“Kain na!” My lola yells across the table of our open balcony as our neighbor ate Susan who has been our neighbor since, I can remember. “Hi mare! Ayos lang” replies ate Susan as she passes our aroma-filled table crowded by a sea of white rice with a bowl of sardines. Growing up in a poverty stricken household, I’ve learned that the very thing that makes one wealthy is not that of materialistic value. Instead, it’s the morals and characteristics that one holds in their heart. Though my family made a can of sardines and rice stretch for 7 mouths at a time and made ends meet, they never abandoned their generosity, kindness, and “pakikisama”. Through the first 10 years of life, I was born and raised in the Philippines. Growing up in the Philippines has definitely kept me grounded through my first years of adulthood and probably for the rest of my life. Generosity and kindness was reflected through my family’s actions daily. In a home that housed 9 people, I learned “pakikisama”, which directly translates to “getting along.” These characteristics that I’ve learned over the years played a crucial part in shaping my identity as both a Filipino and as a human. My “why” is my family. My “why” is the characteristics that my family has instilled in me. My “why” is the pride I carry as I’m a walking example of what a Pinoy is. I strive to be able to give my family a life filled with generosity as they have shown every person that they come into contact with. I strive to reflect the values that my family, along with my Filipino ancestors lived for me to have. I strive and am grateful to be a beaming example of what living with pusong pinoy is instead of barring it with shame.

I’m going to make a difference in the lives of children. Growing up in a third world country where mental health is heavily stigmatized, I grew up witnessing people- even family members, individually deal with their mental health with no help. I decided that I will stop this generational ideology internally and will put a stop to it. Seeing such a sight as an impressionable young child sparked in me, a passion for both helping others and for mental health. I remember being a little girl, always making the “top ten” list in my class for years, yet having no vision of going to college because of its financial burden and the lack of role models. However, moving to the United States changed my mindset. Shortly after moving here, I quickly realized that there are tons of opportunities that are up for grabs. I was in 5th grade when I moved here, I was put in an English Second Language (ESL) class. I’m humbly proud to say that I was the first in my ESL batch to “graduate” or be efficient enough to not have to attend anymore but the third quarter of that school year. Aside from learning how to properly construct the English Language, I was putting in extra time in my school work. Thankfully, through my grit and will to work, I earned numerous amounts of honor until my high school years. Now, I’ve excitedly gotten accepted into seven different universities! My ambition is to become a pediatric clinical psychologist. In addition to clinical psychology, I’m also interested in entrepreneurship and social work. Once I open up a few clinics of my own and those are stable, I want to establish a non-profit organization. The non-profit will facilitate the needs of teenagers that have aged-out of the foster care system as they walk through adulthood, by connecting them with the future they desire. These teenagers who come into the non-profit organization have an option of pursuing an education at a collegiate level or going straight into the workplace. I want these teenagers to know that they are more than just numerical data and they have people who value them. I want them to regain hope and to know that no matter what was in their past, they are still capable of reaching their dreams. My ultimate goal for this non-profit is to serve as a safe haven for these youth. They will also be welcomed to my clinic, free of charge, if they decide that they need mental health care. Though being a clinical psychologist and doing some social work is what seems to be at the forefront of my future, I want to get further than that. Yes- clinical psychology is my dream but I also aspire to be a remarkable role model, a mentor, an author, a confidant, an advocate, and finally to be the change.

I'm scared of the pool but I'm a swimmer! Yes- you heard it correctly, I'm in fact a swimmer that is scared of swimming pools. I'm a varsity swim captain, lifeguard, swim league coach, swim camp instructor, you name it...which is what makes my situation so unusual. It's not that I don't know how to swim, thankfully, I often get praised for my swimming abilities, it's just the overwhelming fear that I get when looking down at the bottom of the pool. A lot of people are scared of the pool because they don't know how to swim, however, I know my predicament is more than that because I used to not know how to swim either. If my fear of pools diminished like my inability to swim, then that theory would make sense but this isn't the case. The only difference since I learned how to swim is just directly that I know how to swim now. I've even gotten so good at being scared of the pool that I close my eyes when swimming, which my coach thought was weird. It's a very odd thing to do but I have to make it work because I'm scared. I'm a competitive swimmer so I would only open my eyes to peek and see if I'm close to the wall for my flip turn. Ultimately, my ambition is to become a pediatric clinical psychologist. In addition to clinical psychology, I’m also interested in entrepreneurship and social work. Once I open up a few clinics of my own and those are stable, I want to establish a non-profit organization. The non-profit will facilitate the needs of teenagers that have aged-out of the foster care system as they walk through adulthood, by connecting them with the future they desire. These teenagers who come into the non-profit organization have an option of pursuing an education at a collegiate level or going straight into the workplace. I want these teenagers to know that they are more than just numerical data and they have people who value them. I want them to regain hope and to know that no matter what was in their past, they are still capable of reaching their dreams. My ultimate goal for this non-profit is to serve as a safe haven for these youth. They will also be welcomed to my clinic, free of charge, if they decide that they need mental health care.