My name is Yailyn Compres I'm a senior studying Communications with a focus on Film Production. As a first-generation student from a Hispanic family, there were and are many this I had to figure out throughout my college experience. One way my family has affected the way I see the world is my major. Throughout my first two years of college, I was undecided and I kept changing majors. My parents said they don't want me to waste money and to do a major that will make me money. They wanted me to become a doctor or a lawyer because they make good money. At first, my goal with my major was to figure out what made money. I had that constant pressure of becoming something no one in my family was. But this pressure inspired me to find something I loved doing instead of chasing money. Many of my family members don't love their job or they hate them. I have experienced what hating a job is like and how it affects the family. You work for 8 hours a day and if you hate your job most of the time you bring that energy home. I was inspired by my family to try new classes and I eventually found something I loved. I think instead of figuring out what makes you the most money you should spend time figuring out how you're hobbies and the things you love to do can turn into a career. I spent my first two years of college with the stress of knowing what my future will be. But now I have learned that my vocation, my calling is something I will constantly be figuring out. I think in Hispanic culture when it comes to education the focus is sometimes money. I think now that I have experience going to college I think the focus should be self-exploration. I would also say my family has also positively affected me because they always push me to do good in school and to help other people. They have inspired me to obtain a degree not only for myself but to inspire future generations. My family is selfless and hard-working and they're a lot of the reasons why I'm pushing through to get my degree. I want to be able to show all of my siblings, cousins, and others that getting a degree is obtainable and that finding what you love is possible.

The practice of longevity can be complex when your life is full of many responsibilities. But I think longevity is extremely important to our mental and physical health. As much work as I put into school, work, and my social life I believe it's just as important to take of my mental and physical health. The best way to live a long healthy life is to find healthy practices you enjoy. My three favorite practices are meditation, journaling, and weight lifting with cardio. Mediation helps me practice mindfulness, it helps me focus on the present, reduce stress, and increase my patience. When I practice mediation I feel less stressed and more self-reflective. This is important for my mental health because I feel like a student my life can get very busy and mediation always me to reflect and focus on breathing. I also enjoy journaling and when I journal I also write affirmations that motivate me to act toward my goals especially my goals of physical and mental health. Journaling also helps me reflect and influences me toward positive patterns. Weight lifting and cardio help me live a healthy life by being physical and taking on the challenges of my structure during workouts and my intentionality of challenging myself to lift heavier or run longer. And when I'm physical it encourages me to eat healthier. I think finding practices that allow you to reflect and get away from your busy life is important to your mental health. And being physical allows you to practice healthy habits. Although I would say these practices should be a lifestyle. These practices are not a temporary fix but if you practice them often they can allow you to live a long healthy physical and mental life.

The biggest impact I want to leave on the world is by helping other people in any way I can. I think mentorship is one of the ways I can achieve that. I have been surrounded by mentors my whole life and I want to leave an impact on the young individuals who might be going through similar things as I did. My biggest dream is to donate to nonprofits and help marginalized families in any way I can. And to do that I'm working on establishing my career to eventually have investments. And hopefully my investments and help me leave an impact on things I believe in. I want to be able not only to help people who need it but also to help the world. I love to be in nature but as we know climate change is on the rise and I want to be able to contribute to helping the world whether it is big or small. And I will continue to volunteer to make an impact on the communities that surround me.

My name is Yailyn Compres, I’m a first-generation junior student at Hope College studying Communications with a focus on Media Production and Criticism. I have had a passion for creation and creativity most of my life. Since high school, I always made creative videos and edited them. I took many creative classes in high school such as photography, and two art classes. My career goal is to be a part of media production as a cinematographer, director, or editor. I plan to use my education to make a difference in the world by using my passion for video creation to inspire and help others in any way I can. The best part of film is the power to inspire, amplify voices, be there for others, educate, and the list goes on and on. Film has the power to do many things and the best part is it takes a lot of creative power. I want to inspire, influence, educate, and motivate young generations of marginalized communities to believe in themselves and pursue their passions no matter how out of reach they believe they are. It can be easy to do careers you believe makes money but going for what you are truly passionate about can stop a lot of people. But I believe your career is the only way to become successful.

One investing tip I have learned from the book "I Will Teach You To Be Rich" by Ramit Sethi is having debit can actually help you. Keeping a good credit score is so important and can save you thousands of dollars. You also need to be willing to take risks when investing. Ramit Sethi also talks about how you should not rely on other teachers, investors, family members, or anyone else to help you find wealth. There is so much information out there to learn how to invest. We must all take our own financial responsibility and not blame other people for our mistakes. You must educate yourself about your investments and accounts because at the end of the day it is YOUR money.

