I clasped the beat-up box in my hands. Battered and barely recognizable. Only with the bright candy-striped lettering on the front that remained did the title bring an instant smile to my face. Candyland. Itching to start, I set up the game. Let's begin. I pick up a card from the center and flip it—two red squares. I direct my gingerbread into cupcake commons, the game's first area. There were houses with frosting roofs, sprinkled roads, and gum-drop door knobs. However, at the moment, I wish I lived in cupcake commons. I wish my surroundings were as sweet, eccentric, and magical. I lived in New York City, the South Bronx. Clouded with infamy and wariness, the Bronx has been a symbol of everything that could ever go wrong in a place. Instead of sprinkled roads and cupcake liner walls, it was filled with tall brown-bricked project buildings and used syringes on the streets. Every two blocks: small zip lock bags, burnt spoons, used cigarette butts, and groups of people in the corner injecting themselves were the norm. Through the eyes of a 6-year-old girl, I didn’t exactly know what was going on. “Why is there a man on the floor with a spoon?” I asked. All I received were sugar-coated responses and blank stares. My turn once more. I hurriedly grabbed my player. I thought I might get lucky and get another double square card. I pick up a card—one blue square. However, It wasn't as simple as picking up a card and leaving. There was no blue or green block to help me escape the Bronx. What awaited me was an unfinished chemistry lab and my 20 pages of love in the time of cholera that was due at 11:59 PM. I sat on my cluttered antique kitchen table and got to work. Amidst the sounds of neighborhood bachata parties and the gossiping tias, the noises were drowned out by the sounds of a few gunshots. I jumped, startled, turning my attention toward my window. Nothing new, but always frightening. I stopped counting the times I would hear them nearby. Instead, I would start tracking the number of victims around my age. Or the number of times the person behind the trigger would be no older than 17. I picked a card—two yellow squares.. However, I was the closest to the licorice block. I may lose my turn if I land on it. Though, when a turn is lost, there is always a chance to recover. A discussion would precede the class on days when bad news would circulate in the community; This happened almost every other day. I had hoped a discussion would talk about the recent renovation of St. Mary's park or maybe the reopening of the third avenue train station after months. But discussions were overrun by topics of violence and politics. The imbalance of news was becoming redundant. What can I do to shed some light on the good and the bad of the Bronx? With this in mind, I found one passionate answer: journalism. I founded the school newspaper alongside a few friends and got straight into story ideas. We covered lighter topics like the annual talent show and pride month festivities. But, we also covered serious issues like book censorship and substance abuse in our communities. A trove of endless ideas, the Eagle Express became our community outlet. Both lighthearted and community-aimed, Mott Haven became the grounds for our small newspaper. But, at a larger scale so did the Bronx. To focus solely on the negative aspects of the Bronx was to ignore its beauty. Journalism allowed me to taste the food of cultures from Ukrainian to Puerto Rican. It allowed me to understand the reality of those who immigrated from Mexico and call NY their home. Report on coat drives, local park cleanups, and places to volunteer. To show the impact Hispanic people have had on the community. There is, quite frankly, nothing magical about the Bronx. It has its fair share of issues and its multitude of treasures. But one thing is for sure; I’ll continue reporting about the place I call home.

I love the law. First introduced to the world of legal systems through a court show titled Caso Cerrado, I was mesmerized by the way the arbitrator facilitated any issue that was brought up. Dr. Polo was able to conclude any ordeal with a perfect resolution while always keeping an open mind. Seeing this as a young girl, the desire to delve into the judicial system sprouted into a life-long interest, and a curiosity that has only expanded since my first experiences with the law. As I grew older, I noticed my history classes implementing more court cases, landmark decisions, and supreme court rulings, which inevitably fed into my desire to learn more about the legal world. As I learned, I noticed I was drawn to a particular case, Brown v. Board of Education. Brown v. BOE is one of the most important cases in the history of the U.S., and it remains a symbol of not only progress but hope for a more united country. I learned more about the significance of Brown v. Board, and how it marked the start of the civil rights era, provided hope for marginalized communities, and served as a method to fight against the persistent problem of inequality. Every time I sat down to study I re-examined Brown v. Board, 6th, 8th, 10th, and 11th grade, there was always undiscovered reasoning behind each word, each piece of evidence, and each person's words. I was left with a heightened inclination to understand law holistically. Law started to shape me into more of a means to understand and improve my society, my country, and the world. If one singular court case changed the trajectory of history, why couldn’t I be a part of this change as well? As the backbone of our society, the law carefully dictates the way our society functions. In recent times, it's slowly becoming more than a method to keep the people civilized, it's becoming a way to emphasize the needs of our communities and implement solutions in response. To implement solutions, there must be an opportunity to learn more about the legal world to bring these hopes to fruition. I know I’ll find individuals who have an insightful view of the law and share a goal to make progress toward a more open-minded and progressive world. But what issues will we fight together? Plans to study immigration or international law drive me toward representing Hispanic and many other underrepresented groups. If I'm able to understand, defend, and alleviate the worries of the integral communities that compose the United States, then I'd have accomplished a difference. Rarely do people ever reexamine or delve into the struggle of a community. Reflection and action are two important values I hold. I plan to exercise my knowledge, passion, and connection to Americans across the country and be the pillar of change that has been sought. My ideas are not encapsulated in non-profits, social-media awareness, and landmark cases; they're encapsulated in the hope for a brighter, safer, and more understanding America for people of color.

