1. Briefly describe your family's economic background.

Include information about your financial

challenges.
- Due to my family being immigrants it led to less job opportunities which forced us to live in a one
bedroom house with seven family members. The first four months of being in the United States
my mom couldn’t find a job so my uncle fed and helped us with rent. My uncle also provided me
with hand me downs. After four months, my uncle told us he needed the room that we were
occupying and we had to look for an apartment. Eventually we found a place to live but then my
mom had to oversee what schools to enroll us in and still provide for my younger brother. Once
my younger brother was born my mom applied to Women Infants and Children federal program
that assisted us in providing nutritional food for us.My mom couldn't afford to hire a babysitter so
instead she waited for my older sister and I to come home after school and take care of him so
then she can go to work at 5 in the afternoon and come back at 1 in the morning the next day.
Even though I was the middle child I was required to mature faster in order to help my mom with
my siblings by cleaning the house, feeding them, and making dinner for my mom when she
comes home from work. Already struggling to live off of paycheck by paycheck my mom would
always find ways to send money to her parents in turn meant less money for us. When one of
us was ill my mom had to skip work in order to take us to the clinic. In the grand scheme of
things my mom was working 2 jobs to hopefully pay off the huge debt she owed her relatives
that provided her a loan in order for my siblings and I to cross the border as well as my mom.
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2. Why would you like to attend college? Discuss your career and personal goals. Are there any particular
circumstances, school experiences, or persons that influenced your preparation or motivation to attend
college (e.g., cultural/financial background, family, teachers, schools you attended)? Please explain

- Being able to help my family financially motivated me to attend college and better my chances
for success. Witnessing my parent’s struggles to provide for their family needs and sacrificing
themselves to give their children a better lifestyle has encouraged my decision to attend college.
Another reason I would like to attend college would be to follow my sisters' steps since she is
currently in college and I want to continue setting that example for my younger brother. Growing
up in a community with a high rate of violence encouraged me to become someone who helps
their community and helps make it better. Seeing so much violence motivated me to try and give
my brother a better environment to grow up and not get involved in any gang-related activities.
As a child, I was fascinated with a T.V show called Criminal Minds and that's how I learned
about the FBI's and how the job helps communities safer from crime. I did more research about
the job and discovered that becoming an FBI fits my life goals. Another job that has recently
piqued my interest would be becoming a Psychologist specifically for inmates and or homeless.
I have done some research for a class and became aware that most inmates don't receive the
help they need. My personal goal would be helping my community and those in need.

3. Briefly discuss your academic background. Did you utilize any additional support at your high school,
such as tutoring? Do your grades in high school and/or college reflect your academic ability or
potential?

-​My grades don’t show my academic abilities or potential since I'm not the best student but I try
my best. I have some struggles that prevent me from showing my potential and that can be
shown in my sophomore and junior year of High school. I have struggled with changes in my life
 that impacted my undertaking in school. During my sophomore year, my father moved to
another country which impacted my anxiety and therefore my grades. Having anxiety made it
difficult to participate in class and give presentations which also impacted my grades. Since
softball was my only coping mechanism I focus more on the training and less in school. After I
realized my decisions were affecting my future I agreed to quit softball. After quitting softball I
focused more in school and was able to bring most of my grades up and took summer school to
make up for the missing courses. I also took after school tutoring and stayed for office hours to
turn in my missing assignments. I have recently lost two family members but I learned to deal
with it in a day where it doesn't affect my grades. This year I'm doing much better and focusing
on my goal to graduate and attend a college I want.

4. List any volunteer, extracurricular activities, or work experience in which you are or have been involved
in the past two years.

-Helping my community has always been one of my priorities so when I got the opportunity to join clubs
and organizations that help others I was excited to join. My sister introduced me to Ms. Margret who is
part of the St James church soup kitchen where a group of people make and serve food for the
homeless. I would give my service every Friday and help make food, serve and clean afterward. Ms.
Margret informed me that they would be joining the organization Shower of Hope every Saturday which
offers showers and clothes for those in need so I offered to attend. Some clubs that I joined in my
school would be Best buddies, Red Cross, and Gear Up for LA. Best Buddies is a new club in my
school that involves kids with disabilities making friends and getting them more involved in social
activities. The Red Cross is a humanitarian organization that helps people through natural disasters
and educates kids. Gear Up for LA helps children be informed with everything they need to know about
college and financial options. As a member of Gear Up you attend a workshop so you can later on help
your peers who need it as well as answering their questions.

5. Is there any additional information you would like EOP to consider in determining your admission to the
program
- Throughout High school, I have struggled with anxiety which has had an impact on my
academics. I have struggled with public speaking and participating in class because I get
anxious. Making friends and talking to new people wasn’t easy since I'm an introvert.
After sophomore year I made two close friends who helped me get out of my comfort
zone and try new things. Having friends that are contrary to me has helped me get less
anxious and made it easier to overcome my struggles. Last year I had some changes in
my life that caused my anxiety to come back and affect my junior year. My friends have
taught me that I have to overcome my obstacles to feel less anxious the next time I am
put in the same situation. I will always feel anxious when trying something new but I’ve
learned to try my best to go for it. Some coping mechanisms I have is listening to spoken
word poetry while doing my makeup and playing softball among other things. My favorite
poet is a crater on youtuber named Mies Carter his voice is calming and his videos are
very satisfying to watch. I have learned to focus on things I enjoy doing in order to calm
down and control myself.