experience growing up.

The adversity that I encountered had two parts to the story, the first being the group that I decided to join when I arrived at college and the second part being that I lost the people that together created my home, especially my grandfather, for nearly a decade. My grandfather was deported when I was eight years old and it was a difficult time as many others were deported as well from the predominantly immigrant community that I was from were, many of which were my mentors. I grew a desire to reclaim my home which led to entering the community at my college that was considered its own family but would soon turn bad by my second year. In my second year, I became a residential assistant for the community, creating social events and ensuring that everyone followed the campus rules. However, one incident became public, and would inevitably impact me mostly mentally. As the incident was impossible to ignore, it left me having to choose between the job that I need to pay for my education or a community, to reclaim a sense of home which I lost. I choose my job, but it led to month-long guilt as my first year I had opened up about my life to the college community and that was then used against me. How I overcame it was through leaving the community, seeing that at the end it was not better to have a community if I would have continuously had to ignore actions to please them. I had to draw the line between friends and responsibilities, ultimately deciding to do my job and being told to leave the community. After leaving the community, I decided to study abroad to better understand the circumstances that played out and what steps I should take in the future from a safe space away from the commotion. During my time abroad, I soon realized that although I lost my home, it lives on through my actions and goals. Goals that are intertwined with the stories of the migrants on why they left their country, mostly due to civil war, giving me the desire to study international law to impact Latin America. Choosing my job gave me the time needed to remember where I came from, a predominantly immigrant community, and where I currently am, a college student that did so by taking the chance in applying to a college which I snuck away to. I remembered that at the end, my home remains in memories and the strive to pay for college and saving to return home to help rebuild what years of wars have broken. I have been able to continue to work to pay for my college education and was able to return to Mexico after a decade with future plans to return to Guatemala after nearly two decades. I learned that I am the only person responsible for my destiny and my current circumstances don't define my future.

My greatest inspiration in life has been my home. However, not a physical home but the people and ideas that were once inside the place I called home. I was raised between two worlds, was the United States and Latin America, in a predominantly immigrant community. I was one of the few U.S. citizens in the community yet it was because of the community that I learned the value of education and the need to claim my destiny instead of the environment deeming it for me. Every migrant fled from war, such as the Guatemalan 36-year war but each migrant decided that it was best to start a new life elsewhere instead of being forced into a war. These stories of how each migrant arrived at the United States along with other character development such as taking risks to reach one's future and believing in oneself were inspirational to hear, at a time where mass deportations were occurring in my community. By the time I graduated from high school, I had lost the only place that I called home, but keeping the lessons they all taught me in my heart to move forwards towards the goal of going to Latin America and helping to rebuild what has been broken by years of violence such as political corruption and indigenous rights impacted by the civil wars. The first opportunity arrived for me in the form of being accepted to a college in secret, to be a surprise for my parents and as I was from a community that rarely had people go into college, I wanted to be different from the road most taken. It is a private institution out of state and as the migrants of my home once did, I packed my bags and left to receive a college education and been independently paying for my education with skills in landscaping, carpentry, etc. that I learned from my home. I took the lessons from the elders from the community to carve out my own story, from being a kid from walking on the streets of D.C. to becoming a college student with goals to go into law school to be better equipped to face international policies in Latin America. Thus, my greatest inspiration has been my home, which continues to drive me because although it may be gone, I work every day to keep the memories and dreams alive. My home embodies the three treasures which are God, family, and countries each of which holds specific values of their own but all combined allows me to never forget about the place that gave them to me.

Chiquita is one of five rabbits, who got her name by being the smallest and most energetic of them all.