I lived in New York City, the South Bronx. Clouded with infamy and wariness, the Bronx has been a symbol of everything that could ever go wrong in a place. Instead of sprinkled roads and cupcake liner walls, it was filled with tall brown-bricked project buildings and used syringes on the streets. Every two blocks: small zip lock bags, burnt spoons, and used cigarette butts were the norm. Through the eyes of a 6-year-old girl, I didn’t exactly know what was going on. However, It wasn't as simple as picking up a card and leaving. There was no blue or green block to help me escape the Bronx. What awaited me was an unfinished chemistry lab and my 20 pages of love in the time of cholera. I sat on my cluttered antique kitchen table and got to work. Amidst the sounds of neighborhood bachata parties, the noises were drowned out by the sounds of a few gunshots. I jumped, startled, turning my attention toward my window. Nothing new, but always frightening. I stopped counting the times I would hear them nearby. Instead, I would start tracking the number of victims around my age. Or the number of times the person behind the trigger would be no older than 17. A discussion would precede the class on days when bad news would circulate in the community; This happened almost every other day. I had hoped a discussion would talk about the recent renovation of St. Mary's park or maybe the reopening of the third avenue train station after months. The imbalance of news was becoming redundant. What can I do to shed some light on the good and the bad of the Bronx? With this in mind, I found one passionate answer: journalism. I founded the school newspaper alongside a few friends and got straight into story ideas. We covered lighter topics like the annual talent show and pride month festivities. But, we also covered serious issues like book censorship and substance abuse in our communities. A trove of endless ideas, the Eagle Express became our community outlet. Both lighthearted and community-aimed, Mott Haven became the grounds for our small newspaper. But, at a larger scale so did the Bronx. To focus solely on the negative aspects of the Bronx was to ignore its beauty. Journalism allowed me to taste the food of cultures from Ukrainian to Puerto Rican. It allowed me to understand the reality of those who immigrated from Mexico and called NY their home. Report on coat drives, local park cleanups, and places to volunteer. To show the impact Hispanic people have had on the community. There is, quite frankly, nothing magical about the Bronx. It has its fair share of issues and its multitude of treasures. But one thing is for sure; I’ll continue reporting about the place I call home.

I love the law. First introduced to the world of legal systems through a court show titled Caso Cerrado, I was mesmerized by the way the arbitrator facilitated any issue that was brought up. Dr. Polo was able to conclude any ordeal with a perfect resolution while always keeping an open mind. Seeing this as a young girl, the desire to delve into the judicial system sprouted into a life-long interest, and a curiosity that has only expanded since my first experiences with the law. As I grew older, I noticed my history classes implementing more court cases, landmark decisions, and supreme court rulings, which inevitably fed into my desire to learn more about the legal world. As I learned, I noticed I was drawn to a particular case, Brown v. Board of Education. Brown v. BOE is one of the most important cases in the history of the U.S., and it remains a symbol of not only progress but hope for a more united country. I learned more about the significance of Brown v. Board, and how it marked the start of the civil rights era, provided hope for marginalized communities, and served as a method to fight against the persistent problem of inequality. Every time I sat down to study I re-examined Brown v. Board, 6th, 8th, 10th, and 11th grade, there was always undiscovered reasoning behind each word, each piece of evidence, and each person's words. I was left with a heightened inclination to understand law holistically. Law started to shape me into more of a means to understand and improve my society, my country, and the world. If one singular court case changed the trajectory of history, why couldn’t I be a part of this change as well? As the backbone of our society, the law carefully dictates the way our society functions. In recent times, it's slowly becoming more than a method to keep the people civilized, it's becoming a way to emphasize the needs of our communities and implement solutions in response. To implement solutions, there must be an opportunity to learn more about the legal world to bring these hopes to fruition. I know I’ll find individuals who have an insightful view of the law and share a goal to make progress toward a more open-minded and progressive world. But what issues will we fight together? Plans to study immigration or international law drive me toward representing Hispanic and many other underrepresented groups. If I'm able to understand, defend, and alleviate the worries of the integral communities that compose the United States, then I'd have accomplished a difference. Rarely do people ever reexamine or delve into the struggle of a community. Reflection and action are two important values I hold. I plan to exercise my knowledge, passion, and connection to Americans across the country and be the pillar of change that has been sought. My ideas are not encapsulated in non-profits, social-media awareness, and landmark cases; they're encapsulated in the hope for a brighter, safer, and more understanding America for people of color.

