Life is never easy for anyone. This is especially the case for me as I am a first-generation student and the eldest daughter in my family. This role was a huge responsibility for me as I had to be the role model for my siblings while pursuing my own educational journey. No one knew how to assist me in my journey as I was left to figure it out by myself by a young age. Needing to be able to understand how to translate English to Spanish for my parents for them to be able to understand any important documents they had received. My parents could not complete their educational journey due to financial difficulties and sacrificed their dreams to give my siblings and me an education. The biggest hardship I had to overcome was managing my educational and personal life during my junior year of high school since I was assisting my parents in their last hearing to become a legal resident in the United States. Not knowing if my family would be separated, if my educational journey would end as well, or if the court's decision would ruin my goal of receiving a higher education. Having to deal with this pressure while also handling my AP classes and extracurriculars was the hardest point in my life, as many consider junior year to be the hardest and most important year. Still, I strove forward, having faith and courage not to give up, as I was able to overcome this problem through the support and guidance from my family and friends, along with some help from my school. I soon graduated high school and was the first to get accepted and attend college as I am about to finish my first year as a pre-nursing student. I want to continue my studies in order to enter the nursing program and help my community in any way I can through the healthcare field. This scholarship would provide huge financial support and alleviate the burden of going even deeper into student debt in order to focus on my studies and career as a Nurse efficiently. Once I have completed my education, I plan to give back to the community through my career by volunteering in shelters, mentoring people who want to obtain the same profession, and even helping those in need in times of crisis. My main goal to assist in my community is to advocate for mental health and healthcare access. Everyone deserves to receive the treatment they deserve without having to worry about money and if they can afford the service they need to survive. I would encourage young people to pursue Philately as a hobby by making it more appealing, such as by stating some fun facts about its origin and history. Another way I could promote this hobby is through social media, as many young people can become easily persuaded and interested in anything that is trending. Our society is very diverse when it comes to young people, as I am sure there are many who will be interested in vintage items, and vintage postage stamps can make the hobby more interesting.

Motivation and dedication, as my grandmother told me as a child, are the two major qualities in a person that will help an individual strive further in life. As a child, I would see her surrounded by nurses and doctors when I visited her at the hospital; too young to understand she was ill and had cancer. I often promised her how I would grow up to be a nurse and be by her side to help her as she would smile and encourage me to do so. Being a small child in elementary, I did not know how ill she was and that I could not make her promise to wait for me until I finished my career. She passed away soon after as nurses and doctors surrounded her during her final moments. Unfortunately, not all of my family could see her in her last moments. Seeing the empathy and care the nurses had for my grandmother motivated me to want to do the same for others. For those who are not so fortunate to see their loved ones in their last moments. I wanted to make her proud and keep the promise I made to her that I would become a nurse and help those in need the same way the nurses helped her throughout her journey with cancer. Throughout middle school and high school, my classmates often told me and sometimes advisors I would never be able to get a higher education due to being of low income. Their doubts only made me want to prove them wrong as it filled my motivation and dedication to go to college and enter the nursing program. My parents have been my moral and financial support through it all as they have risked their own dream in order for me to work for mine. In high school, I took medical courses or medical-related courses to assist me in my journey to be a Nurse. I took a medical assisting course where I completed all my medical classes and externship as a sports medicine intern but I was unable to obtain my certification due to not being able to get clinical hours at a clinic. The dedication I put into this course was not wasted, as I was able to transfer these credits to my college. Through my hard work and dedication, I was able to attend the college where I am now a pre-nursing major. Currently, I have the best of my abilities to make it into the nursing program at my college by applying to volunteer at nearby hospitals and clinics and even consulting with my professor and advisors on what I should do in order to get into the program and achieve my goal of becoming a nurse. I know Nursing is a competitive major, but my desire and dedication to helping those in need are what keeps me motivated to do my best, educationally and personally. Being a nurse has been my dream and goal as a child, no matter what obstacles I have to face, I will always pick myself up and not give up.

Immigrant and illegal aliens were the names that were given to my parents when they arrived in the United States. Both of them were born in Guerrero, Mexico, where my mother gave up her education to work in the fields to earn money for her older sister to continue her education. She only finished elementary while the highest education my father completed was high school before looking for work after having no money left to continue studying. When they got married, they realized life in their small town offered few work and education opportunities. In search of a better life for the children, they made the decision to immigrate to the United States. Growing up, I developed a passion for helping others in need, which grew after my grandmother's death from cancer. Seeing so many nurses and doctors trying to save her and showing compassion, determination, and empathy by being with her in her last moments inspired me to do the same for the people who are in need of assistance and need someone to be with them in their last moments. When I told many about my passion and desire to be a nurse or doctor, I was always dismissed and not taken seriously when talking to teachers or other family members. I can still recall their words when they told me I would likely never be able to make it past high school because of my parent's legal status or even attend college because we were of low income. I was told it was just a dream, and it felt as though having foreign-born parents defined my future. Being told this since the second grade made me confused as to why having foreign-born parents had to do with wanting to receive a higher education, yet I wanted to prove them wrong. I made a promise to my parents their sacrifice would not go in vain and that I would be their first child to graduate and attend college. Throughout middle school and high school, I made sure to be a straight-A student in my family, doing my best to accomplish my dream and keep the promise I made to my parents while also helping them in their case to become legal residents. There were times when the weight of my studies and my parents' legal challenges overwhelmed me, and I would cry from the pressure. Yet my parents were always there to comfort me, telling me the world would not stop for me to grieve my setbacks and to rise up each time I stumbled. Eventually, I did keep my promise; I graduated high school and got accepted into college, as I proved to everyone who doubted me wrong. Seeing my parents proud of me was the best gift I could ever receive. This only encouraged me to strive further to graduate college and become a Surgical Nurse to further prove that a child from foreign-born parents can make it. I know with the correct support, I can continue working towards my goals and further demonstrate my perseverance. I also aim to assist my siblings in their own journey through high school while also trying to alleviate the financial burden of attending college for my parents through scholarships.