A moment that changed my perspective on life was how I began this year attempting to figure out what path I will be taking after a terrible situation in college. The dreadful situation ultimately taught me to fully accepting the past as the past and realizing the need to remember the past as a compass rather than an obstacle. The reasoning being is that growing up, I lived in a predominantly immigrant community and although everyone came from different countries, everyone called the small community, home. The home was where migrants would feel a sense of security after making the long trip to the United States, and hence, children (me included) were taught a sense of responsibility towards the community. As the area taught children about the U.S. along with Hispanic culture, it also gave a sense of belonging for them because the children were the first to be born in the U.S., a different journey of their own. My community is unique in how it saw obstacles as reasons for joy and willingness to help other migrants. The elders looked to each child as their grandchild, I felt a sense of belonging within the U.S. that perceived me as an immigrant. The community inspired me to get an education and a sense of loyalty towards the United States as it was the country that created the community of travelers. However, after it faded from events such as mass deportation, it felt like I lost a large part of me which I wanted to reclaim. I felt guilt in having lost the community I called my home, and events such as graduating from high school had a bittersweet feeling as a result. Hence, the situation at college helped me realized that history must be for learning and growing, not for guilting oneself. That lesson was prominent in me redefining my responsibilities not towards any group but towards my own well-being. That shift has been the most prominent thing that I have learned that motivated me to study abroad the following semester and during the epidemic, that life is short and to yearn for the past will not help in looking towards the future. Thus, during the epidemic, I used the time to relearn what was taught to me in my community on determination and creativity (in the predominantly immigrant community, we used everyday items for fun such as pipes and a fishing net to create a soccer goal). In relearning what was taught, I attempted to also figure out who I was in a period where those who I once loved and relied on are no longer there to help guide me. I have inevitably decided to take a portion of each individual who made an impact on me to remember them and reinvent myself by the term I was called when I first started school which was "street kid". It is a term that I can proudly wear now, once I paid attention to how far I have gotten since then (a private institution with dreams of law school) and what I can do during this epidemic, not allowing any obstacle stop me from reaching new heights. The epidemic has taught me a lot about the world, but a lot more about me, and who I want to be.

My family, my countries, and God are everything to me. Each has more meaning than being merely being something people are aware of, they are priceless. For me, it is a reminder of where I came, from an immigrant community in Maryland from Mexican and Guatemalan parents to now being a college student heading towards law school. It has been a roller coaster from the constant moving, never permanent sunshine but it made concrete my treasure because although the environment continued to change, these three things stayed by my side. They are what held my father and grandfather as they fled their respective countries because of the war whether it be cartel wars or the Guatemalan civil war. Hence, I look very highly onto these three treasures, which motivated me to sneak away from home to get a college education a risk to help my family and countries through studying international law. They even motivated me to sneak alone to Mexico to see my family after a decade apart. Taking chances are fueled by the hope to protect and help my countries and family that have faced struggles and continue as Latin America currently recovers from hurricanes and violence. The collage of pictures is made up of these three things through the flags and what I am reaching towards. The flags not only symbolize the country I was born in or roots but also symbolizes the history of my ancestors who held those flags and what that taught me such as my never quit attitude and faith. The other pictures are of my study abroad, it presents the goal I wished to reach while in the immigrant community, to leave and claim my destiny but always having my history (the flags) above me, reminding me of where I came from. Without my treasures, I would not be where and who I am today, because each three taught me about character and opportunities in the United States if I was willing to work for it. Those words have stayed with me and I have seen it as my responsibility to make my own destiny.

