1. Ehhhhh do I really??? 2. Absolutely nothing :) 3. Uhhh I am the obstacle..... yikes...

Education is a lifelong journey that extends past a grade or a diploma sitting in a frame. I never thought I'd make it as far as pursuing a bachelor's degree, let alone a master's, yet here I sit ecstatic about what my academic future has in store for me. Coming from a single-parent, immigrant household made navigating college terrifying; I never knew who to turn to or what the right decision was. When I got to college, I began to realize there were other students in the same situation as me. It took a while for me to find my group, but once I did, it brightened up my experience. I started feeling confident in what I was learning and I knew I had just as much of a right to be in that classroom as everyone else. Education is essential in my life because my mom never had the opportunity to go to school. She instilled very early on in me the importance of higher education and the ways it can jump-start your career. Growing up, it always amazed me to see how my mom could stretch our money beyond what seemed possible; one hundred dollars seemed like one million dollars. As I got older and started understanding this, I realized how crucial having control of your finances is. This inspired me to pursue business and accounting while at school. I know this is the right decision for my career because I’m passionate about accounting and I’m able to earn my degree. This is why education matters to me; I have the opportunity to do what my mom never had the chance to while studying a field that will strengthen my financial freedom, something we didn’t have much of when I was younger. In addition to the freedom an education can provide, education is a weapon that was vehemently denied to women for decades. Even today, there are millions of women around the world who are stripped of the opportunity of an education. Bright minds dimmed without the chance to pursue new opportunities. I’ve been given this opportunity that so many women are still denied. It would be a disservice to not pursue an education when I have the chance. With an education, I’ll have the tools to not only empower myself but empower the women around me to take the leap and pursue an education. Education is so much more than a piece of paper or a cap and gown. An education is a lifelong skill that will take you many places. I’ve been given the tremendous chance to go beyond the scope of what my mom did, and I’m confident I’ll put my journey to great use.

Education is a lifelong journey that extends past a grade or a diploma sitting in a frame. I never thought I'd make it as far as pursuing a bachelor's degree, let alone a master's, yet here I sit ecstatic about what my academic future has in store for me. Coming from a single-parent, immigrant household made navigating college terrifying; I never knew who to turn to or what the right decision was. When I got to college, I began to realize there were other students in the same situation as me. It took a while for me to find my group, but once I did, it brightened up my experience. I started feeling confident in what I was learning and I knew I had just as much of a right to be in that classroom as everyone else. Education is essential in my life because my mom never had the opportunity to go to school. She instilled very early on in me the importance of higher education and the ways it can jump-start your career. Growing up, it always amazed me to see how my mom could stretch our money beyond what seemed possible; one hundred dollars seemed like one million dollars. As I got older and started understanding this, I realized how crucial having control of your finances is. This inspired me to pursue business and accounting while at school. I know this is the right decision for my career because I’m passionate about accounting and I’m able to earn my degree. This is why education matters to me; I have the opportunity to do what my mom never had the chance to while studying a field that will strengthen my financial freedom, something we didn’t have much of when I was younger. In addition to the freedom an education can provide, education is a weapon that people of color are still denied to this day. Bright minds are stripped of the chance to pursue new opportunities. This is why I hope to provide young people of color guidance and advice on how to tackle college and what to do to be successful in school. Additionally, I hope to provide immigrant families financial guidance and advice once I’ve had the opportunity to become a CPA. I want to give back to my community because my mom and I were, and still are, in that financial position, and I know financial guidance would have made a world of difference in our lives. Education is so much more than a piece of paper or a cap and gown. An education is a lifelong skill that will take you many places. I’ve been given the tremendous chance to go beyond the scope of what my mom was able to do, and I’m confident I’ll put my journey will help make the world a better and brighter place.

Education is a lifelong journey that extends past a grade or a diploma sitting in a frame. I never thought I'd make it as far as pursuing a bachelor's degree, let alone a master's, yet here I sit ecstatic about what my academic future has in store for me. Coming from a single-parent, immigrant household made navigating college terrifying; I never knew who to turn to or what the right decision was. When I got to college, I began to realize there were other students in the same situation as me. It took a while for me to find my group, but once I did, it brightened up my experience. I started feeling confident in what I was learning and I knew I had just as much of a right to be in that classroom as everyone else. Education is essential in my life because my mom never had the opportunity to go to school. She instilled very early on in me the importance of higher education and the ways it can jump-start your career. Growing up, it always amazed me to see how my mom could stretch our money beyond what seemed possible; one hundred dollars seemed like one million dollars. As I got older and started understanding this, I realized how crucial having control of your finances is. This inspired me to pursue business and accounting while at school. I know this is the right decision for my career because I’m passionate about accounting and I’m able to earn my degree. This is why education matters to me; I have the opportunity to do what my mom never had the chance to while studying a field that will strengthen my financial freedom, something we didn’t have much of when I was younger. In addition to the freedom an education can provide, education is a weapon that was vehemently denied to women for decades. Even today, there are millions of women around the world who are stripped of the opportunity of an education. Bright minds dimmed without the chance to pursue new opportunities. I’ve been given this opportunity that so many women are still denied. It would be a disservice to not pursue an education when I have the chance. With an education, I’ll have the tools to not only empower myself but empower the women around me to take the leap and pursue an education. Education is so much more than a piece of paper or a cap and gown. An education is a lifelong skill that will take you many places. I’ve been given the tremendous chance to go beyond the scope of what my mom did, and I’m confident I’ll put my journey to great use.