Passion is the highlight and most important aspect to ensure a long and healthy life. A person without passion does not have drive, and will not have goals. With passion, it creates a door and a gateway to a more richer and content life, one that isn't filled with much regrets, resentment, or dullness. Positivity and well being stems from having a passion. If a person has no passion for a hobby, interest, or particular area, that would be quite boring wouldn't it? As humans we long for the sense of purpose and creativity and that is exactly what passion provides us with, a goal to head towards and an ability and aspect of ourselves to perfect. In order to be happy we need passion, in order to experience what the world has to offer, we must be passionate in some way or another. With passion, one can expect a fulfilling, long and a most sought after healthy life.

Words rushed with incredible pacing throughout my head, ringing through it as though I've never exposed myself to the wonders of alphabetical composition. "I've never done this before. " I muttered silently. My hand only kept moving closer and closer to the lined paper. My fingers make eager contact with the paralleled and unmatched symmetrical nature of the paper. Creasing that paper, making the perfect bend along with the journal. I took 5, no--a mere second, for my pen to align to the top of the page. The first stroke rippled through my body profusely. I spike with adrenaline and commence my utter fixation of what I was about to write. Not one word was said, yet words were ejecting from me at the rate of a cheetah. I never experienced this enjoyment from writing. Let alone so abruptly. It was so sudden, but not shocking as if this was a part of me that remained dormant since the beginning of my time. Nature, so vast, expansive, and innate. Its beauty unmatched. My hand was cramping, but rest was the last thing on my mind. I wanted to get my rush of poetic expression down. I can't stop, its the feeling of purpose and affinity. Dispersed became the pen and paper. From there I knew. From there I continued.

Passion. Passion drives one to do many things, it leads to discovery, innovation, creativity, and possibility. Passion also provides meaning to one's life, much like how it provides one for mine. I find myself passionate about researching, literature, and writing. These passions have constructed a meaning for my life slowly but surely. These passions have made me consider future career paths, ways to spend my time, and how I can use my talents and hobbies to help my community. With this in mind, my passion only brings everlasting meaning to my life. Passion brings that perpetual desire to fulfill my goals and aspirations and drives me to reflect on how passion can change what life can mean to an individual in an instant, which is what I've experienced. The innate and idiosyncratic way of perceiving your life's purpose by simply being passionate has pushed me to actively using my passions in order to fulfill the goals I have in life. Goals of which include attending university, striving for a career in law, sharing my knowledge, sharing my intellectual capabilities and talents with others.

Losing everything; a fear that I grew to learn about early on in life at the young age of 4 years old. Dealing with a dysfunctional family, financial issues, and depression all at the same time for a developing mind would no doubt leave a person scarred. However, with the separation of my parents, and the poverty I underwent and experienced with my mom I've come out with a very unexpected grateful and appreciative approach to everything in my life. When I realized how limited the resources like toys, food, and other necessities were I started treating everything with the utmost value. From there on out I held everything dear to me. In my eyes nothing was truly invaluable, which was a valuable lesson I'm thankful for learning at such a young age. Losing important parts of my life only made me realize the value every single thing and action has. Up until today, I still hold everything as crucial to me. All the little things in life now are simply indispensable.