My biggest role model has been my father who overcame much in his life which motivated me to reach higher in studies and future career. My father fled his country as a result of a thirty-six-year long civil war that left a permanent trust gap between the state and the people. Although my father was rarely with me in my childhood as he was the only breadwinner for my family, he helped to shape who I am and wish to be by his actions, not his words. In the community I was raised in, the elders told me stories about how my father fled from the Guatemalan civil war to the United State, straying away from the violence that would leave a lasting scare in the country. Yet, a few years before the war began, within my father's community, people thought they figured out his destiny because of his economic status. Education was difficult on the rural side of Guatemala but he worked to ensure an opportunity to go into college which was given up once the war began, it became too dangerous to study. However, he still proved that only he can define his own destiny once he snuck away from his country with nothing more than a bag of clothes believing that leaving was the only way to survive and get a better life. Each elder in the community always described the migration North as dangerous and horrible with no promise of what tomorrow would look like, it was like walking down a dark tunnel with no light in sight for weeks or months. Yet my father made it to the United States, and although scared to be alone in a new country, he immediately began to work as a carpenter and painter with hopes of returning home once the war ended, but soon created a home here. The story mentioned and others were not told to me by my father but by the community elders of a community made up of migrants from Latin America, many in the time that my father arrived. Around the time I was being told of the stories was also the time that I still was confused about my identity either as a Hispanic or as a U.S. citizen, which I had no knowledge of the meaning of either. In struggling to adapt to this new country, I was shocked to understand how my father still helped migrants as they began their new life in the U.S. with our family's low-income. The elders were quick to answer my confusion by referring to my Guatemalan grandparents because even though my grandparents were poor with several kids, they sought life's meaning in helping. A core value that my father never abandoned when fleeing a civil war that, for much, targeted the indigenous communities, and arriving at the United States. That story, in particular, helped me start to define my own destiny as a person who was born between two worlds, the United States and Latin America, and raised in an immigrant community that I called my first home. Through his actions and the stories that the elders told me about my father, he taught me so much of what I could and should do in my life. I planned to break the odds in going into college which only a few have done in the community prior to my acceptance. At college I set to continue the core of helping others by studying international law to make an impact in Latin America, wanting to ensure that if people leave their country it is voluntary and with the ability to return at any time. My father helped me not be afraid of taking chances, and remembering where I came from especially as I am earning a higher education. I gained confidence in what I could do, and as many outside the community (authority figures) began to predict my future based on my community and background, I sought to prove them wrong as my father once did. In doing so I connected more with my roots, to never forget my parents or ancestors' teachings before a snuck away from home to earn a college education, independently financing that choice. I set out during my college journey with no expectations, only the hope to be given the chance to prove what I could do with the non-quitting attitude my father had while studying politics towards International law. Regarding work, my father's determination was something I wish to copy as I worked odd jobs to pay for college such as landscaping and carpentry outside of campus during the academic year and summer. Through the mentality of the family first and generous help, I was able to return to Mexico after not only studying but working, after a decade without seeing my family from my mother's side. I have hopes to return to Guatemala soon as it is a near two-decade dream of mine to reunite with my family there, something I understood has been harder for my father who has not been back in over 25 years. Hence, through listening to my father's story, it has not only shaped me but my future goals in studying international law to help migrants leave their country voluntarily and with hopes to return one day to Guatemala, where it all began.

My father fled his country as a result of a thirty-six-year long civil war that left a permanent trust gap between the state and the people. Although my father was rarely with me in my childhood as he was the only breadwinner for my family, he helped to shape who I am and wish to be by his actions, not his words. In the community I was raised in, the elders told me stories about how my father fled from the Guatemalan civil war to the United State. In my father's community, people thought they figured out his destiny because of his economic status but he proved that only he can define his own destiny, proven when he snuck away from his country with nothing more than a bag of clothes. In the United States, he immediately began to work as a carpenter and painter with hopes of returning home, but would soon create a home here. In struggling to adapt to this new country, I was shocked to understand how my father still helped migrants as they began their new life in the U.S. with our family's low-income. The elders were quick to answer my confusion by referring to my Guatemalan grandparents because even though my grandparents were poor with several kids, they sought life's meaning in helping. A core value that my father never abandoned when fleeing a civil war that, for much, targeted the indigenous communities, and arriving at the United States. That story, in particular, helped me start to define my own destiny as a person who was born between two worlds, the United States and Latin America, and raised in an immigrant community that I called my first home. Through his actions and the stories that the elders told me about my father, he taught me so much of what I could and should do in my life. My father helped me not be afraid of taking chances, and remembering where I came from especially as I am earning a higher education. I gained confidence in what I could do, and as many outside the community (authority figures) began to predict my future based on my community and background, I sought to prove them wrong as my father once did. In doing so I connected more with my roots, to never forget my parents or ancestors' teachings before a snuck away from home to earn a college education, independently financing that choice. I set out during my college journey with no expectations, only the hope to be given the chance to prove what I could do with the non-quitting attitude my father had while studying politics towards International law. Through that mentality, I was able to return to Mexico after not only studying but working, after a decade without seeing my family from my mother's side. I have hopes to return to Guatemala soon as it is a near two-decade dream of mine to reunite with my family there. Hence, through listening to my father's story, it has not only shaped me but my future goals in studying international law to help migrants leave their country voluntarily instead of fleeing from violence, and hopes to return one day to Guatemala, where it all began.

