On June 14th, 2014, I received 

the devastating news that one member of my family had passed

away. I was an eight-year-old shy girl living alone with my father since my mother had cancer and
died on that day.

As the years went on, I attempted to turn every negative experience into a learning
opportunity to advance both intellectually and personally, I worked hard, gained top
marks on my exams, and my greatest accomplishment was receiving the third highest
score in my municipality on the most important Colombian educational test for
attending university: ICFES, with a score of 408 out of 500, the highest score in my high
school Carlos Vicente Rey, where I graduated with honors.
I tried to always keep my mother in mind and worked hard so that I could achieve the goals that
would make her happy. I always strived to stand out because of this, constantly placing first
academically among the 35 average students in my course each year. Over time, I tried to live a
more optimistic life for the people I had the opportunity to spend time with. As a result, I always
attempted to encourage teamwork among my classmates. I knew I could always provide a helping
hand to someone in need—a lesson I learned from my skate club, where every time someone fell,
the team appeared to help them stand up. I always jumped at the chance to work with others so
that we could all grow together, learn from one another, and support one another.

Unfortunately, after spending a month in the hospital due to Covid-19, my father needed to use
oxygen at home for three months while receiving special care. I had to take care of him while also
attending virtual classes and learning English. No matter what unforeseen circumstances arose,
dad constantly emphasized that the best gift he could offer me was education, so I should never
give up and work to become a great professional who could make a positive contribution to
society. Three months later, his recovery and return to health were miracles.

I started to comprehend how diseases operated, but I also noticed that they affected not only our
bodies, but also our minds, which is how I became interested in science and psychology.
Fortunately, I was able to approach this area while doing community service in my chemistry lab, I
was able to help my teacher and other high school students after the pandemic because no one
could use the laboratory, so with my team in the science and creativity project, we restored it to
operation and made it available to all students. We also developed materials to protect us from
the pandemic, such as antibacterial gel, liquid hand soap, and other educational scientific
activities from the chemistry area as a special contribution to the institution's science fair in
2022.

Following the pandemic, I participated in all student dance events and created presentations with
my classmates for flag-raising ceremonies that reflected my Colombian heritage. As a contender, I
also participated in the school's "English Day" celebration, fusing my love for dance and my
commitment to the institution. But also, my school selected me to be a contender in the math
contest with just the best math pupils from every high school in the city for which I had another
participation.

I discovered that I was a multipotential person with a diverse range of skills and interests.
That’s why I saw studying English as a fantastic opportunity to discover the world and gain
incredible cultural experiences. As a result, in my senior year of high school, I decided to
oversee the implementation of the school's program for the inclusion of a foreign language
as a potential for social improvement, by delivering the material to every classroom and
giving demonstrations of speaking English to inform and encourage students to join the
program as an investment for their future.

In this moment I am grateful for all my experiences, both good and bad, because I have learned
that adversity can also serve as inspiration to find our best selves and bring it out.