Laboriosus 

I am a first generation student and a hispanic woman raised in the city of Chicago. It was always a 
struggle obtaining opportunities around me because of my family’s economic and social status, but I had never 
let it prevent me from continuing to search and grasp it when it is within reach. There are limitations in this 
world, especially for people like me where we try to thrive in a place that mostly gives opportunities for the 
majority and the rich. I plan to break this cycle of poverty, of limitations, and continue to seek opportunities in 
spite of the difficulty. Achieving a full-ride to Purdue University through federal aid, scholarships, and grants, 
has given me the first step forward into achieving a breakthrough—a chance for my family to no longer feel 
trapped to a lower position in society. 
 
Being raised in a hispanic household has allowed me to have numerous values, but some of the most 
important ones being family, work ethic, and health. No matter what, family comes first, and that is because 
family in my household means having each other’s backs, through the good and bad, and not letting us struggle 
alone. Though there are cases where it seems like I’m alone, I know that my family would support me and want 
to give me the opportunities they didn’t have. They are the support system I have, because if it weren’t for 
them I wouldn’t be someone as driven and motivated to have a successful life. Along with family, I value work 
ethic. My father has always told me if I want to try something new, to make sure I was the best in it, and even 
if I wasn’t, to not let it be the reason why I don’t put effort. I have pushed myself every night since the 
beginning of high school to get good grades, well-rounded connections, and development in my character so 
that I can continue to grow as a leader and worker in my future years in college. The late nights, the stress, and 
the anxiety have made the years in high school a struggle, but it has also provided me a future at Purdue 
University, with little to no worries about finances. Moreover, I value health. I come to the conclusion that 
along with my physical health, I must also prioritize my mental health. In order to reach my goals, I must have 
the capacity to mentally and physically achieve it. If I am poor in health, I cannot continue to the path that I 
have paved for myself. 
 
Witnessing my parents struggle on a day-to-day basis, now that I am old enough to be observant and 
attentive, has impacted my decisions with what I want to do in the future. I don’t want my parents taking out 
another loan for the sake of having another meal and a roof to be under, I want them to have stability and a life 
where they can come home relieved rather than stressed. I am driven and hardworking because I know that my 
parents have pushed themselves for the sake of my siblings and I, so I want to provide them the same benefits 
and provide them stability once I have a job. Values were prioritized over money; however, I want to be 
successful enough to provide stability and wealth. To do this, I will continue to develop myself as a hard 
worker, and push myself to be a well-rounded worker. 
 
Soon I will be attending Purdue University in the Fall of 2020, planning to double major in cybersecurity 
and network engineering technology. Should I find it necessary to find more opportunities, my backup plan is 
to have a Master’s in Cybersecurity/Cyber Forensics. My career goal is to explore the options of being an analyst 
for a good tech company or for the National Security Agency, be it as a digital forensic analyst, security analyst, 
or a cybersecurity analyst. Along the college journey, one of my goals is finding at least two internships to get 
real experience in the tech working industry and to find the best fit for my career. These goals are important 
to me because by having a well-paid job, but also finding a well suited and fit career for me, I will be able to 
provide stability for not just my family, but also myself. To achieve these goals, I plan to study and use every 
academic resource at Purdue University in order to fully expand my knowledge, skills, and experiences. 
 
These goals align with providing security and stability by working up my career ladder so that my 
family and I can have freedom and assurance in escaping poverty because I am working to make sure my 
education is solid to be given opportunities in the technological field. Through education and work experiences 
by going through internships and jobs, I will have developed better working skills as well as characteristics to 
improve my leadership so that I may get promotions and hence, a higher salary.