Ever since I was a little kid, I watched and paid close attention to how my grandpa took care of his patients and worked diligently to provide only the best to those who needed it. As time passed by, I also saw the necessity for there to create more accessibility to health care services so that it reaches everyone, especially those with lower resources. Coming from a family with low income myself, I am aware of how important it is to have access to primary services without having to carry debt on your shoulders. Because there are very hard-working families who give it their all to provide the best for their loved ones, even if their economic situation is not the best, I want to serve those people through my career, which is in the medical field and act as a bridge to success for everyone, regardless of their background, race, age, sex, and socioeconomic status. I moved from Ecuador to the United States three years ago to finish high school and study at an excellent university, pursuing my dream of becoming a doctor and later develop a solution to the lack of accessibility of professional medical services in third world countries and other disadvantaged settings. Even if I am an American citizen, I feel more like a foreigner adapting to a new lifestyle, a new culture, and a new environment. Furthermore, having to adapt to a different way of living has brought upon some obstacles and challenges, some of them being the language barrier as the change of environment changed drastically, and I had and still have to learn things that everyone already knows quickly. Additionally, the balance between my extracurriculars and academics was a challenge as I did not have the option to be part of a club at my previous high school in Ecuador, and I had to balance my high school classes, college classes, clubs, and sports. The tallest wall that I will have to overcome is to thrive in my studies and become a professional in the medical field so that I can make way for my family and future generations to enjoy what I have been able to achieve, and I can also provide my services and help those who need it the most. I strongly feel that this scholarship will help me realize my dreams and be the light in the darkness as by financing my education, which is the key to success, I will be able to not only become a better person but will also be capable of giving a helping hand and be of support to those who have gone through a situation similar as mine. With this scholarship, I will be able to reach out to people from around the world, especially third world countries, which are the most disadvantaged in terms of economic, social, and political status.

Ever since we were children, we always looked up to someone, someone who would fill our void and make us feel important. We always sought the advice of that one person we considered to be all-knowing and perfect, and it was not for nothing as he or she was the one who showed us the way to live a good life. In my case, my Mami is my everything. She taught me how to face adversity and succeed, how to become strong in every aspect of life, how to be more by walking that extra mile, how to prioritize my responsibilities, and how to be light in the darkness. My mom is everything I could ever ask for; she knows that nothing is more important than God and our family; she knows that no material thing can change that. The greatest sacrifice my mom has made for my brothers and me was to stop working, to stop pursuing her goals to dedicate herself to her children. She gave up everything for us because she knew that having a parental figure for her kids to follow would raise successful, independent, and helping individuals who would make a change in our world. Because she decided to prioritize our future over her own, I understood that no achievement, no recognition, nor reward is worth more than my family and my wellbeing. At one point, I used to think that my mother was being lazy, but as I closely watched everything she has done, I learned that it was never the case. She stayed up until late at night either searching for better ways to provide for us, reflecting on the Bible and being that emotional support that my dad needed due to the exhausting and in-humane job that he used to work at, or doing all house chores, which believe it or not, it is a very tedious thing to do. Everything my mom did, made me reflect upon the meaning of hard work both my mom and dad taught me what it meant to give it your all and not desist before any circumstance. They shaped the way I am today by being resilient, persistent, responsible, hard-working, and turning away from deterring opinions meant to bring you down. Reflecting upon the time I have spent with my parents, I can conclude that nothing I have achieved has been by my strength; it has always been my parents' and God's will to make me reach this far in life. The values my mom has taught me have made me conscious about our surroundings, our behavior, our situation, and about being sympathetic and kind to those who surround us. I remember my mom taking my brothers and me to the streets and under the bridges to give away clothes and toys to the less advantaged on Christmas Eve. Those little actions ignited a flame in my heart to continue pushing myself so that later on, I can also help those in need.

COVID-19-related meme: Even if a pandemic has struck our lives, I won't let that obstacle prevent me from achieving my goals and going far and beyond my expectations. Skipping-time meme: When going through the college application process, I found myself frustrated as I did not know where I was headed, especially since I'm the first one in my family to attend a university in the United States. Student-debt meme: Since there is so much student debt in our country, and it continues to increase, I wanted to address this issue and talk about how donators help solve this problem.