The prospect of being successful sounds nice, yet when I reflected for the first time a couple of months ago I realized that I didn't want to be successful, I wanted to be valuable in the world. As a low-income Hispanic woman, success has been something I've had to strive twice as hard for. More often than not, to get to the places I wanted to be I had to be extra opinionated, more intellectual, and more unique than everyone else. It felt like I was competing for this goal of success, and I had to constantly work hard with little motivation because of it. When I decided I wanted to contribute and be valuable to the world, my goals didn't change. More so, how motivated I was. I've felt motivated ever since that decision of what I wanted to be later on in life, being valuable and fulfilling the goals I have of being a lawyer, contributing to the legal studies field, and making a widespread impact with my profession is what motivates me the most. I woke up and understood that I wanted to add value to the world, and that day I woke up and became motivated, until this very day, and from here on out.

With a mind that's constantly adrift and filled with unprecedented and sudden bursts of thoughts, it can oftentimes be hard to listen to those around you. How do I listen? Eye contact. How can one possibly use sight to listen? To simply put it, when you look at someone, you are suddenly fixated and place your full attention on them. Eye contact makes sure you are focused on the person with one of your senses, slowly but surely you use your other senses to listen to them. For me, I always use my senses by how someone wants to be listened to. If someone merely wants me to be a compassionate peer and listen to them I make sure they have my full attention, eye contact, ears alert, and a hug or pat on the back for comfort. The correlation between my senses and listening is hand in hand. Listening is using your senses to understand and hear out another person. Stop and use your senses when listening to a person, whether that be a parent, friend, or stranger. Make eye contact, and from there you'll truly be an active listener.

Motivation; a key element to inspiring one to succeed and persevere even in moments where everything seems hopeless and upside down. That is what I hope to inspire when I mentor kids from my old middle school. Being able to pass down and help grow the knowledge that a mentee has is one of the greatest and most fulfilling feelings of being a mentor. I would like to continue inspiring motivation in my mentees, I want to make them feel as if all the effort and handwork they put into their work is valuable and well worth it. As someone the mentees look up to, I want to make it a goal and a lasting impact. Motivation carries on in a person throughout their lives. Being the person who encourages it, it is only right for me to contribute to another persons growth, and serve as a person that my students will get inspired by. Why not leave a lasting mark on the generations that follow us?

"Where are we going?" I asked sullenly. My mom simply told me we were moving away, but that was only a minuscule portion of the much wider and more serious issue that happened. My Mom and Dad have been having complications living together, and I was caught up in the middle of it. My mother as independent as she was, decided to leave my dad to escape the unhealthy and damaging marriage she was in. The only issue was that there was no money, or enough resources to move into another apartment. So on that very bus where I asked that question, we were headed to a shelter. The only possible place that would take us in. During those 2 years of my childhood living in that shelter, I was constantly bored and saddened. I had a tiny amount of toys, and barely anything to entertain myself with. My mom however made the effort and placed me in a private Christian school, where I had access to a variety of resources to keep my 5-year-old mind at bay. That same day I was accepted to that school, I also accepted an integral part of me that still holds today. Books. Despite my financial situation, and the disparity between my parents I found a passion that set my mind aflame. I kept on reading and expanding my knowledge to such an extent that I would go through several books in just one day. In an instant, I found something that would set me on a path. Ever since that day, I've honed my reading skills and continuously perfected my level of understanding and literary comprehension, which has helped me grow as a person and helped me accept how far I've come in life.

Its easy to get distracted by the world around you, by the deadlines, by the constant pace of life. I find myself stuck as well, in a perpetual loop of what we call life. But in those little moments, during my breaks from school, and during the couple of hours I have off from doing homework, I find myself going straight to watching some anime. An important part of my life, that I haven't had much time to appreciate nor watch, but as soon as I get time I go straight to watching it. I'm always thinking so much about schoolwork that I haven't even kept up with the newly released JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, the 5th season to my favorite anime. Yet, when I have the time to watch and delve into anime, I feel incredibly grateful and appreciative of this hobby of mine. I appreciate the happiness it brings me, and all the discussions, arguments, and merchandise that stemmed from it.

In search of a way to use my leadership skills and my abilities, I decided to apply to a short 2 week program that would allow me to expand my community service efforts. After a couple of months, of waiting I was accepted to this program, which allows me to travel to another country to experience and contribute to a diverse community outside of my own. As I was applying to this program I realized that not only was giving an area where I had not grown much in, but it was an area I wanted to indulge in. Giving is a necessary life skill, and one that I realized and came to terms with by applying to the program. If I'm able to take the necessary steps to implement my abilities and knowledge in a community from another country, I feel as if I can make grand contributions and give back at a wider scale, to the world. The greatest gift is giving, sharing, and offering to the world, especially to the people who have done the same, who have given the world innovations, inventions, culture and beauty.