Growing up with hearing aids in both ears is different for most people. Growing up as the adopted Mexican daughter of a single white woman is different. Growing up as a girl who never stayed in one school for more than 3 years due to her mom's job is different. Growing up different is something that is so widely shared, yet so feared. Many people feel that their differences make them prey to the monsters of society. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is the movie that catches my heart the most. In the movie, there are children with certain peculiarities or differences who live in an orphanage run by Miss Peregrine, a woman with her own differences. One child has the ability to make fire with her hands, while another is made up entirely of bees. Whatever it was, the world rejected them for their differences. Miss Peregrine herself was rejected for the ability to transform into a bird. Even though they are not her own, Miss Peregrine loves all of them as if they were. She protects them inside a time loop of 1940, which prevents the Hallowgasts, monsters that hunt peculiar children for their eyes, from reaching the children. It also prevents the villagers of Wales from harassing and targeting the children. Several messages can be gained from this movie, without even getting into the actual plot of the movie. The fact that monsters are hunting specifically for the peculiars sort of resonates with today's society of targeting the vulnerable. Miss Peregrine's home and time loop can be a metaphor for the safe haven of home, whatever that may be for some people. Going to a Catholic High School, where the main message and mission of the school is to love and support everyone who walks into the building, has instilled the much-needed feeling of security and acceptance. It is the message of God, who created everyone to be exactly how he wanted them to be. While no one might have magical powers, there are many people who are simply born different and are taunted and hunted for it. Having hearing aids was my biggest difference. Constant questions and taunts about them invaded my thoughts; I hated wearing my hair up, which would make them more noticeable. When people saw my mom, they hurled questions at me like arrows. "Why is your mom so much lighter than you?"; "Where's your dad"; "Where are your real parents?" When I was young, they never really bothered me, but as I got older, the more I started to think about them. I hated myself for being different, even though it was no fault of my own. The children in the movie did not ask for their powers, yet they were still rejected and punished because of them. My mom represents Miss Peregrine because she was willing to take me in as a single woman. She was married to my biological dad, but he was always gone due to military duty. His constant absence eventually led to a divorce between my parents. Since he would never be home to take care of me, he delegated the responsibility to his (ex) wife, who made it her personal mission to make me a successful and happy individual. Watching Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children made me realize that people all over the world have the same issue. My hope is that everyone can find their own safe haven that allows them to feel like their differences are not just peculiar, but extraordinary.

Throughout high school, I've been told that college will be the best years of my life. That the freedom and the responsibility that comes with the experience will change me for the better. As I get closer to graduating, my mother has made it her mission to try to scare me out of it, telling me that I'll probably fail and that I won't be able to live up to my university's standards. She never finished college and she had to work hard to get to where she is now, where she can support a comfortable lifestyle for four people with only her income. She's very independent and hard-working, and she tries her best to instill those traits into me. Going to college means to me that I will be able to prove to my mom, as well as many others, that I can make it to great places and accomplish my dreams. I will be able to be independent and show my family that, while I am not as strong and experienced as my mom, I can still find ways to support myself and the lifestyle that I want. College is my opportunity to get the education necessary for me to accomplish my dream. I hope to become a High school English teacher. I've had several teachers in my life that have helped shape me to become who I am. They have guided me in the direction that I need to go, as well as showed me the other side of a problem that I have otherwise deemed myself as in the right. I feel that teachers/schools are one of the core factors in a person's life that help them grow up to become who they are. I hope that I can be that kind of guide for future students who may be struggling. College will also allow me to experience life from my perspective without my mom's influence. A lot of what I do has been to appease my family and social standards. While I know that they want what's best for me, I still feel limited in my exposure to the real world and how society acts. I want to be able to meet new people from different walks of life and to try new things that I may not have been exposed to. I want to step out of my comfort zone and push myself and my abilities. I know with determination and the right mindset, I can get to where I want to be. I want to make my family and myself proud of where I end up.My father was the first to graduate from college from his side of the family, before joining the Marines. I know he would support me in whatever dream I wish to follow, and I know I would make him proud.