I am the first generation to be born in the United States (Washington D.C.) and the first to go into a university, specifically a private institution. Being the first along with the predominantly immigrant community that I was raised in has affected every aspect of my life. At the beginning of my school, I was not seen as a citizen of the U.S. but as an 'anchor' and 'street kid' because of my background. It has mainly been a mental struggle from then, an attempt to search for a sense of belonging, especially after the community disappeared. Once events such as deportations occurred, that fueled more determination in fulfilling the goal of the migrants, in wanting a better life than what was present in Latin America. The community, even now, has motivated me to see the finish line at the end of the tunnel which has strong economic opportunities and a chance to make a difference in Latin America. This outway any struggle, seeing myself as forever of member of the community of migrants who focused on how to better oneself instead of focusing on what we don't have, mainly economically. Overall my beginning saw every challenge, once at college, as an opportunity to be in charge of my own destiny. The hope of being able to change my life overcomes the mental and physical (economic) obstacles by using the skills that my community taught me how to see challenges and how to gain an income. By seeing the difficulties of being a minority in college or facing tuition costs alone, I use them as a means to motivate myself in working whether in academics or work. The challenges in going to college are shunned by the support of my community that keeps me motivated, undeterred by the obstacles.

My experience outside of the classroom have contributed immensely to my college experience, skills, and career goals. Prior to college, the experience I gained was in knowing issues in Latin America from the migrants that, together, created the welcoming community that I was raised in. I learned more about the reasons for migration along with the struggles of making it in the United States as I worked multiple jobs such as carpentry and painting. I learned a few skills in mechanics and financial saving tips from the elders in the community. All of which contributed to my college experience on how to afford the tuition and skills to be able to better compete for work. In being the first of my family to go to college, I saw the cost of college to be my responsibility to the outside experience helped to make it possible to do so. At the beginning of college, I already planned to take any opportunity possible and meet as many alumni and people in the community as possible, a remembrance of moving a lot as a child. Talking to new people has been a common characteristic of mine that has helped provide outside work, and was useful in finding opportunities outside of campus. I participated in multiple programs such as the Google BOLD Immersion program, Hatchery Innovation, Florida State, and Chicago-Kent law programs, Citi, the ability to study abroad, etc. The opportunities have allowed me to use what I learned in the classroom, regarding culture and politics by meeting people from all over the United States. The abroad program I believe has become the most impactful as it was when I received the Gilman Scholarship and was later connected with alumni who went to law school or other government-funded programs. Additionally, the experiences outside have immensely improved my communication skills and provided more opportunities that I am in the process of applying towards. First-hand experience in Humanitarian law and innovation to start having a better understanding of what I may wish to study in law school. Currently, the outside skills have helped in preparing me to complete my honor thesis for two of my degrees along with helping me better prepare to compete for more opportunities such as the Martindale Program. Yet, it also provided even further ideas on what my future education may look like as I was told of opportunities such as the Rhode Scholar that I wish to compete for this upcoming year. Overall, the outside experience has shaped what my college experience has become, an untraditional drive of ambition from one opportunity to another. Each experience improving another and ultimately strengthening my writing and communication skills along with adaptability to new areas such as marketing, technology, and finance. I have truly been able to use the skills that I started college with the better improve my resume and myself. The outside experiences have created a college experience that has impacted who I want to be in the future while also eager to see what more is possible in the last year and a half in undergrad and the three years of graduate school.