“Everyone has challenges and lessons to learn–we wouldn’t be who we are without them” -Sean Combs. Just as obstacles are seen as big pillars standing in our way, by overcoming our challenges, we can make those same pillars transform into staircases that will help us to succeed in life. The challenges and factors that have shaped me as a person are my family’s economic situation, values, sacrifice, and effort. These factors have helped me to grow by building confidence and determination in myself, by realizing how fortunate I am for having magnificent parents who have guided me throughout my life to achieve my goals, and by learning how to cope in difficult situations on my own. I grew up in Ecuador, a third-world country where everything requires much more work and where not everything is as fair as it should be. My family and I lived a decent life, with its ups and downs, thinking about what tomorrow awaits. It was not until some years ago when our situation changed drastically. My mom had been unemployed for some time and when my dad got laid off from his job, our family faced a very difficult situation in which at one point, they could not afford to pay for basic services. I used to study in a private school back in Ecuador, but when my dad lost his job, my brother, Ricardo, and I had to either drop out of school or move to another country because neither my dad nor my mom could afford to pay for school as they already had a lot of debt in their hands. Therefore, my family and I concluded that in order to provide the best for our family, Ricardo and I must move with our grandmother, aunt, and uncle to the United States until our situation stabilizes. My family and I thought about moving to the U.S. before this situation occurred. I always wanted to study in the U.S. as I grew up listening to the experiences of relatives who described the opportunities that this country offers in every scope. My ultimate goal was and still is to get an excellent secondary education, graduate with honors, and become an excellent doctor to later provide my best service to those who need it. When I graduate from medical school, I want to create a program where I can help low-income people from Ecuador and other countries by providing need-blind medical services so that they do not have to go through the same situation as my family and I did economically. Back in my school in Ecuador, I participated in sports such as basketball and soccer, and other extracurricular activities such as the United Nations Model and the Leaders of Leaders Program. This school offered almost no clubs as, in Ecuador, these kinds of activities are still not promoted. When talking about sports, basketball is what represents who I am. I have played this sport since elementary and I still play with the same passion and desire. This sport has taught me more than just skill and ball-handling, it has taught me how to work as a team rather than as an individual and how to react in certain situations when things seem to get out of control. Basketball has also taught me that everything we do in life comes with discipline and compromise because, without those values, one cannot succeed and thrive. No matter where I am, I want to give my best in everything I do, I want to help as many people as I can, and I want to make my family and friends proud of who I am and who I have become. I have done it in Ecuador and I will continue to do it in the United States because no barrier can contain me from achieving my goals. In my two years of living in this country, I have been able to keep up with the system and go far and beyond people's expectations. I have become involved in clubs and sports, which have in one way or another helped me grow immensely.

Working and studying is a vicious cycle, and it can become the source of your emotional instability depending on how you carry it out. I used to isolate myself from friends and abstain from social interactions and reunions because I wanted to solely focus on my studies so I could excel academically and attend an excellent university. I thought this method of putting my responsibilities over my mental health would be worth all the stress and illness I felt, but as time passed by, I realized that it was not the case. A bird in a cage, without being taken care of and without being able to be free-- that was how I used to live. Two years after I moved to the United States in 2018, I began to think that the only way to success was to sacrifice my all in order to obtain what my heart desired because that was what my relatives and family were implicitly saying to me. After months of unveiling myself every night to study everything that I learned, I reached the limit of my physical and mental states. I began to develop anxiety and started eating because of the stress of trying to be the perfect daughter; I also began to isolate myself from my friends and family by being locked up in my room and becoming addicted to social media and school-related work. I felt like falling into a wormhole, not being heard or seen by anyone. I kept living like this for a couple of months until school ended. When summer came by, I could not relax as I was continuously putting myself into situations where I needed to exhaust myself through work and study to make myself useful. I remember always being moody and upset at anything that I considered annoying as I did not want to be bothered by anyone. I did not even want to have a meal with my relatives because of how I felt, but it all changed after I went to Ecuador a couple of weeks later. When I came back to my parents to Ecuador in August, they saw how bad I was on the outside as well as the inside. To fix my heart and soul, they became what I lacked in the United States-- they became my parents, and we discussed the things that happened there and made me become another person. They were the emotional pillar I lacked and helped me get over my emotional instability. They reminded me about prioritizing myself over anything else, and they made me feel secure as they told me that no achievement is more important than seeing me healthy and being at peace with myself and those around me. It was then when I realized that the most important thing is to prioritize our mental health because when we find our balance, we can perform at our highest without compromising our health. The time I spent in the United States proved to me that my mental health is something that I must not take for granted nor abuse it as it is very delicate and can cause devastating effects on my personal and social life. On the other hand, Ecuador demonstrated to me that even if you face these struggles, there is always a way to solve them and become the individual you desire to be without being chained by ill thoughts. Now, I am not only focused on my future as an excellent student and professional, but I am concerned about my health and taking things one step at a time. The most important lesson that I have learned throughout these past months is that no matter how big your plans can be at the end of the day, these "plans" are not infallible because we are only humans, and we always make a mistake. Therefore, we must learn how to cope with life and not put in the first place our work, but instead our mental and physical health because, without them, we are just individuals without a sense of self.

