Saving money is a hard thing to do, especially if you're a shopaholic like me! It can also be even harder to save money during the holidays when you have to buy gifts for your family and friends. A number one tool that has saved me money, is making sure I put some money of my weekly check from work aside in my savings. Whether that be 20, 50, or 100 dollars that week, I make sure to put money in my savings. Like this my savings can continue to grow, it'll grow slowly but surely it'll grow! Within the last 3 years, I have been big on saving money. One of my favorite blogs that have helped me save money is 20SomethingFianace.com. This website is a personal finance blog, filled with articles about how to save money. It also has tips on saving money and how to better your finances. Lastly, another blog I like is MoneySmart.sg-Budgeting. This is another website that has tips on saving money. Not only does it advise you on how to save money but it also helps you with ways to make more money out of the money you already have.

When someone asks me who my role model is or who is the most important person in my life, my mind automatically goes to my mother. I know that basically everyone always says their mom. However, my mom is the strongest, kindest, smartest person I know. She is hardworking and has never given up on her dreams. My mother got married at 19 and after getting married she and my father decided to move to America from Portugal. They moved here barely speaking the language and with no family. Once they were here they got jobs at Dunkin Donuts where they were promised green cards. However, the owner was a cruel woman who made them work day and night with very little pay. They took away my parent's passports so they couldn't go back to Portugal. Every time they asked about their green cards the women would push it off. Until my parents had finally had enough working as slaves and left. They found another Dunkin Donuts owner who was nicer and helped them get legal here. At age 22 my mother found out she was pregnant for me. When I turned 6 she decided she wanted to go back to school to give us both a better life. She realized she didn't want to work at Dunkin Donuts for the rest of her life. Later on, in life, she and my father got divorced. She was a single mother, working two jobs, and still going to school to be a social worker. Now at age 43, she has just finished her masters. Her dedication to her education is what drives me to do good in school. If it wasn't for my mother I wouldn't be getting a higher education right now. My mother has made me the woman I am today. She has always told me to strive and succeed in life. To never let anything stand in my way and to always follow my dreams. Even when we didn't have much money for me to go to school she told me it was okay and that everyone has student debt, and to not let money stop me from getting my education. She's the one who pushes me every day to be a better version of myself. She shaped me into the hardworking, smart, respectful woman I am today. Her amazing story has always pushed me to want better for myself. My mother literately came to this country with nothing and now has a good job with a master’s degree. She never let her age, money, or busy schedule stop her from her dreams. I can only aspire to be half the woman my mother is. I am so grateful to have such a strong, independent female figure in my life. She has shown me that if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. My mother always taught me to never let anything or anyone stand in your way.

Online shopping has become very popular. Everyone is doing it, and honestly with a pandemic going on it has been booming. It's just so much more convenient to shop online right from your bed. Not having the hassle of having to get out of bed, get dressed, and leave your house. I love to shop online at a lot of places but here are my top three. My first top pick of course has to be Amazon, I get almost everything on Amazon. Whether that be books, headbands, leggings, lotion, etc. It literally has everything. They even ship really fast which is the one thing everyone loves. Another place I love to shop online is Forever 21, they have a lot of good deals and cheap, cute clothes, and who doesn't love those two things. Lastly, I love websites like Princess Polly. This website is a bit more expensive but it has very different unique clothing which is the type of style I love. A lot of stores sell the same things and sometimes people want to dress differently from the basic fashion and Princess Polly is perfect for that.