My name is Yailyn Compres, I’m a first-generation junior student at Hope College studying Communications with a focus on Media Production and Criticism. I have had a passion for creation and creativity most of my life. My career goal is to be a part of media production as a cinematographer, director, or editor. I plan to use my education to make a difference in the world by using my passion for video creation to inspire and help others in any way I can. The ability to bring a company's vision to life through film is something I'm passionate about. I also love to give a voice to people who don't have much representation. I have always loved being able to help people in any way possible. And I believe film and creation are a good way to amplify voices. I want to make a positive impact to influence other young marginalized students to chase their dreams. I want to be an inspiration to not only the younger generation but also to my family. As a first-generation college student, I have inspired many of my young cousins and older aunts and uncles to get an education. In my family, they believe the way to success is through hard work or to marry a man. I believe working hard is a way to success but working hard toward your passion is just as important. I want to teach young generations that you do not have to settle for something you don’t enjoy doing. The ability to chase your dreams regardless of money is something that not many young generations understand. I think if I can become an example of chasing my dream I can make a big difference to those around me. I want to inspire, influence, educate, and motivate young generations of marginalized communities to believe in themselves and pursue their passions no matter how out of reach they believe they are. I also think teaching financial literacy is so important in low-income communities because a career is not the only way to become successful.

One experience that has shaped part of who I am today was the day my dad was deployed to Iraq. I was about 9 years old and I love my dad very much the day that he left impacted my life forever. My dad was gone for 1 year and I don't remember much of that year. My mom kept me and my siblings very busy with baseball, ballet, karate, and swimming lessons. On the night that my dad left me and my brother cried the whole car ride to drop him off. We wouldn't let him go until we were pulled off his waist. This has shaped a part of who I am today because my dad was in the Army has made me be appreciative of the family I have. We have no family that lives close to us the closest family is states away. This experience has made me be independent and more resilient. I think when I'm going through a tough time I have learned how to be more optimistic. And I'm a first-generation student which has helped me become even more independent. Without my dad, my world would be very different and I appreciate that he is alive, healthy, and a part of my life.

The truth about staying true to yourself is that it takes time. There are so many things that influence people's lives like social media, family, friends, and many other things. What helps me stay true to myself is reminding myself who I am and where I am come from. Surrounding myself with people who let me be who I am is the biggest reason I am true to myself. Every day I wake up a journal about the positive and negative things and people in life. I try to make sense of the things and people who are allowing me to be myself and think about what I need to change if I feel like I can't be myself. Growing up I have struggled with an eating disorder and that was something keeping me from being my true self. I would compare my body to people on social media and it made my eating disorder worse. Over time I started to realize my worth and the body positive movement was a big factor in that. Now I read affirmations, I write in my gratitude journal and my self-image has progressed a lot over time. To be my true self I remind myself of what I have been through and where I am today especially when things get hard.

If I was highly influential the main thing I would stand for is helping young students especially marginalized students how to find a career they actually love regardless of money. I think for young students it's easy to go into a career just because it makes good money or just because you feel like you can't do anything else. I'm a first-generation college student and my parents pushed me to go into a field that makes good money. I went to college as an intended chemistry major and after the first year, I did not want to be a chemistry major leaving me lost taking general education classes for another year. At the end of the year, I figured that I have always had a passion for creation so I decided to take a film class and I absolutely loved it. Regardless of the stereotypes that film or art majors don't make a lot of money I'm still pursuing it. I think your career isn't the only way to success or to make money and being in a job you hate is not something you should settle for. I want to more young individuals to explore their passions and understand that there are other ways to make money and be successful.

Optimism in tough times is something many people struggle with. Personally, optimism can be hard for me to practice but in tough times I do reinforcements such as gratitude journals, affirmations, and surround myself with people I love. Reinforcements for optimism are so important because even when you feel that the world is against you there are ways to help change negative thinking. I practice gratitude journaling which allows me to be more optimistic and allows me to reflect on how to think about the negatives but pushes toward positive thinking. I also practice affirmation by reading a few affirmations a day and creating some of my own. Affirmations motivate me to act on certain things for example: "I am allowed to take time to myself to recharge my body and my mind" saying affirmations help me concentrate on my goals even when I'm going through a tough time. And surrounding myself with the people I love allows me to have a support system. The people I love cheer me up when I go through tough times. They respect my boundaries or space when I need it. Having outlets to help you become more optimistic is so important because being optimistic may seem easy but when your going through a tough time having mechanisms to help you push through is important.

