As a disabled Latina from a working-class family, I grew up being told that I would not amount to much. When teachers, doctors, and abusive ex-partners tell you for most of your life that you are weak and useless, it's easy to believe them and give up on your dreams. Luckily, I am stubborn and persistent, and I never stopped fighting. I distanced myself from the nay-sayers and found a better, more supportive medical team. I discovered that I have a lot of strengths; not only do I work hard and learn quickly, but I have the patience for fine detail work. I have worked as a jeweler for 14 years. I have set stones, sized rings, and repaired sentimental jewelry. The long, laborious hours and the dust and chemical exposure have been difficult to deal with with my asthma and my nerve disorder, but I have persevered. Covid wrecked my progress. Despite being vaccinated and taking precautions, I caught a bad strain of the virus. It had lingering effects, worsening my asthma to the point where I can no longer do the job that I love. The smoke and chemical fumes, the polishing dust, and the humidity from steam cleaners caused constant acute asthma attacks. The doctors said I could no longer work. I'm no quitter, though. I have talented hands and an eye for detail. My talented medical team inspired me to go into healthcare, so I started applying to schools and I got accepted into a dental hygiene program. College has been stressful. It was difficult to go back to school in my thirties. Most of my classmates are much younger than I am, so they have not had to deal with a long break in their education. Also, many of them have spent a few years working as dental assistants, so they are more familiar with the dental field. I have had to do a lot of catching up. My program is accelerated, so I have had to work twice as hard to stay on top of things. The program is 110 credits in just 22 months, so I barely have time to eat and sleep! It has been worth it, though. I have found that dental hygiene is the perfect blend of detailed work and keeping people healthy, all while being in a clean, asthma-friendly environment. I've been earning straight-A's and loving my coursework. It is the perfect field for me, so I'm glad I have persevered!

I started working on my bucket list about 10 years ago. I added three quality of life goals: A good career, a house with a garden, and someone to share my life with. I also added five stretch goals: get interviewed on TV, be on the radio, get my name in the newspaper, have my art displayed in a museum, and become a published author. Although I intended to work on these over a lifetime, I've actually accomplished half of the goals on my bucket list! I was lucky enough to find my "forever person" six years ago and we're talking about getting married when I finish school. I'm also surprised at my progress on my stretch goals. I've been interviewed on TV and on the radio multiple times and I had my sculpture featured in a major museum and two art galleries. I'm still working towards a house and a good career; a disability is ruining my savings and forcing me into a career change, but I'll get there eventually. Publication remains elusive. While I've gotten my name into a minor newspaper and I've had work published in minor magazines, I won't consider those goals checked off until my work is in a major publication.

As a disabled Latina from a working class family, I grew up being told that I wouldn't amount to much. When teachers, doctors, and abusive ex-partners tell you for most of your life that you are weak and useless, it's easy to believe them and give up on your dreams. Luckily, I’m stubborn and patient, and I never stopped fighting. I distanced myself from the destructive people in my life and found a better, more supportive medical team. I discovered that I have a lot of strengths; not only do I work hard and learn quickly, but I have the patience for fine detail work. I’ve now been working as a jeweler for 14 years, setting diamonds, designing engagement rings, and repairing sentimental jewelry. The long laborious hours and the dust and chemical exposure are difficult with my asthma and CRPS, but I’ve persevered. Covid-19 wrecked my progress. Despite being vaccinated and taking precautions, I caught it. Covid had lingering effects, worsening my asthma to the point where I can no longer do the job that I love. The smoke and chemical fumes, the polishing dust, and the humidity from steam cleaners caused constant acute asthma attacks. I was coughing up blood and visiting the doctor almost daily, so I was ordered to stay home from work. I’m no quitter. I have talented hands and an eye for detail. I want to go out and help people the way my healthcare team has helped me. It’s time to make another big change and go back to school. I decided that dental hygiene is the perfect blend of detailed work and keeping people healthy, all while being in a clean, asthma-friendly environment. I am gentle and good at being patient with nervous people, so this will be the perfect career!

As a disabled Latina from a working class family, I grew up being told that I wouldn't amount to much. When teachers, doctors, and abusive ex-partners tell you for most of your life that you are weak and useless, it's easy to believe them and give up on your dreams. Luckily, I have a stubborn streak, and I never stopped fighting. I distanced myself from the destructive people in my life and found a better, more supportive medical team. I discovered that I have a lot of strengths; not only do I work hard and learn quickly, but I am extremely talented at fine detail work. I’ve now been working as a jeweler for 14 years, setting diamonds, designing engagement rings, and repairing sentimental jewelry. The long laborious hours and the dust and chemical exposure are difficult with my asthma and CRPS, but I’ve persevered. Covid-19 wrecked my progress. Despite being vaccinated and taking precautions, I caught it. Covid had lingering effects, worsening my asthma to the point where I can no longer do the job that I love. The smoke and chemical fumes, the polishing dust, and the humidity from steam cleaners caused constant acute asthma attacks. I was coughing up blood and visiting the doctor almost daily, so I was ordered to stay home from work. I’m no quitter, and I refuse to stay home and do nothing. I have talented hands and an eye for detail. I want to go out and help people the way my healthcare team has helped me. It’s time to make another big change and go back to school. I decided that dental hygiene is the perfect blend of detailed work and keeping people healthy. I can keep my hands busy and help patients, all while being in a clean, asthma-friendly environment.