Ever since we were children, we always looked up to someone, let it be a superhero from a cartoon, a family member like mom and dad, or any other. We always sought the advice of that one person we considered to be all-knowing and perfect, and it was not for nothing as he or she was the one who showed us the way to live a good life. In my case, my Mami was and is still my role model. She taught me how to face adversity and succeed, how to become strong in every aspect of life, how to be more by walking that extra mile, how to prioritize my responsibilities, and how to be light in the darkness. My mom is everything I could ever ask for, and even if she is not able to give me everything she would love to, my mom still demonstrates her love and caring through her actions as she knows that nothing is more important than God and our family. She knows that no material thing can change that. The greatest sacrifice my mom has made for my brothers and me was to stop working, to stop pursuing her goals to dedicate herself to her children. She gave up everything for us because she knew that having a parental figure for her kids to follow would raise successful, independent, and helping individuals that would make a change in this chaotic world we live in. Because of her decision to prioritize our future over her own, I understood that no achievement, no recognition, or no reward is worth more than my family and my wellbeing. At one point, I used to think that my mother was being lazy for not working and just staying home, but as I closely watched everything she has done, I learned that she was never being lazy nor irresponsible. She was staying up until late at night either searching for better ways to provide for us, reflecting on the Bible, being that emotional support that my dad needed due to the exhausting and in-humane job that he used to work at, or doing all house chores, which believe it or not, it is a very tedious and long-lasting thing to do. Everything my mom did in front of me or behind my back made me reflect upon the meaning of hard work both my mom and dad taught me what it meant to give it your all and not desist before any circumstance. They shaped the way I am today by being resilient, persistent, responsible, hard-working, and turning away from deterring opinions that are only meant to bring you down. Because my mom sacrificed her everything for my brothers and me, I want to be reciprocal and give back to my family and my community through my hard work and dedication to pursuing my dream of becoming a great doctor who can give professional care to everyone and anyone regardless of their socioeconomic background or extenuating circumstances. Reflecting upon the time I have spent with my parents, I can say with confidence that nothing I have achieved so far has been by my own strength it has always been my parents' and God's will to make me reach this far in life. Every big and small obstacle I have conquered has been because of the influence that my mom has. The values she has bestowed upon my brothers and I have made us conscious about our surroundings, our behavior, our situation, and about being sympathetic and kind to those who surround us. I remember my mom taking us to the streets and under the bridges to give clothes and toys to those who have had it really tough and are not able to live a pleasant life on Christmas Eve. Those little actions ignited a flame in my heart to continue pushing myself so that later on, I can also help those in need. My mom is and will continue to be my role model because she portrays the traits of a leader, a compassionate, sympathetic, and kind individual. Most importantly, she depicts the attributes of a mother.

