Taking a left, only to have needed to take a right. Everyone says to go straight, only to find out they are pointing in the wrong direction. Teachers ignored me when my hand was raised because the boy raising his was going to be much more impactful than the girl. I was told not to expect much because I went to Paramount High School where no one would bat an eye at a bunch of Hispanics. Around me have been people telling me I can’t handle the stress that comes with education because of my sex and ethnicity. In high school, I spent hours upon hours ensuring that I was above average because that meant I could achieve something beyond average for the world. I have put my body and soul into becoming a person who always wants something bigger than myself, and that is exactly what I will do. Now, I attend college, a dream come true, though reality sets in when I see another “payment due.” My parents are trying their best to make sure they can support me, while I seek ways to get money and maintain five classes five days a week. I worked at a retail store for a few months. I came in whenever they called and worked shifts no one wanted. I never got properly trained so I tried my hardest to make sure I was doing enough, although that effort was overlooked when it came down to starting school. I asked for a schedule that would allow me to make it to work on time and ensure I’d have enough time to study. Unfortunately, when managers demand for your life, they do not want to provide a schedule that means you’d still have one. I resigned from that job and kept applying for a new one. Weirdly enough, I quickly figured out that just because a place says it's hiring, doesn’t mean they are hiring and just because you call and they say they’ll get back to you, doesn’t mean they’ll get back to you. I decided if I could not depend on the outside world to help me, I would rely on myself. I started to sell my old clothes online. I remember the first time I sold a pair of pants was a relief of “I can make this work.” I did not waste a second to research how to make the most possible sales to learn any extra tips. I took any opportunity to look at my family’s bags of clothes before they were donated or thrown away. It gets tough when something doesn’t sell or there isn’t much for me to list, but I have to make it work. The money is not necessarily enough, but it is enough to make a difference. Listing another item or going to the post office to ship another package has never taken away from my education, and that I will never take for granted. My field of study is Biology. It has always been something I felt was natural for me and in 2021 I knew for sure. It was my first time going camping. It was at Sequoia National Forest. On the drive up the mountains, the Sun seemed to suddenly shine brighter. I was confused and rolled down my window. I discovered that the leaves of the trees had disappeared. I asked my parents why the trees were empty, why they were ashy, and why the ground was so bare. They told me that a wildfire must have occurred. Once we had gone further up the mountain, the trees were their full, green selves again and the grass was tall. I couldn’t help but appreciate the resilience nature has. At that moment, I wanted to know all the intricacies of the lives of every organism there is, and with that craving for knowledge grew fear. What I did not know exceeded what I did, all the while the world around me was changing rapidly. California News always had a new fire. Red skies weren’t out of the ordinary. Since I needed to know more, I took an environmental science class. Here, I would learn about issues no one has a second thought about. Overfishing, deforestation, poaching, GMOs, pollution, industrialization, and climate change. I wanted to change this. They all affect the most vulnerable communities and they do not have the voice or power to stand up for themselves, but I do. I saw firsthand how beautiful the natural world is, how could I not want to help? I am going to do ecological research. By doing so, I will contribute to creating a greater understanding of how anthropogenic activity is damaging the array of life on our planet. My impact will bring discoveries and new consensus on how we can invent a world where ecosystems are not being destroyed. I will not waste the limited time Earth and its life have by listening to what others think I am not capable of. As I have always set out to do, the impact of my work will be much bigger than myself.

