How I prepared myself is by hardening my mind through overcoming obstacles. As a first-generation student, there's a lot of pressure; however, I was raised to be resilient and persevering. My name is Anderson; Guillermo Anderson. My life has been nothing but overcoming challenges. Ever since graduating from Glades Central High School, certain muscles were worked religiously: grit, perseverance, and dedication. I worked at least 2 jobs over 2.5 years while being a full-time student and maintaining a 3.4 GPA at Palm Beach State College, a 5-campus community college that's located in the state of Florida. Originating from Belle Glade, Florida, resources were, and still are, hard to come by. My mom and grandmother did their best to raise me, but there was still some financial friction. I chose a higher education because I know my life is going to change as a result. I had to work for everything I had and overcome obstacles that were placed upon me, unfortunately. However, that fact did not stop me from graduating from my community college with my Associate in Arts degree on May 7, 2025. That accomplishment was not just a piece of paper with my name on it, but a symbol, a reminder, of what I am capable of, even with little to no assistance. It reminded me why I chose to speak at my graduation. It reminded me of my hard work and dedication as one of the Student Government Association Presidents for Palm Beach State College at my hometown campus. It reminded me that I’m one of the most resilient men on Earth, regardless of the circumstances that were doing more harm than good in my life. My next mission is to transfer to the University of South Florida to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy. Afterwards, I’m planning to enlist into the military, Air Force, right after. Ever since my dirt bike accident back in 2017, I started appreciating simple functions of my body that I used to take for granted such as walking. I want to be an Air Force veteran because I want to sharpen my discipline. I'm doing this not only because I need a better future for myself, but I need to be a role model to a lot of people in my hometown. Sure, it's cool to feel good about overcoming challenges and having a better life as a result; however, I find it a lot more fulfilling when I decide to be a walking testimony to those who come across me, showing that anything is possible with dedication and hard work. I'm not just going to be a physical therapist and Air Force veteran, but a voice that will uplift the ones who believe that their circumstances will define them for their entire lives. Not only do I see greatness in myself, but I see greatness in others as well. So, I will be a man of character.

Struggle: a word that does describe my life, but not fully. My name is Anderson; Guillermo Anderson. My life has been nothing but overcoming challenges. Ever since graduating from Glades Central High School, certain muscles were worked religiously: grit, perseverance, and dedication. I worked at least 2 jobs over 2.5 years while being a full-time student and maintaining a 3.4 GPA at Palm Beach State College, a 5-campus community college. I have done so not only because I wanted to, but also out of necessity. Originating from Belle Glade, Florida, resources were, and still are, hard to come by. My mom and grandmother did their best to raise me, but there was still some financial friction. I had to work for everything I had and overcome obstacles that were placed upon me, unfortunately.Every choice I made was about improving my current circumstances, and everything was going fine; however, something terrible happened: I got scammed out of nearly $3,000 last year, 2024. I was depressed and stressed out because that was money I was saving up for me to quit working and dial into my college work once and for all, but this happened. I had to rely on credit to pay bills and other essentials for the past four months; as a result, I’m currently at $4,000 in credit debt. However, that fact did not stop me from graduating from my community college with my Associate in Arts degree. That accomplishment was not just a piece of paper with my name on it, but a symbol, a reminder, of what I am capable of, even with little to no assistance. It reminded me why I chose to speak at my graduation. It reminded me of my hard work and dedication as one of the Student Government Association Presidents for Palm Beach State College at my hometown campus. It reminded me that I’m one of the most resilient men on Earth, regardless of the circumstances that were doing more harm than good in my life. My next mission is to transfer to the University of South Florida to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy. Afterwards, I’m planning to enlist into the military, Air Force, right after. Ever since my dirt bike accident back in 2017, I started appreciating simple functions of my body that I used to take for granted such as walking. I want to be an Air Force veteran because I want to sharpen my discipline. I'm doing this not only because I need a better future for myself, but I need to be a role model to a lot of people in my hometown. Sure, it's cool to feel good about overcoming challenges and having a better life as a result; however, I find it a lot more fulfilling when I decide to be a walking testimony to those who come across me, showing that anything is possible with dedication and hard work. I'm not just going to be a physical therapist and Air Force veteran, but a voice that will uplift the ones who believe that their circumstances will define them for their entire lives. Not only do I see greatness in myself, but I see greatness in others as well. I will be a man of character.

Selflessness is not an option, but a requirement for ethical leadership. You see, I have countless examples of me embodying selflessness like being the Student Government Association President for my hometown community college, tutoring a kid without any pay, and having to carry crucial responsibilities for my household while still facing challenges; however, I have a story that’s unforgettable because I made a split-second decision that had changed somebody else's life. It all started back in 2024 when I was working as a Mental Health Technician for my local rehabilitation center. I loved my job because I helped patients overcome their challenges by giving them advice and just being an overall positive figure in an environment where it's hard to have optimism. One day, I remember coming into work and checking the board, which consisted of 16 boxes. These boxes represent the number of patients we had at the time, with 16 being the maximum capacity. We filled in the names of each patient we had in those boxes, so I was confused when I saw "John Doe" written in one of them. I asked one of my coworkers about it, and what they told me next shocked me. According to them, the patient was brought in without any form of identification, causing them to be labeled as "John Doe". Now, how my mental health center operated was that leaving would be impossible without any information about the patient or their family. When I eventually found the patient, I realized it was a middle-aged woman, looking clearly in distress . I instantly knew something was wrong when I tried speaking to her and she didn't reply to me. Not only was she not replying to me, but the other technicians, nurses, and even the nurse practitioners were having problems communicating with her. It wasn't until I noticed one thing about her that everything changed. During a shift, I was searching each patient's room to make sure there wasn't any food, mess, or even possible weapons in them. I searched the last room, which was where "John Doe" was assigned. Immediately, I noticed something strange: countless pieces of paper were scattered across the floor. I took a look at the papers, and realized there were written notes on them. I didn't think anything of it until the next day of work. It was around 10 o'clock when my co-workers and I were having a friendly conversation about work while patients were in their room, sleeping. "John Doe" had a consistent pattern of coming out of her room, staring at the staff, asking for water by using gestures, and going straight back to her room. That night, it was nothing different. She was just standing there, looking at us. The nurse asked if everything was okay, but she didn't answer. That's when it hit me: I asked myself, "What if I write a note to her instead of talking?" I tested my hypothesis to see what happens. Guess what, she not only wrote back to me, but she wrote back her name, family's contact number, hometown, and other personal information. After a few notes were exchanged, she later revealed to us that she was deaf. Now, everything has started to make sense. A few days later, she was out of the mental health center with her beloved family again after being inside for almost a month. That experience taught me that selflessness is more than doing good. It’s more about sacrificing comfort for someone else’s healing. I carry that with me in every leadership role I take on.