The role of education in my life is mainly as a source of change and impact. I am originally from Washington D.C. and raised in a predominantly immigrant community where I was one of the first few U.S. citizens. The community and my parents came from Latin America, fleeing violence and overwhelming corruption, and hearing stories in regards to those circumstances inspired me. Education was seen as a change to my family's position by being able to study and hopefully receive a job that will allow me to help my family and myself not have to move involuntarily anymore. It is a gamechanger which I was willing to sneak out of my house to go towards, a wonderful story and symbolic of ambition, how much I wanted to receive an education at any cost. The impact of education is in the ultimate goal of receiving a higher education. The goal is to make an impact in Latin America, ensuring migrants a safe and voluntary journey with the possibility of being able to return to their country if they wish to do so. This goal, I wish inspires others to receive an education seeing where I began and where I ultimately ended, from an immigrant community to, hopefully, a political leader. Education, thus, plays a crucial role in my life by making a difference for my personal family's future generations but also the future of many in Latin America, a region that I see as my second home. The community helped raised me and I wish to repay that unplayable debt through combatting what forced them out of their home.

A traumatic event that I have overcome has been the loss of my community that I called my home. I was raised in a predominantly immigrant community who all migrated to the United States fleeing from their home countries that were flooded with violence (civil wars, internal gang wars, etc.). This was the community I was raised in, and being from the United States, I felt different but was still given the opportunity to have a sense of belonging as the from the U.S. saw me as an immigrant and not as a citizen. The community taught me of religion, my character especially in never forgetting where I came from to keep me from arrogance, and the opportunities in having an education. The entire community helped shape my roots which have helped stray me away from drugs and cartels, and instead use the life I have to make a change in the world. They were truly my heroes who would teach every child about how society does not decide our future, that it is ourselves who decide who we want to be. That was the most important lesson, the freedom to choose our life and claiming it, because at that time it was as if the world did not want us in school or in the country, judging us before we could prove ourselves. The traumatic event would occur in the shape of multiple small acts such as deportations and violence in the community rival groups until my community ultimately disappeared. As for my biological family, we kept on moving a lot but my life became sealed in having lost my home, where I belonged. The day I graduated from high school, I could not help but cry thinking about the community, who inspired me to be more than just a kid from the streets, I succeeded with them in mind. After being accepted to college and taking my first steps on campus, I kept thinking about all those people who came before me, making them proud by working hard every day. This is how I have overcome the challenges of being without my home by remembering them with the hope that one day I can, attempt, to pay back the kindness that was given to me as a child, and endless debt. The community helped shape my goal in making a difference in Latin America, ensuring that if people leave their country, that it is voluntary with the possibility of returning if they wish to do so. The community was more than a plot of land for me, it was my first home away from home (Washington D.C.). If it was not for the community, I might have joined a gang or never have the courage to go to college because besides the community (which includes my family) no one else believed I could do it. The inspiration to one day go to my parents' home countries and see my family after nearly two decades with a diploma in hand as the first graduate of law school. Although it is a struggle to not have a sense of belonging, or struggling to compete because of being low-income, the community gave me the courage and strength to work as hard as necessary to pay for my tuition. I have successfully been able to independently work to pay for my education through multiple part-time jobs and still take any opportunity that is offered, as it was my choice to go to college, it is my responsibility.

I am currently working on a project that I call K'ulmaj which means making a change in K'iche, an Indigenous language from Guatemala. The project revolves around helping indigenous migrants receive fair and speedy trials in the United States because currently many migrate to the United States with no knowledge of English or Spanish. The is only a strong presumption that migrants from Latin America speak Spanish, English, or Portuguese and thus there is a shortage of translators in the United States that can communicate in both English and an Indigenous Language from Latin America, leaving many to 'play telephone' with their future. The project is currently focusing on Guatemala but with plans to expand to other Central American countries, to help migrants, especially children who are crossing the border(s) alone, and offer opportunities as well in the possible job market.

The top song is Oceans by Hillsong United. The song is on the comfort giving by God in the path called life. The other songs I believe elaborate further on what it means to me, where I came from, and where I am because I trusted in Him. The songs describe my beginnings; the roots of the past that have changed me for the better, and my non-stop ambition. The last four songs are what I feel has become possible because of my trust in God, determination, and success, I made it where no one believed I could.

It is a picture of me in Pokhara, Nepal. This picture is an example of me wanting to see what the future holds. It was during a break from classes that a group of students decided to travel to the highest point of the city to see the sunrise. At first, it was freezing cold in the pitch darkness but as the sun rose from the hills, it brightened up the mountains, the lake, and the city. This picture is the aftermath of the travel down the hill, exploring the outside of the city.

