As a little girl, I failed to understand what the sentence “Your dad and I are no longer together” truly meant. When I heard those words at the beginning of middle school, the world of happiness I knew fell apart. I remember walking into my English class not understanding why things had happened, and I was insanely hurt. I saw all the “perfect” families around me, and I wished to have that again. Days and months passed, but my situation never seemed to get better. Instead, I found myself falling quickly into depression. Each night, I laid on my bed with my eyes filled with tears, completely alone and mentally unstable. I fell into a hole of burden and felt too weak to go against older adults. I felt as if my voice did not matter and was useless because adults did not understand how I felt or what I was going through. As my parents began constructing new lives, they began bringing new partners into their lives. I never believed this would affect me even more. My father’s new partner, in particular, made me feel smaller than any other individual. She would constantly blame me for the issues that went wrong in her life and use intimidation to keep me quiet. At the time, I had no clue what I could do because I began to believe I had to be silent, and no adult would care about my opinion. I was mentally struggling to find my voice and gain confidence to speak up because of the fear that things would only get worse. When I reached my breaking point, I realized I had to change. By this time, I was emotionally drained, exhausted, and tired of being quiet. My parents were in a custody battle, and I was appointed a lawyer by the court. When I walked into my lawyer’s office for the first time, I was nervous, but I had a sense of hope that things would get better. My lawyer provided a safe space for me where I felt protected and reassured that my well-being is what mattered most. I felt valued by him and seen for the first time after years of loneliness and weakness. The obstacles that I have faced through my parents’ separation have shaped who I am now in many ways. Even though I went through mental health issues, I learned the importance of advocacy and empathy. I felt what it is to be silenced and overlooked. These experiences sparked my interest in helping people who feel voiceless and fail to have the support they need. I am now an inspired graduating senior at Pomona High School, looking to pursue a degree in Political Science and continue to law school. I aspire to help the people who feel the way I did in the past, especially children who believe they are powerless. My past has motivated me to give back to Pomona, the city where I grew up. I have found my purpose and commitment to helping as many people as possible through my education and experiences. From the little girl who once felt too weak to speak up about the way I was feeling I am now an individual who enjoys volunteering at local city events, public speaking, and being a Peer Counselor on my campus. The Pete and Consuelo scholarship would support not only my academic goals but also my dedication to ensuring nobody ever feels the way I did