The California standards for public education set expectations for white American students. Being a border state, California has a prominent presence of immigrant families. My family immigrated from Central America in hopes of evading the Salvadorian civil war. Both of my parents were born in El Salvador and faced tyranny at a young age when their government began killing civilians in their own homes. I understand the pain my parents endured although, I did not face the tragedies they lived. Seeking refuge in America my parents became permanent residents and began their own family. My sibling and I are first generation citizens. We grew up with more than my parents could ever have in El Salvador. They did everything they could possibly do to provide us with the life they dreamed about but, could not teach us English. I began kindergarten with Spanish being the only skill in my pocket. The language barrier between my teachers and I was detrimental to my learning. I would wake up every morning in my home feeling the most welcomed. Then to go to a school where they taught me it was wrong to speak my native tongue. Rather than embracing different cultures, the faculty would shame me for speaking Spanish. I was placed in an English Learning program in which I would be abruptly pulled out of class for every student to stare at. The comments and looks I would receive as a seven year old child were diminishing. I was sent to school in a country that was foreign to my parents so that I could fulfill the aspirations they had as children in El Salvador. I mastered proficiency in English by the second grade however, the negligence of public school failed to notice and forced me to attend English learning programs until the sixth grade. Although I was fluent in English, my peers could not shake the stigma of me coming from immigrant parents. Public school wanted me to assimilate American culture rather than embracing the melting pot the country is. As a student in higher education, it is my goal to return to my community as a health care provider in the future. My goal is to provide medical care to my Latinx community and be the sole provider that speaks Spanish. Growing up none of my pediatricians spoke Spanish, resulting in various miscommunications about my health. I will be the change my community needs to heal.

I began to see my father's health deteriorate at the age of nine. In 2010, my father sustained a lumbar injury in which several of his spinal plates were cracked. I accompanied him to all his doctor appointments as the first-generation Salvadorian-American interpreter. The pressure of this alone drove my need to help others. I wanted my parents to be able to depend on me the way I did them. Seeing who was once the strongest man I knew become a distant memory in between waiting room paperwork was threatening. Being a child, I didn’t fully understand why a bandage could fix my scraped knee but not fix my dad’s life. Change was everywhere as the years passed. At fifteen, I had my quinceañera, a coming of age celebration. As custom there is a father-daughter dance, but seeing no change in my father’s state meant the dance I awaited all my childhood had to be cut short. I began researching experimental treatments, continued to follow my father to doctors appointments and asked all the questions that I could possibly generate. We received answers on paper but his pain was never answered. Completing an AP Biology course and passing the exam, brought the study of life to my attention. Realizing that biology is something that I both enjoyed and excelled in pushed my passion for helping my dad become the strongest man I know again. I completed an associate's in science for transfer degree in biology at College of the Desert and will to continue on. At College of the Desert I enrolled in the Edge Program and the MESA Program. Both programs encouraged me to take on rigorous course work and attend extracurricular workshops in which more responsibilities were added to my schedule. The increased activities were challenging but helped me understand how I would manage my time as I transfer. I am determined to become an orthopedic specialist and provide my father with the curative bandage I dreamed of as a child. Being able to juggle the programs at my college and continuing to help my immigrant parents developed a strong work ethic for myself. My goal is to use my work ethic and humble beginnings to be an empathetic member of the medical industry. I am currently a 4th-year Biological Sciences major at the University of California, Irvine. I will graduate in Spring 2024 and continue on to medical school. These next steps in my life are dedicated to both of my parents and the dangers they faced to escape the civil war in El Salvador.

I began to see my father's health deteriorate at the age of nine. In 2010, my father sustained a lumbar injury in which several of his spinal plates were cracked. I accompanied him to all his doctor appointments as the first-generation Salvadorian-American interpreter. The pressure of this alone drove my need to help others. I wanted my parents to be able to depend on me the way I did them. Seeing who was once the strongest man I knew become a distant memory in between waiting room paperwork was threatening. Being a child, I didn’t fully understand why a bandage could fix my scraped knee but not fix my dad’s life. Change was everywhere as the years passed. At fifteen, I had my quinceañera, a coming of age celebration. As custom there is a father-daughter dance, but seeing no change in my father’s state meant the dance I awaited all my childhood had to be cut short. I began researching experimental treatments, continued to follow my father to doctors appointments and asked all the questions that I could possibly generate. We received answers on paper but his pain was never answered. Completing an AP Biology course and passing the exam, brought the study of life to my attention. Realizing that biology is something that I both enjoyed and excelled in pushed my passion for helping my dad become the strongest man I know again. I completed an associate's in science for transfer degree in biology at College of the Desert and will to continue on. At College of the Desert I enrolled in the Edge Program and the MESA Program. Both programs encouraged me to take on rigorous course work and attend extracurricular workshops in which more responsibilities were added to my schedule. The increased activities were challenging but helped me understand how I would manage my time as I transfer. I am determined to become an orthopedic specialist and provide my father with the curative bandage I dreamed of as a child. Being able to juggle the programs at my college and continuing to help my immigrant parents developed a strong work ethic for myself. My goal is to use my work ethic and humble beginnings to be an empathetic member of the medical industry. I am currently a 4th-year Biological Sciences major at the University of California, Irvine. I will graduate in Spring 2024 and continue on to medical school. These next steps in my life are dedicated to both of my parents and the dangers they faced to escape the civil war in El Salvador.