Gardeners must put flowers in the finest conditions for them to blossom, but in extreme cases, a resilient flower flourishes despite its unfavorable surroundings. I identify myself with a flower pushing through the pavement. All odds were against me since before I came out of the womb, yet I still managed to flourish. There were many conditions in my life that I had no control over; however, they acted as building blocks that shaped me along the way. My father—the person who is supposed to provide for and protect us—abandoned me. Despite my mother’s tireless efforts and unwavering love, my father's absence left a void that seemed never to be filled. As a child, seeing kids in the park enjoying time with their fathers lifted the veil on how much I was missing out on. Despite the negative feelings these moments provoked in me, they were a crucial nutrient for my growth. Independence is an attribute I developed early on. Without my father's assistance, I learned how to help my mom around our home, translate important documents, and successfully replace light bulbs to ensure that our needs were always met. Still, I always found refuge in one thing: God. My relationship with God filled the role of a father-daughter relationship. My grandmother had a huge influence on the development of this spiritual connection. As a Christian woman, she planted a seed in my heart that flourished. I knew that I didn't need to fill my void with superficial things such as drugs or other coping mechanisms. My current relationship with God doesn't solely include going to church, sitting down, and then exiting the same as you came in; growth is a crucial part of any relationship with God. Always seeking knowledge and wisdom from Him on a day-to-day basis will induce that growth. Impatience was an attribute that I learned to eliminate through the teachings of my faith. As I progressed in volleyball, my leadership skills flourished, leading to my promotion from co-captain to captain. However, the question, "Do you play club volleyball?" was a constant reminder of economic limitations. In New York City, club costs were prohibitive, reflecting a broader issue of inequality. Despite financial constraints, I excelled, showcasing potential that typically demands elite coaching. Unfortunately, class struggle also oppressed my grandmother, the person who instilled God in my life, fell victim to underfunded healthcare in low-income areas. Without access to preventative healthcare, her blood pressure rose, and she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. She was rushed to the hospital, but her brain cells died. Throughout all the pain and grieving, there was one thought going through my head: "How can I honor my grandmother and prevent situations like these from ever happening again?" My perseverance, commitment, and passion have pushed me through the concrete and flourished past every socioeconomic limitation. As I pursue my career in healthcare, I am committed to helping families similar to mine get the quality care they deserve. I yearn to help young kids in search of that missing piece navigate through life in a way that will guide them to success, regardless of their class. As I continue to flourish, I aspire to provide crucial nutrients in other people's lives to guide fellow nonconformists toward a life that they have yet to imagine. I don't envision myself as the only flower pushing through concrete; there will be a meadow of flowers flourishing in many groundbreaking ways.

Gardeners must put flowers in the finest conditions to blossom, but in extreme cases, a resilient flower flourishes despite its unfavorable surroundings. I identify myself with a flower pushing through the pavement. All odds were against me since before I came out of the womb, yet I still managed to flourish. I had no control over many conditions in my life; however, they acted as building blocks that shaped me along the way. My father—the person who is supposed to provide for and protect us—abandoned me. Despite my mother’s tireless efforts and unwavering love, my father's absence left a void that seemed never to be filled. As a child, seeing kids in the park enjoying time with their fathers lifted the veil on how much I was missing out on. Despite the negative feelings these moments provoked, they were a crucial nutrient for my growth. Independence is an attribute I developed early on. Without my father's assistance, I learned how to help my mom around our home, translate essential documents, and replace light bulbs to ensure our needs were always met. Still, I always found refuge in one thing: God. My relationship with God filled the role of a father-daughter relationship. My grandmother had a significant influence on the development of this spiritual connection. As a Christian woman, she planted a seed in my heart that flourished. I knew that I didn't need to fill my void with superficial things such as drugs or other coping mechanisms. My current relationship with God doesn't solely include going to church and exiting the same as you came in; growth is crucial to any relationship with God. Always seeking wisdom from Him daily will induce that growth. My performance on the volleyball court has also been parallel to my performance in my typical life. As I developed as a player, I witnessed my capabilities as a leader flourish, stepping up from being co-captain to captain of the