Chanting as I've never heard before, finally finding people who cry to the same songs I've cried to in my bedroom, and the rawness of Billie Eilish's voice. Music has been something that keeps me going every day whether I'm walking to class, at home doing laundry, or dealing with the "worst breakup of my life", and to experience it in person is otherworldly, especially when it is Billie. Her performance was incredible and I am beyond grateful she was my first concert. There is nothing I love more than acoustics and a soft voice, and she delivers just that. I cherish the song "I love you", one of her acoustic songs. I prayed that she would perform it, and thank the heavens she did. After performing upbeat songs that we all jumped in unison to, the stadium filled with peace. It was like everyone was allowing themselves to feel the emotion that drew Billie into creating such a masterpiece. It was her sitting on a stool and her brother Finneas playing the guitar. I cannot express enough how I did not know how much hearing my favorite song live would change my perspective on concerts. Concerts truly allow the sharing of the most human quality that we often overlook, vulnerability. While it is not like we in the audience are sharing our life stories, we all have an agreed understanding that a fragment of our hearts lay in such beloved songs. The fact that one human being can use their form of expression to allow others to also express themselves changed my life forever, and due to that, I found and find myself going to concerts quite often. My favorite concert has to be from a London artist, Eloise. My sister and I discovered her music and bonded over it. A mixture of jazz and pop has us dancing and replaying her vocals before the song is even over just to feel it in our souls again. I have deep gratitude for Eloise. She is what brought my sister and I to have a closer connection. We never really bonded over music and would usually sit in silence during car rides, but when Eloise’s music entered the picture that had changed. A “Hey, listen to this song” turned into playing each one of her songs in the car and singing our hearts out to it. She allowed us to experience the human quality of vulnerability, as previously mentioned. We never shared what made us happy, and to be happy together is a vulnerability that I was unaware of to be so necessary to have a proper relationship. With that being said, Eloise had a concert at the Fonda Theater in LA, so of course Jaylin, my sister and now best friend, and I had to go. Eloise hit every note and her band felt the music just as much as we did, adding that depth to the feelings of our minds and bodies. I remember throughout that night, Jaylin and I just looking at each other. Both of us were happy to see our favorite artist live, but even happier to be there with each other, the peak of our vulnerability. Hearing music live is genuinely a supernatural force. For both my first concert and favorite concert, being brought together to be vulnerable with strangers or the people closest to me, is the ultimate gift.

Outspoken, educated, and kind-hearted are all qualities of my speech and debate coach, Ms. Barboza. Barboza is beyond just a teacher I admire, but a role model. She pursued her education by all means by going to every college that offered her a financial opportunity, making no excuse to not be educated and successful. Every day I walk into her classroom and there is a newspaper on her desk. I am always amazed at how educated she is on worldly issues. When I ask her about an issue, she speaks so passionately. Simply hearing Barboza speak makes me want to be passionate just as much. I never realized how important perspective was until she highlighted every perspective of an issue and its importance. With her, no voice goes unheard. She is continuously there for her students. At times when I felt I had nowhere to go when my personal life consumed me, I found myself in her office, where I did not have to ask for her support because she always made it clear that she was ready to support me at any given moment. I felt listened to and understood when all adults looked like figures of authority. I believe that to do something in one's life, one must seek the qualities Barboza has. To contribute to the greatness of humanity one must be outspoken on what must no longer be overlooked, one must seek education to thrive for the sake of themselves and others, and most importantly, one must live with a kind heart as that is the most human aspect one should crave. Ms. Barboza has inspired me to pursue further education as I want to follow her example. I want to be the the best possible version of myself. A version of myself where I take every opportunity to improve myself. I want to contribute to our world by using my voice to share the importance of our issues across the planet. Further education will help me achieve this as it will develop my ability to understand issues such as environmental impact, and then develop solutions which I could then share with the public. At times when I wanted to give up on school as one obstacle led to another, Barboza always knew what to say to make sure I never gave up, whether it was enlightening me on ways I can avoid financial burden or some encouraging words to assure I can do what I dream of. Ever since I entered her classroom, I have been inspired. My motivation to participate in speech and debate started in my sophomore year English course. It required that we write and present a speech on a societal issue. I wanted to report on the importance of reproductive rights in the United States. Unfortunately, this did not go without a fight. My teacher told me, "That is not an issue and will not be an issue", therefore, I could not write about it. This enraged me. As this event occurred before the overturning of Roe v. Wade, my teacher lacked the desire to understand my perspective. My voice was shut down. I wanted to prove him wrong, but just couldn't. That is when I was greeted with the opportunity of speech and debate. I wanted to learn how to be heard as someone so apprehensive. My motivation to participate in speech and debate was my first step in self-improvement. My first step towards never letting my voice be shut down ever again.