When someone asks me who my role model is, my mind automatically goes to my mother. I know that basically everyone always says their mom. However, my mom is the strongest, kindest, smartest person I know. She is hardworking and has never given up on her dreams. My mother got married at 19 and after getting married her and my father decided to move to America from Portugal. They moved here for a better life for themselves and their future children. They moved here barely speaking the language and with no family. Once they were here they got jobs at Dunkin Donuts where they were promised green cards. However, the owner was a cruel woman who made they work day and night with very little pay. They took away my parent passports so they couldn't go back to Portugal. Every time they asked about their green cards the women would push it off. Until my parents had finally has enough working as slaves and left. They found another Dunkin Donuts owner who was nicer and helped them get legal here. At age 22 my mother found out she was pregnant for me. When I turned 6 she decided she wanted to go back to school and so she did. She realized she didn't want to work at Dunkin Donuts the rest of her life. Later on, in life her and my father got divorced. She was a single mother, working two jobs and still going to school to be a social worker. Now at age 43 she has just finished her masters. Her dedication to her education is what drives me to do good in school. If it wasn't for my mother I wouldn't be getting a higher education right now. My mother has made me the women I am today. She has always told me to strive and succeed in life. To never let anything stand in my way and to always follow my dreams. Even when we didn't have much money for me to go to school she told me it was okay and that everyone has student debit, and to not let money stop me from getting my education. She's the one who pushes me every day to be a better version of myself. She shaped me into the hardworking, smart, respectful women I am today. Her amazing story has always pushed me to want better for myself. My mother literately came to this country with nothing and now has a good job with a master’s degree. She never let her age, money, or busy schedule stop her from her dreams. I can only aspire to be half the women my mother is. I am so grateful to have such a strong, independent female figure in my life. She has shown me that if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. My mother always taught to never let anything or anyone stand in your way. My mother will forever be my role model and will forever be the reason I am a hardworking, independent woman.

All throughout High School I wanted to get more involved with in the community. However, I never really got into community service until I went to college. Where I was introduced to a program called Austin Scholars. Through this program I became more Involved within my community even if it was something small, I still felt like I was making a difference. The Austin Scholars is a program that sends students to different service sites throughout the community of Lawrence, Ma. It is a living learning community as well where we live with others who do community service and take classes on ethics and discuss what type of difference we make through our service. Not only do I get to make a difference in this world, I also met people who were just as interested in making a difference in this world. The Austin Scholars program became a home away from my actual home. Through the Austin Scholars I was placed in a service site called Hands to Help. Hands to Help is a after school program where children go there to get help with their homework. A lot of the children that go this program come from immigrant families, where their parents don't speak English. Due to that the parents can't help them with their homework. A lot of these families also don't have the funds to pay for private tutoring, so these children sometimes struggle to get their work done with no help from adults at home. That’s why this program is so amazing because it gives children a chance to get that one on one help with their work. Throughout my years of this program, I have worked with the same child. She is a little girl who is in 5th grade when I started working with her, she is now in 8th grade. Working with the same girl for all these years has allowed us to create a relationship, I now know the best ways she learns. I also feel like because of our relationship I am another support system for this child, someone she can trust and have someone to talk to. I feel like with all the children in this program, it's not just a place where they do their school work. It's also another support system for them. I realized that you don't need to do something big to make a difference in the world, something as small as helping a child can make a difference in their life. The catholic social teaching solidarity says that we are all one big family. That we are all brothers and sisters and need to help our brothers and sister who are in need of our help. That’s exactly what we do in this program. We help the people who are in need our help, out of the goodness of our heart. Even if it's the smallest thing, that can make a difference in someone’s life. Joining this program is one of my greater achievements. I did what I always wanted to do, get more involved in the community. Yes, it’s nothing huge where it's going to change the world greatly. But it's something small in the right direction. By helping this child with her homework, I gave her the hope of eventually going onto college after high school. Which is something she never talked about until a little bit of time working with her. I realized that doing something small like this did help the community, and helped someone else. This program also taught me that I would love to continue and make a difference in someone’s life like I did with this program. I would love to get into teaching in my future. I would love to help people achieve their goals academically. I would love to make a difference even if it’s as small as helping someone with their essay. Austin Scholars not only impacted the world around us, but it also changed mine. It helped me feel like I was helping my community. It also helped me figure out what I want to do with my life and future. For a long time, I didn't know what I wanted to do with life after college. Since I joined this program I switched my major to English and want to peruse teaching and later go onto college teaching.