In undergrad, I am currently studying Political Science and Global Studies with the possibility of a third major in a combined Anthropology and Sociology degree. In the start, the plan was only to graduate in Political Science but expanded as I explored more of Lehigh University, understanding the possibilities of having a higher education. A college education has also allowed me to gain smaller programs such as Global Citizenship, specifically in India, and Health in a time in the world in which it has become very crucial. From there, the goal is to go into law school and study International Policy to better prepare for a career in international policy with Latin America.

Before heading into college, my self-love and acceptance were nearly non-existent as I saw myself as not deserving much of what I have achieved, such as being accepted into college. The reason being is that I was raised in a loving community that was predominantly immigrant who taught me skills such as how to be determined and the value of education. The community was the reason I decided to go into school because, during that time, many outside the community saw the children as "street kids". It ultimately left each child with a choice of accepting the title or prove that they are much more than a two-word title. However, as the community was predominantly immigrant, it led to many unfortunate events, and along with multiple moves my family and I made, I was left without the place that I called my home. Hence, when I graduated from high school, I did not see it as a success but rather as simple luck and guilt of what it truly cost. After I snuck out of my home to go to college, it was a desire to attempt to redeem myself and find a way to Latin America to reconnect with my biological family. I desired a sense of belonging, a sense that I missed for nearly a decade, and felt guilt over what I could have done to better protect my home, my community, as a kid (which was not healthy in the slightest). I basically became a smiling doll, but ironically, the circumstance that helped me get rid of the mentality was actually the thing that my community told me not to be, a doormat. In college, I was placed in a community of first-generation, I never knew the term until I arrived at college. However, the community turned to the worse, as I became a residential assistant for them our second year, having to decide between them and my job. It was the awful three-month event that would push me into reconnecting myself with my community, have I lived up to what they would have loved to see me as? and the answer was no. Although I have succeeded in graduating and going into college with goals to help Latin America, paying the kindness of the migrants forward, I held deep guilt over circumstances I had no control over. Thus, I left my job for a semester abroad, attempting to reflect on what I should do to better myself and my future. Being abroad, help me strengthen my Christian beliefs (being very far from my family) and reinvent myself in claiming the term "street kid" to remind myself where I came from and everything I have done since then, inserting a piece of my community into my own character. Ultimately, I sought to accept the past and end being a doormat; being proud of who I am and what I have accomplished with goals of continuous ambition (law school, international impact in Latin America, etc.).

Covid-19 has impacted my life throughout this entire year, which began studying abroad and turned into a journey back to the United States in March. Since then, I have been doing more research on the world and reflecting on myself. In regards to the world, it has been both amazing and saddening to better see the divide of wealth amongst countries, as could be seen in not only the economy but where the epidemic spread more quickly in comparison to one another. More touristy areas became hotspots while areas in Central America and Africa rarely had any in the start. However, what amazing me during this time has been seeing the unity of individual countries during an epidemic. For example, in Jordan, the first patient of Covid-19 was cared for by the city, people visited him and his family during his time in quarantine. The epidemic has shown both the good and the bad in humanity, which has already sparked technological and social changes such as how we study (what students can afford computers and who needs help); how the small things matter (being with friends and basic hygiene); most of all, the epidemic has shown our humanity (like a worldwide epidemic, it does not have preferences and has shown that humanity must be together, ignoring the imaginary borders that divide us). In regards to myself, I began this year attempting to figure out what path I will be taking after a terrible situation in the Fall of 2019 ultimately taught me that my community, was unique and will never return. That lesson has been the most prominent thing that I have learned during the epidemic, that life is short and to yearn for the past will bot help in looking towards the future. Thus, during the epidemic, I used the time to relearn what was taught to me in my community on determination and creativity (in the predominantly immigrant community, we used everyday items for fun such as pipes and a fishing net to create a soccer goal). In relearning what was taught, I attempted to also figure out who I was in a period where those who I once loved and relied on are no longer there to help guide me. I have inevitably decided to take a portion of each individual who made an impact on me to remember them and reinvent myself by the term I was called when I first started school which was "street kid". It is a term that I can proudly wear now, once I paid attention to how far I have gotten since then (a private institution with dreams of law school) and what I can do during this epidemic, not allowing any obstacle stop me from reaching new heights. The epidemic has taught me a lot about the world, but a lot more about me, and who I want to be.