Growing up on social media has impacted my life in many ways both positively and negatively. Social media has impacted my mental health and my self-love. It can be very easy to compare yourself to skinny models who appear to have flawless skin and perfect hair. As a teenager, I struggled with comparing myself to others leading to an eating disorder. But over time, I began a journey towards self-love. Self-love seems very simple but it can be very complicated. You tell yourself you are beautiful and strong but then you are not represented in social media or print ads. But since body positivity has been arising I find that my journey toward self-love has improved a lot. Something I love about myself is my hair. For the longest time, I did not have love my bouncy brown curly hair. I would constantly straighten it because I thought straight hair was easier, better, and longer. But now, I love everything about my hair. I love the curls, the volume, the color, and wearing it natural. My hair is a part of who I am as a person and I should not change that just because of beauty standards on social media. I'm dedicated to exploring my self-love journey further and love every aspect of myself without having to change. I think it can be hard to explore self-love but I will try my best to be better everyday.

One way I would try to have a positive impact on the world is by helping as many people as I can. My whole life has been impacted by mentors and inspiring people. I'm a first-generation student and I wouldn't be in college without my mentors and inspirations. I want to help other first-generation students who need help and guidance in their lives. I think the importance of spreading knowledge and helping other people with something you went through is so important. I want to leave a positive impact on other young students who may feel lost or feel that they don't have their life figured out.

My name is Yailyn Compres I'm a junior first-generation student at Hope College studying Communications with a focus on Media Production and Criticism. My aspiring career is to become a director, cinematographer, or editor. I have a strong passion for creativity and creating short films/commercials that people can connect with or that they are impacted by. As a first-generation student, I have had many positives and negatives in college. Throughout my time in college, I have had to navigate and find resources on my own. The biggest struggle for me is understanding my finances and how to explain them to my parents. If I won this scholarship it would mean that it would relieve some financial stress. I currently work three jobs on campus and have to not only pay for my tuition and housing but also pay for car insurance, phone bills, and I also help my parents pay bills. My experience in college is not one I would ever change but the ability to do school and not have to stress about money and bills would mean so much to me. This scholarship would not only impact my current bills but would also impact the number of loans I have to take out. This scholarship would help me for my fall semester to continue working toward my career goals.

My name is Yailyn Compres I'm a junior first-generation student at Hope College studying Communications with a focus on Media Production and Criticism. My aspiring career is to become a director, cinematographer, or editor. I have a strong passion for creativity and creating short films/commercials that people can connect with or that they are impacted by. Choosing my area of study was a struggle at first. During my freshman year, I came to college to believe I was going to major in chemistry to become a veterinarian. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy chemistry leaving me lost, taking random general education classes. I soon found out about a media production class and when I took it I absolutely loved it. I continued to take media classes and finally decided I wanted to be a part of media production. The ability to bring a company's vision or a person's story to life is something I am passionate about. I have always loved being able to help people in any way possible. My career goals involve influencing other young marginalized students to chase their dreams. I want to be an inspiration to not only the younger generation but also to my family. As a first-generation college student, I have inspired many of my young cousins and older aunts and uncles to get an education. In my family, they believe the way to success is through hard work or to marry a man. I believe working hard is a way to success but working hard toward your passion is just as important. I want to teach young generations that you do not have to settle for something you don’t enjoy doing. The ability to chase your dreams regardless of money is something that not many young generations understand. I think being an example can make a big difference to those around you. I want to inspire, influence, educate, and motivate young generations of marginalized communities to believe in themselves and pursue their passions no matter how out of reach they believe they are. One major accomplishment in my career so far is making an award-winning documentary it won the award of excellence for the Broadcast Education Association’s Award for the National Film Festival of Media Arts. This documentary was created by me and 4 other members it is called "Don’t Look Back". Our documentary gives insight into the perspectives of what putting a theatre production during a pandemic looked like and some behind-the-scenes of Hope College’s production “Eurydice”. This documentary has inspired me to continue my passion for media production. I also was a part of the executive team for TEDxHopeCollege which is a student-led initiative, focused on challenging the status quo, starting conversations, and spreading new ideas with unique, thought-provoking talks by students and community members. My role as a videographer at TEDxHopeCollege was to edit and create promotional videos throughout the year, edit and submit all TEDxHopeCollege Talks to TEDx official YouTube channel that has over 34 million subscribers after the event, take photos throughout the planning process, and collaborate with the website manager and marketing lead. The money, I would save by paying down my loans with allow me to save to invest in my future. One of my biggest dreams is to own my own production company. I want to build a life full of assets to not only build my financial literacy but to use my knowledge to educate other young marginalized college students to build a future they love. I would also use the money to help support my parents because I help them pay bills.

