For one of my classes, Readings and Criticisms in Architecture, the professor assigned the class to write an essay about the house that we grew up in. He asked that we provide pictures and sketches. I remember asking my dad if I could see the plans for the house. He hurried to his files and handed me a laminated sheet with the plan of the house. My dad said, “no lo pierdas, este es el sacrificio de mi vida.” This was a reminder. A reaffirmation of reality. Ever since I was capable of forming a memory, my dad has always worked nightshifts. He goes to sleep around 6 PM, usually wakes up around 11 PM to get ready, and then leaves an hour after. He comes back home around twelve hours later. I look up to him and his determination to provide for our family. He doesn’t complain or admit that he’s tired, but I always see him down a mug of coffee before he leaves to work. I know he works hard for us, to provide food and a roof above our heads so that we lack nothing. Oftentimes I think about this being the reality for others as well. A quick look at the statistics and we see that rent takes up about 25% of the average annual income, this percentage is even more severe for Latinos. For Hispanics and other minorities, this can be troublesome and hinder our futures and hold us back from opportunities. I want to bring affordable housing to my community to help with this problem. Because seeing how our Latin culture values family, we are willing to go to great lengths for them, whether that means sacrificing our time, money, and even health. But showing love shouldn’t be this hard. Affording a home for your family shouldn’t be this hard. I want to incorporate sustainability into my future work as well. The construction industry accounts for an estimated 40% of all carbon emissions. Because of this rising problem, the 2030 Challenge was created. There are a couple of years left before 2030 but I was so fascinated about this topic that I rented several books on sustainability and zero-carbon precedents from my school’s library when I learned about it. I’m even more motivated to learn about sustainability to include it in affordable housing by using affordable, durable, and recyclable materials. Methods that don’t disrupt nature and our health, and the like. If you were to ask me when I was younger what I wanted to be, I would say that I wanted to be an artist. If you were to ask me what I want to be now, I would still say an artist. An artist with knowledge of physics, psychology, history, health, and everything. An artist that can draw inspiration from everything else to further advancement. To be a Latina means family. To be an architect means creativity. To be both means a future built on the pillars of love.