Picture yourself in a theatre, sitting in front of the stage. When you look around, you see an audience comfortably sitting back, relaxing; just listening, and watching how events unfold. As you look forward, you see someone standing on the stage. This person has a strong presence and is actively engaging with those around her. She encourages the audience to follow her and work towards a common goal. This imagery is how I used to think and how I currently think about becoming part of something else and taking the initiative. Before my sophomore year (or before I moved from Ecuador to the United States), I used to think that being a follower and just staring at how things developed was okay; I used to think that it would all be solved by someone more capable of carrying out their visions without worries. When I first joined an organization called Latinos In Action, I was perplexed by how students like me could accomplish so much by themselves. I thought, “How can they do it? They are just teenagers!” but as time passed by, and as I gained more experience with the organization, I realized what it meant to “be the change.” The following year, I was promoted as the Vice President of the Service Committee, and it was then when I learned to fend for myself. When the Officers discussed activities for the better development of Latinos In Action, I would always sit back and let them do the talk—I would just listen, just like an audience. But in an Officer meeting that occurred sometime around January, I saw how my peers were dedicated to making LIA a better place for everyone. And it was then when I was inspired by their words and made me think about something. I thought, “why not make everyone do a hands-on activity? With a common problem being the lack of care for the environment”. A couple of days later, I presented a service project that would enhance our community; it was a planting and gardening activity at a local, organic farm. Personally, it was one of the best service activities I had ever take part in, I loved the fact that I could help with my own hands. Those who went were amazed by what they had done because it was something they had never experienced before. Since then, I have continued to execute more activities for our organization and the community. This year, I was elected as the President of the same organization, and we are carrying out a project that will not only involve Hispanic students or our school, but it will also reach a much broader community. The purpose of this is to expand knowledge about minorities and teach people about the importance of diversity and inclusion. In addition to bringing cultural awareness, we will also host Instagram take-overs where we will be discussing about the college application process and how we can help minorities to have a more comfortable experience, and opportunity to pursue a secondary education. What I have learned throughout these past two years is to take the reins and be the one to take the initiative, to be the one on the stage, always encouraging others to join as well. I went from being the audience to be the speaker and protagonist of my own story.

“Everyone has challenges and lessons to learn–we wouldn’t be who we are without them” -Sean Combs. Just as obstacles are seen as big pillars standing in our way, by overcoming our challenges, we can make those same pillars transform into staircases that will help us to succeed in life. The challenges and factors that have shaped me as a person are my family’s economic situation, values, sacrifice, and effort. These factors have helped me to grow by building confidence and determination in myself, by realizing how fortunate I am for having magnificent parents who have guided me throughout my life to achieve my goals, and by learning how to cope in difficult situations on my own. I grew up in Ecuador, a third-world country where everything requires much more work and where not everything is as fair as it should be. My family and I lived a decent life, with its ups and downs, thinking about what tomorrow awaits. It was not until some years ago when our situation changed drastically. My mom had been unemployed for some time and when my dad got laid off from his job, our family faced a very difficult situation in which at one point, they could not afford to pay for basic services. I used to study in a private school back in Ecuador, but when my dad lost his job, my brother, Ricardo, and I had to either drop out school or move to another country because neither my dad nor my mom could afford to pay for school as they already had a lot of debt in their hands. Therefore, my family and I concluded that in order to provide the best for our family, Ricardo and I must move with our grandmother, aunt, and uncle to the United States until our situation stabilizes. My family and I thought about moving to the U.S. before this situation occurred. I always wanted to study in the U.S. as I grew up listening to the experiences of relatives who described the opportunities that this country offers in every scope. My ultimate goal was and still is to get an excellent secondary education, graduate with honors, and become an excellent doctor to later provide my best service to those who need it. When I graduate from medical school, I want to create a program where I can help low-income people from Ecuador and other countries by providing need-blind medical services so that they do not have to go through the same situation as my family and I did economically. Back in my school in Ecuador, I participated in sports such as basketball and soccer, and other extracurricular activities such as the United Nations Model and the Leaders of Leaders Program. This school offered almost no clubs as, in Ecuador, these kinds of activities are still not promoted. When talking about sports, basketball is what represents who I am. I have played this sport since elementary and I still play with the same passion and desire. This sport has taught me more than just skill and ball-handling, it has taught me how to work as a team rather than as an individual and how to react in certain situations when things seem to get out of control. Basketball has also taught me that everything we do in life comes with discipline and compromise because, without those values, one cannot succeed and thrive. No matter where I am, I want to give my best in everything I do, I want to help as many people as I can, and I want to make my family and friends proud of who I am and who I have become. I have done it in Ecuador and I will continue to do it in the United States because no barrier can contain me from achieving my goals. In my two years of living in this country, I have been able to keep up with the system and go far and beyond people's expectations. I have become involved in clubs and sports, which have in one way or another helped me grow immensely.

Flying through silks, feeling the music, and expressing yourself, that was what I experienced during my first Aerial Silks performance. It was something I thought I could never achieve, something that was out of my reach. Months before the showcase, I would stay practicing my choreography for many hours, perfecting my technique. I loved what I was doing, and while rehearsing, I would always encourage my friends to do better. One of them, inspired by my passion and dedication, worked hard with me to achieve our goals. In the end, I got the principal position in the choreography.