Everyday I think about my dreams and aspiration and what steps I'm taking to achieve them. My dream life looks like a successful career and that to me is being happy and inspiring other people. My dream is to also own my own business and start a family when I'm ready. My inspiration to be a cinematographer is to create to inspire and help others in any way I can. The ability to bring a vision or a persons story to life is something I am passion about. My dream is to use my education to influence other young marginalized students to chase their dreams. I want to be an inspiration to not only the younger generation but also to my family. As a first generation college student, I have inspired many of my young cousins and older aunts and uncles to get an education. In my family they believe the way to success is through hard work or to marry a man. I believe working hard is a way to success but working hard toward your passion is just as important. I want to teach young generations that you do not have to settle for something you don’t enjoy doing. The ability to chase your dreams regardless of money is something that not many young generations understand. I want to inspire, influence, educate, and motivate young generations of marginalized communities to believe in themselves and pursue their passions no matter what how out of reach they believe they are.

I think having hobbies is so important because hobbies can help reduce stress and help you relax from all the responsibilities you have. I enjoy many different hobbies such as hiking, reading, creating videos, painting, running and many other things. Picking one hobby to talk about is hard because I enjoy doing many things. But one hobby that I really enjoy and practice several times a week is mediation. Mindful practices like meditation is one of those few hobbies that has a reset button in my life. You sit down, close your eyes, and focus on breathing, ten minutes a day, twenty minutes, or thirty minutes and then your back to reality. Mediation is not only to escape as many people believe. Personally, meditation helps me have control over my mind and breathing, it gives me a space to relax and think about everything or nothing. Practicing breathing helps me have control over my mental clarity. Meditation reduces my stress, anxiety, increase my focus and attention to detail. Many people can find mediation distracting but to me being able to find my focus. I have practiced mindful meditation since high school because I would constant have anxiety attacks. Mediation gives me the needed refuge whenever I feel like theres a million things going wrong in my life. I enjoy mediation because it gives me a level of fulfillment. Mediation rejuenates me and after I feel a new being and a new outlook in my life changes. An example where mediation has helped me is make my decision of what major I wanted to do. Choosing my area of study was a struggle at first. During my freshman year I came to college believe I was going to major in chemistry to become a veterinarian. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy chemistry leaving me lost, taking random general education classes. I would practice mediation a lot during this time and it helped me come to a decision. Mediating helped me be more calm and less frustrated in not finding what I wanted to do. Since high school I always made videos and edited them. I soon found out about a media production class and when I took it I absolutely loved it. I continued to take media classes and finally decided I wanted to be apart of media production as a cinematographer, director, or editor. Mediation is still something I practice today and in times of stress mediation has helped me with clarity and control in my life.

My name is Yailyn Compres, I’m a first-generation junior student at Hope College studying Communications with a focus on Media Production and Criticism. Choosing my area of study was a struggle at first. During my freshman year I came to college believe I was going to major in chemistry to become a veterinarian. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy chemistry leaving me lost, taking random general education classes. As a first generation student, it has taught me to face many challenges with understanding finances, classes, and many first times. I have had a passion for creation and creativity most of my life. Since high school I always made creative videos and edited them. I took many creative classes in high school such as photography, two art classes, and a ceramic class. I soon found out about a media production class and when I took it I absolutely loved it. I continued to take media classes and finally decided I wanted to be apart of media production as a cinematographer, director, or editor. I plan to use my education to make a difference in the world by using my passion for video creation to inspire and help others in any way I can. The ability to bring a companies vision or a persons story to life is something I am passion about. I have always loved being able to help people in any way possible. I plan to use my education to influence other young marginalized students to chase their dreams. I want to be an inspiration to not only the younger generation but also to my family. As a first generation college student, I have inspired many of my young cousins and older aunts and uncles to get an education. In my family they believe the way to success is through hard work or to marry a man. I believe working hard is a way to success but working hard toward your passion is just as important. I want to teach young generations that you do not have to settle for something you don’t enjoy doing. The ability to chase your dreams regardless of money is something that not many young generations understand. I think being an example of can make a big difference to those around you. I want to inspire, influence, educate, and motivate young generations of marginalized communities to believe in themselves and pursue their passions no matter what how out of reach they believe they are.

