PROMPT #1: Describe the world you come fromfor example, your family, community or schooland

tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

Try as we might, the person that we become is because of the influences and people we are surrounded by
as we grow up. Whether it be their values or their sense of humor, we are ultimately going to adapt
something from our little world that we were encompassed by as children and adolescents. I am by no
means an exception to this. My entire life, like many others, I have been surrounded by an array of
communities. Ranging from my immediate seven member family to the fashion club that I joined my
junior year in high school. The world that I come from consists of a diverse selection of people. My
world is constantly changing, being influenced by the people that I meet and have the opportunity to build
a relationship with. Every person has added their own bit into shaping the young woman I am today, but
the most influential people have been my older siblings.

With two older brothers and an older sister, my life has always had some sort of guidance from them,
whether it be defective or not. Lucky for us, four is an easy number to divide into pairs and that is the
way we grew up. For every outrageous and intolerable moment my parents had to suffer through, it was
by pairs. And although we were always in pairs, the experiences with each of my siblings were individual
and unique. For every wrong decision they made, I learned a lesson. For every barrier they faced, I grew
stronger. But like my father says, no se aprende en cabeza ajena. I had to learn from my own wrong
decisions and face my own barriers. And they guided me through it all. Always at my side, they taught
me to always stand tall, with my head held high. To be unafraid when doing what brings me joy and to
never get tired of doing the right thing.

Because I had this mindset growing up, I humbly dreamed about changing the world. Seeing the
community I was growing up in facing such hardships that hindered their potential to achieve the great
dreams they had saddened me. Difficult as it may have been -still may be- it virtually is the determining
factor in getting me ahead. The troubles I saw, not only with my community, but also with my siblings,
shaped my determination in continuing my education. Knowing that my education would be a key in
relieving some of the troubles I saw them struggle through, I remain steady in my education. And despite
the cons and the negatives of my city, it still is an important part of my life. It taught me the lessons that
instill my values and exposed me to countless opportunities to thrive. Knowing this, I hope to serve my
community proudly as an officer of the law one day in the future. Although my siblings tease me for it,
they are the inspiration for this dream. Knowing that they saw and experienced many injustices, ones that
I was not even alive for, motivates me to be the change they wish they could have seen decades ago.

The worlds that we come from will inevitably shape the people we become, either negatively or for the
better. I am grateful I received the latter. My dreams and aspirations have been molded primarily by my
older siblings and my community, aspiring to be better and to give back to both of them. Only through
the experiences I had with my brothers and sister did I learn that life is full of teaching moments that will
continue to shape you. And with every experience-every defining moment- I have grown to be the proud
young woman that I am today.

PROMPT #2: Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is
important to you. Why does this make you proud and how does it relate to the person have become?
I was six years old the first time I crossed over the threshold of what would become my parish. I was in
the worst of moods and could not wait to leave that church group my parents had dragged us to. It would
be a couple of months before I started accepting that this would be my Monday night routine: dinner,
mass, and church group. It would be a couple more before I had enough friends to actually enjoy that
group. Month number eight would be when I was introduced to the altar servers in our parish. After
deciding that it would be fun, I convinced my mother to let me join this team.

I had not a clue what the responsibilities of an altar server were when I signed up. In summary, the duties
of an altar server are to assist the priest during celebration. What I wasnt told was that altar servers were
the go to people when the holiday masses and other special celebrations were to be observed. This meant
that we were responsible not only for our mass duties, but also in helping decorate, clean up, and some
crowd control. Being one of the older altar servers, this also added the responsibility of dealing directly
with the church-goers during mass with the priest. When I asked my mother for permission to join this
team, I did not have these duties in mind, nor did I ever think I would be doing them for eight years.

As I grew with this team, I had the opportunity of mentoring several new members, assisting the pope
when he made an appearance, and creating new ideas for decorations and set ups. What began as a fun
idea turned into an important leadership role that I grew to be passionate about. After serving eight years,
my term came to an end my freshman year of high school, relinquishing the unofficial spot as eldest altar
server. However, the energy and work that was put in, reaped great results which continue to be built
upon by the next generation of altar servers.

Although it is over, it means a great deal to me. Knowing that I served years to a cause that I not only
genuinely cared about, but also enjoyed, makes me proud. Having that responsibility entrusted in me
made me feel as though I could actually have an influence on others. In addition to that, doing something
that also made my parents proud of me, filled me with confidence in myself. This experience instilled in
me many of the values that make the person that I am today. Being a young woman that believes strongly
in compassion and integrity is in part due to this experience. These are values that I attempt to apply to
my life as often as possible. My character has been shaped in great parts from this, which I am grateful
for because with the strong foundation it instilled in me, I can stand strong in everything that I do and
believe in.