As a first-generation student in my family, as someone who was raised in the South Bronx, I see on a day-to-day basis the need for attention towards my community. there isnt a day when I see no homeless people on the sidewalk or kids gambling in the streets, smoking, drinking to supposedly take the pain away, until I realized that there is a root to these societal issues. Being raised in the South Bronx my whole life, I realized that we are raised with these stereotypes to not talk about our emotions, nor express ourselves in places where we are supposed to feel comfortable. Especially in Hispanic and black communities, the expression of emotions is likely neglected due to generational norms and stereotypes here in The Bronx. As I pursue a career in Social Work, I strive to better my community to create environments where emotions are expressed freely and not denied, environments where drugs or gambling are not the solution to trauma or deep pain experienced here. South Bronx teens were raised to be "Built Different," which meant to have ur chin up high and don't let a tear roll down your cheek or you will get bullied for the whole week, but especially to hear a gunshot and not flinch. But no one talks about it, no one talks about the experiences young teens like me have experienced and have to live with it daily, where people assume we just brush it off our shoulders. When I receive my degree in Social Work, it will serve the teens in the South Bronx who have heard or relate to the struggles I've seen, because in reality, we aren't "Built Different", we just don't know where to go, who to see, or who to even get a hug from. The South Bronx deserves justice, deserves for its voice to be heard and not dismissed. Our experiences make our skin tough, but our hearts are still soft. My goal is to be able to be the person I expect my younger self to go to when I need help expressing my emotions, to be that person where problems aren't something I have to carry by myself. I don't want to see my community stay in the same place where these stereotypes are still in place; I want to help build my community to where it actually meets the definition of one. My community deserves the care that every community deserves, the peace, and someone to talk to where issues feel too heavy to carry.

As a first-generation college graduate, this will be the start of what will come. It will mean that I did it, even when the times were rough, I did it, but I didn't do it for me, but for my mother, who came to the United States from the Dominican Republic to have me. But the thing is, I'm the only person in my family born here, in the South Bronx, NYC, where my cousins, grandmas, and aunts think that there are opportunities everywhere, skyscraper buildings, and privileges above the roof. But it honestly always felt there was a pressure on me, like if there was someone behind me saying " tu eres Americana, tu tienes muchos mas oportunidades que yo" because it's always something here, someone is always saying you need to do better than me because you are American. Being a college graduate would mean to them " lo que una americana tiene que hacer". But for me, it's something I'm still figuring out, honestly, because everything I do is for them, every interview that I straighten my curly roots to hide my ethnicity, every time I change the way I speak so I sound “more professional,” it feels like I’m trying to fit into something that wasn’t really made for me. Like I have to prove I belong in spaces that don’t always feel like mine. And that’s the part people don’t talk about when they say “you have more opportunities.” Yeah, maybe I do, but it comes with this constant feeling that I have to be perfect, that I can’t mess up, that I have to represent more than just myself. It’s tiring sometimes. Being a college graduate, to my family, means I followed the path I was supposed to. But for me, it’s deeper than that. It’s about finding who I am in the middle of all that pressure. It’s about learning how to stop shrinking parts of myself just to fit in. I don’t want to keep feeling like I have to hide where I come from to succeed. If anything, everything I’ve been through, my family, my culture, growing up in the South Bronx, that’s what shaped me into someone who doesn’t give up easily. That’s what gave me strength. So yeah, I’m still figuring it out. But I know that when I graduate, it won’t just mean I made it through college. It’ll mean I learned how to carry my family’s expectations without losing myself in the process. It’ll mean I can finally stand in those spaces as I am, without feeling like I have to change to belong. That mindset pushed me to take on leadership roles. I founded and led my school’s Computer Science Teacher Assistant team, guiding other students and helping 150 peers weekly, teaching them important skills, responsibility, and confidence. I also served as president of my school’s Women’s Mental Health club, raising awareness about women's well-being. Additionally, I worked in a quantum engineering lab and developed a research project with the New York Academy of Sciences. Alongside this, I volunteered as an assistant theatre teacher for kids ages 4–10, helping them explore self-expression through performance and the arts. Doing this taught me resilience, empathy, and the importance of community, guidance, and encouragement. These experiences showed me how to carry responsibility, face challenges, and lift others while staying true to myself. Graduating from college won’t just mean meeting expectations; it will mean creating my own path, honoring my roots, and embracing who I truly am, while continuing to support and inspire others along the way.