As I was in a panicked state of mind about what happened to me, a hospital social worker grasped my hand and held me tight to her chest. I buried myself in her and let everything out. The image of the man I once called father being handcuffed and taken away replayed in my mind. But once I felt her embrace, my fear was replaced by safety. Although the experience left lasting cracks in my life, it also planted the first seed of healing. We lived in a small cabin that was given to us in exchange for labor at a fruit packing company, surrounded by relatives who placed their hopes in me as a first-generation student. This fueled my early academic success, and I received recognition throughout elementary and middle school. As I approached high school, an incident occurred in my new home, breaking my confidence. There were police cars outside my house. I shook in fear, leaving my little brother inside the house as I sprinted down the stairs. While being put on a stretcher, the spirit of a confident girl was now gone. As my first year of high school began, my motivation dimmed and my grades declined. With my mother now supporting our family alone, I saw the weight she carried. Watching her struggle pushed me to regain control of my future. Although my high school GPA did not fully reflect my potential, I searched for other ways to prove myself. I applied to the Running Start program and was accepted into Wenatchee Valley College. The calm and welcoming environment rebuilt my confidence. By my first quarter, my grades improved, and I stepped into leadership roles in HOSA – Future Health Professionals and the Queer Straight Alliance. In these positions, I earned a third-place medal for presenting emergency response strategies to my community and was invited to internationals. I helped organize bone marrow and blood drives, taught CPR, advocated for queer healthcare by presenting slides, and educated students on how to respond in life-threatening situations. These experiences strengthened my voice and shaped me into a community speaker. I took a chance to enter a local non-profit internship while starting college. As I walked into this opportunity, I finally discovered the long-term dream. I canvassed door-to-door, meeting families who struggled to put food on the table yet still carried dreams of higher education. Engaging with Hispanic working-class communities pushed me to interview local leaders and advocate for the people of Wenatchee. We hosted successful block parties and community gatherings for different cities, inviting our community to partake in our events while inviting local organizations to collaborate with us. As I reflected on how to combine my love for healthcare with my advocacy for working-class communities, I returned to the memory of the hospital social worker who first made me feel safe. I realized that social work would allow me to address both the psychosocial and systemic challenges families face. I have also been invited back to my internship to advocate for affordable healthcare, public education, and voter engagement. Each experience continues to align my academic preparation with my purpose. I aim to deepen my clinical practice and expand my advocacy work. Through shadowing social workers and field training, I aim to perfect my clinical judgment and professional skills. Learning with patients is important as I get to listen and see different points of view and explore the experiences people go through. Seeing how much my social worker helped me, I hope to offer safe spaces to children who were in the same position as me.