volleyball team. Yet, during games, I was constantly asked, “Do you play club volleyball?” A sense of gratification arose, accompanied by a subtle undercurrent of disappointment. The undeniable truth confronted me: My socio-economic status hinders my path toward higher-level volleyball. Travel teams in New York City typically cost insurmountable sums that my mother's income could not afford. These income-based opportunities created a system of inequality. Despite that, I could reach higher levels in volleyball that would generally require elite, highly compensated coaching. Unfortunately, class struggle also oppressed my grandmother, the person who instilled God in my life, and fell victim to underfunded healthcare in low-income areas. Without access to preventative healthcare, she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. She was rushed to the hospital, but she was declared brain dead. Throughout all the pain, there was one thought going through my head: "How can I honor my grandmother and prevent situations like these from ever happening again?" My perseverance, commitment, and passion have pushed me through the concrete and flourished past every socioeconomic limitation. As I pursue my career, I am committed to helping families like mine get the quality care they deserve. I yearn to help young kids searching for that missing piece navigate life in a way that will guide them to success, regardless of their class. As I continue to flourish, I aspire to provide crucial nutrients in other people's lives to guide fellow nonconformists toward a life that they have yet to imagine. I don't envision myself as the only flower pushing through concrete; a meadow of flowers will flourish in many groundbreaking ways.

Gardeners must put flowers in the finest conditions for them to blossom, but in some extreme cases, a flower may emerge as resilient and flourish despite its unfavorable surroundings. I identify myself with a flower pushing through the pavement: all odds were against me since before I came out of the womb, yet I still managed to flourish. There were many conditions in my life that I had no control of, however, they acted as building blocks that shaped me along the way. My father –the person who was supposed to provide for and protect us –abandoned me. Despite my mother’s tireless efforts and unwavering love, my father's absence left a void that seemed never to be filled. As a child, seeing kids in the park enjoying time with their fathers enlightened me to how much I was missing out on. Despite the negative feelings these moments provoked, they were a crucial nutrient for my growth. Independence is an attribute I developed early on. Without my father's assistance, I had no choice but to learn how to help my mom around our home, translate important documents, and replace light bulbs to ensure that our needs were always met. Still, I always found refuge in one thing: God. My relationship with God filled the role of a father-daughter relationship. My maternal grandmother had a huge influence on the development of this spiritual connection. As a Christian woman, she planted a seed in my heart that flourished. I knew that I didn't need to fill my void with superficial things such as drugs or other coping mechanisms. My relationship with God doesn't solely include going to church and then exiting the same as you came in; Growth is a crucial part of any relationship with God. Always seeking knowledge from Him everyday will induce that growth. Instead of making impulse decisions, I now take the initiative by taking a step back and observing the problem I’m faced with. My performance on the volleyball court has also been parallel to my performance in my typical life. As I developed as a player, I witnessed my capabilities as a leader flourish, stepping up from being co-captain to captain of the volleyball team. Yet, During games, I was constantly approached with the same question: “Do you play club volleyball?” A sense of gratification arose, accompanied by a subtle undercurrent of disappointment. I was confronted with the undeniable truth: My socio-economic status is a hindrance to my path toward higher-level volleyball. Travel volleyball couldn't be considered since my mother's income simply could not afford it. These income-based opportunities created a system of inequality. Despite that, I achieved higher levels in volleyball that regularly required elite, highly compensated coaching. Unfortunately, class struggle also oppressed my grandmother. The person who instilled God in my life fell victim to underfunded healthcare in low-income areas. Without access to preventative healthcare, her blood pressure rose, and she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. She was rushed to the hospital, but her brain cells died. Throughout all the pain and grieving, there was one thought going through my head: "How can I honor my grandmother and prevent situations like these from ever happening again?" My perseverance, commitment, and passion have pushed me through the concrete and flourished past every socioeconomic limitation. As I continue to flourish, I aspire to provide crucial nutrients in other people's lives to guide fellow nonconformists toward a life that they have yet to imagine. I don't envision myself as the only flower pushing through concrete; there will be a meadow of flowers flourishing in many groundbreaking ways.