As a first-generation student education has shaped my understanding of the world by helping me become more independent. During my first year of college, I struggled with understanding finances and how to apply for scholarships. Learning how to repeat and understand my finances to my parents was frustrating and complicated. But I learned the best way to help them understand ways to not do it alone. My education has shaped me into the person I am today. It has increased my critical thinking, helped me to better understand what is around me, and help me better understand what I want to get out I live. Firstly, my education has shown me time management, persistence, and initiative. For example, in times when I became frustrated with the amount of work that was due. I learned how to best figure out what is the most important and write down plans so I don't become overwhelmed. My education has taught me a lot of my capabilities and it has helped me to push my boundaries. My education has taught me to work hard and achieve my goals no matter how out of reach I believe they are. I have found my passion for helping others through my intended profession. I want to become a cinematographer, editor, or director for movies or potentially commercials. And I have learned so much working with people and other media production people. My passion for media production continues to grow and I believe with the writing people, education, and my abilities I can end up with a dream job. I believe my persistence and initiative have helped me meet a lot of people and open windows of opportunity. Through my education, I was able to become a videographer for TEDxHopeCollege which is a series of 10 student TEDx talks where they talk about their experiences and innovations with the world. I got to work with the 10 speakers and the executive which I was a part of to help bring TEDxHopeCollege's mission and marketing to life through creating many promotional videos to help spread the TEDxHopeCollege mission. This opportunity has shown me how my passion for media production can help people and an organization. Without the education I would not be where I am today, feeling the way I do about myself, and doing what I love the most. I am helping others, educating them on their own values, and the values they place on their world. I'm also pursuing a degree in Communications with a focus on Media Production and my education has taught me so much about myself and how my passion can be turned into a career instead of settling for something else. Education holds a lot of power to shape the lives of many people.

A personal finance lesson I find really important is intelligence solves problems and produces money. Money without financial intelligence is money soon gone. I learned this by reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. The importance of learning financial literacy is to build your wealth. You could give a person a million dollars but if they are not financially literate it will be money soon gone. Financial literacy is the ability to read and understand financial statements. This ability allows you to identify the strengths and weaknesses of any business. It is a vital skill if you want to build an empire. The more you are responsible for, the more accuracy is required, or the house will come tumbling down. This lesson has helped me learn how to better read and learn about financial statements and real estate. One of my biggest goals in life is to understand financial literacy to better improve my life. My parents do not know much about financial literacy and how to build wealth and this lesson has inspired me to become more financial literate to build my future.

Album name: The Missing Pieces by Beach Baby - Home by Phillip Phillips - Nights by Frank Ocean - Fix You by Coldplay - Heal by Tom Odell - Getting Older by Billie Eilish - Kids by MGMT - Friday I'm In Love by Phoebe Bridgers

Some challenges I faced were my biological father passing away when I was 17-years-old. Although I was not close with my biological father his death really affected who I have become today. It made me think of all the relationships I have with people and how I can better them and stand up for the people I love. I have learned how to preserve and build relationships with people who really needed me after his death. As a Dominican American, I believe my family and community have impacted my motivation to obtain my college degree in so many ways. I’m a first-generation college student and I have seen first how the struggles of not having a career or education that you love and how it affects family, their financial stability, and their relationships. Some people in my family have dropped out of high school, become pregnant, or work in hard labor jobs. My family and community have motivated me to become an example of what their future could look like and that college can be achievable and affordable. I have become an example for my younger siblings, cousins and I have even motivated some adults in my family to pursue careers in whatever they want to do. I believe the idea of success in my Hispanic family has been fabricated to believe the only successful careers are doctors or lawyers. And the other option is to be a hard worker to provide for your family. I think other careers like film, dance, art, social work, and many others can be just as successful. And I want to be an example and a motivation not only for my family but for many other families that success can look different to everyone and your dreams and goals can be achievable with the right guidance. I think learning how to be independent in college as a first-generation student is the most important lesson that shaped who I am today. I have learned how to get through so many hard situations with the support of my family and myself. Giving the opportunity to students like myself makes me hopeful for the future of the unrepresented and their goals for the future. I hope to embody leadership ideals by being a motivation for other students to pursue their dreams no matter what they are. I feel that being a first-generation student can be hard to navigate and providing guidance for others is something that is needed. While being a first-generation student at my school some challenges I have faced are navigating finances, being independent, and juggling multiple jobs on campus. Throughout my life, I have had mentors and the guidance of many people. My mentors have inspired me to continue my education and not give up in times when things got difficult. One goal I have is to mentor and be a role model for other students. I’m a part of a program called College Bound Opportunities and we are all provided with mentors in our sophomore year of high school. And when I graduate and pursue my career I want to give back and become a mentor myself for a student. I believe having the opportunity to speak about my experiences and give a space for other students to talk about their challenges is a passion I hope to fulfill. I think sharing my experiences with others can help them feel less alone.