If money was not an issue, I would use the opportunity to pay for law school and return to Guatemala to see my family after two decades. I made a promise to my grandmother that I would return home after graduating from high school but I was unable to do so immediately after. To return home would be the first thing I would do if money was not an issue, then I would immediately start planning steps into helping to rebuild my home. The reason being that in the predominantly immigrant community I was raised in, migrants would tell stories of why they fled their homes. Hence, for me, studying has been in hopes of being able to make an impact in Latin America to ensure people leave voluntarily and able to return as they please. I would direct the money towards entrepreneurship and education, with the development of roads and better medical equipment to help rural areas have a stronger foundation to rise up from. It will be my repayment to the Immigrant community that raised me, who showed me the value of helping others and having continuous ambition. In regards to ambition, this leads to the final piece which is to create my own business built from entrepreneurship, helping to not only fund start-ups but create startups of my own such as an app to teach Indigenous languages like K'iche with law/ medical vocabulary to provide job opportunities. These are the first goals that I would do if money was not an issue. I would want to use the time to make a difference in Latin America and my community while looking towards my next ambition. The reason being is that I cannot see myself simply relaxing after having enough money for the rest of my life as it was not having enough money, that motivated me to take risks. The risks I have taken have been extraordinary, from sneaking away from home to college to achieving the Gilman and traveling abroad. I love not knowing what the future holds and taking any opportunity possible, the excitement in what it could bring. Thus, if money was not an issue, would not push me into relaxation but on the contrary, it would push me into wanting to make a difference like my grandmother who did so in poverty. It would be a new chapter in my continuously driven life with hopes towards what the future holds.

Currently, I have focused on addressing Human Rights, specifically in regards to Human Trafficking through an internship with the United Nations and my university. However, I believe that the overall way that I have been addressing a social issue has been in studying and gaining experience through internships to better prepare. The reason being is that the social issue I wish to address is immigration in Latin America. Through being in a university, I have not only been able to study and gain hands-on experience in combating immigration but was able to return to one of the root places that inspired me. I returned home after ten years, to a small city currently barred as a military zone by the Mexican government which has become a hotspot for migrants making their journey North and cartels. It was there where I focused on helping migrants by assisting with food and water while being careful of the war. Being in a university has not only allowed me to return home to address the issue in the short-term but has allowed me to have hope of the possibilities in the future. I have not only been able to gain internships with the United Nations (my university is recognized as a Non-governmental organization) but in the past was able to receive help in studying abroad with a focus on Human Rights in Nepal, Jordan, and Chile. This past summer, I was able to start a new project that I called K'ulmaj, which means making a change, to help migrants that arrive in the United States from Latin America with no knowledge of English or Spanish. It is presumed that migrants in Latin America speak English, Spanish or Portuguese but the reality is that there are multiple Indigenous languages, of which I focused on those in Guatemala. I worked with NGOs in Guatemala and attornies in the United States to start a project on how to help Indigenous migrants be able to receive fair trials in the United States and ability to have so, quickly (quick and fair trials). The inspiration, I believe, will only get stronger as I am able to not only gain experience but also have the ability to start addressing the issue head-on in the present. This focus on the social issue of immigration began in the city I was raised in and moved constantly thereafter. I was raised in a predominantly immigrant community, where people spoke of what forced them to leave their countries, such as civil wars (e.g. the Guatemalan 36-year civil war) or indigenous discrimination. As I was one of the few U.S. citizens of the country, and the stories only made me question my status as both citizen and as the son of immigrants, as I did not fully belong to neither the United States nor Latin America. However, learning about the migration crisis in Latin America along with the opportunities in the United States, the immigrant community inspired me into having my goal of law school. I am and will continue to focus on the social issue for my community, and for Latin America, my home away from home.