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Growing up in my household, it was only my sister and I. We have a brother, but he resides in Mexico. Therefore, I was basically the oldest sibling in the house. As I was growing up, I always took care of my little sister, although I was still young myself I made sure to look out for her as well. Even today in the present moment I still take care of her, whether that's when we go out with each other or home alone with each other. My mother always said I was like her "second mother" whenever she wasn't present at that moment. I fed, clothed, provided for her, and set an example of how she should act at home or in public. I've taught her life lessons, given her advice, and helped her succeed in school. I often see how my little sister looks to me, wanting to succeed well in school even to the way I dress or the way I doll up. Throughout life, I have tried my best to set a good example for her, teaching her the ways of life and being the best older sister I can be to her.

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I wouldn’t say I am exactly creative in just one area, I would say I’m creative in different aspects. I’d say I’m creative in areas such as artistically, my writing, my baking, ideas I have, or even in the way I can figure things out. I don’t believe that creativity has to be focused in one specific branch, because to many people creativity can mean a lot of things. As I said, it can be towards art, the way you think, or originality. I would say I’m artistically creative because I tend to use a lot of colors and drawings in my notes or other scenarios. One time in the sixth grade I had even won an award for being creative, not surprising to me because my peers had always complimented me on my creativity either by my thinking or artistically. Being creative can be an amazing trait, It helps you see the world in many ways. Not only that, but it can get you far in life, career wise, for instance being an extrovert can present amazing opportunities through connections you make with peers.

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One of my secret talents that very little people know about me is, my love and talent for baking. Baking is a stress reliever to me, usually when I bake it’s to calm me down or simply for fun as well. I have always loved baking, ever since I was small I loved to help out my mom in the kitchen such as fetching ingredients or mixing them together, decorating the cake and/or cookies, or tidying up the kitchen. The kitchen always had sweet vanilla scents growing up, my moms desserts were always made with extra love. Recently, I made alfajores de dulce de leche, a dessert I had never tried to bake and was afraid to make. They originate from Argentina and I was baking them for my Spanish 2 NS class. The night before I made sure I was prepared by prepping the ingredients and watching enough YouTube videos so that they were perfect. Well, on Wednesday afternoon, it was time to present my item and after presenting my treat, Mrs.Zeller wanted to try it. “Wow, Denisse, this is so delicious, you should open up a bakery!” The littlest compliments have always meant so much to me towards my baking, the alfajores were so delicious that a few of my other classmates wanted to try it. I wouldn’t say there was an award here, but the compliments to me were a reward. I always try to free up my day to bake, I have a lot of stress nowadays so whenever I recognize it, I plan out a day to bake either cookies or bread.

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Towards the end of my Sophomore year, my counselor had offered AP Biology to me. At first,  I doubted myself, I was terrified of not being able to succeed in a more advanced class, but instead of doubting myself, I took the opportunity to take the class. Mrs. Moreno explained the benefits I can receive in the class, she mentioned If I passed the AP exam with a 4 or 5, I would be able to earn college credits and even a possible chance of a scholarship. So far in the class, it hasn’t been the easiest and of course I expected that, it was an advanced course. But recently, the class has gotten easier for me and I have understood the material well. At first I thought it would be impossible, but I made a goal to keep on studying and studying until I was able to understand the curriculum and so far I have made amazing progress. Not only was taking AP Biology an amazing opportunity, but it was also a barrier at some point due to how hard it was. When I began to study from my test prep books, I started to overcome the barrier of procrastination and saw big improvements on my warm-ups. It is a great accomplishment of mine that I am super proud of myself for that. Now my long term goal is to achieve a 4 or 5 on my AP exam in May.

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Throughout my life I have faced many barriers in school but also in my community. An obstacle that I never seem to forget is learning English. I was raised by two Hispanic parents, with no English skills. So my parents and I only spoke Spanish in the household. Growing up with Spanish being my first language was hard, I knew no English whatsoever and I often didn’t understand it when I was in class. Therefore I was placed in ELD, although my ELD teacher spoke Spanish it was difficult for me to communicate in English, I didn’t know the basics or anything really. As time went by I developed a more understanding, but in different areas I was still clueless. I had even tried to ask my parents for help, but the three of us sat there clueless. At times I would be frustrated with myself, “Why can’t I understand this?” “Why is this so hard?” I was behind considering the grade I was in, so my ELD teacher and first grade teacher started to spend more time with me to gain a more understanding. Of course it wasn’t the easiest to overcome this obstacle especially for a young girl, but whenever I reflect on this past challenge, it makes me happy to see the progress that I have made so far in my life. I know I can do better, but I will forever be proud of that young girl for overcoming a barrier in her life.

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My freshman year I took Biomedical Science. The first few days of the class, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but based on the name of the class I figured it was another course related to Biology. Well as the class went on, I gained an interest in the class, it included the branches of forensics, I excelled in this class. I began my research on forensics and ever since then I became fascinated with forensics and branches that tie in with the law. I was constantly watching crime TV shows everyday, focusing on the details of autopsies and how FBI agents were able to figure out cases based on their evidence and critical thinking. Both the class and TV shows encouraged me to pursue a career in the branches of law and forensics, and till this day I still have that dream of pursuing that career. Ever since then I have tried to research programs that were related to these careers. Now I am taking the course Criminal Justice in Society with Delta College to gain a more in depth understanding of the law.

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 What have I done to make community a better place?

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 What have I done to make community a better place?

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For about three months now I have been helping out a past teacher of mine. I started to give back to my old middle school by helping out with anything she may need around her classroom. I know that younger students aren’t exactly the most mature and sometimes can be a cause of stress. When I usually go into the classroom, I help out with grading any assignments along with the cheerleading sales set up. I tend to notice the kids in her classes are super noisy, immature, and disruptive towards her. I express sympathy towards her because I can see the expression on her face just wanting to get through the day. In middle school, she was always kind to me, and I was a pretty good student in her class. Even till this day, she is a super kind-hearted individual which is why I love to help her out with whatever she needs, whether it's grading assignments or simple tasks such as hanging up posters on the walls. I don’t mind it at all. It is always a joy giving back to her as she supported me during 7th and 8th grade. Even though I complete simple tasks, I can see it is one more thing off her to-do lists and it simply brings me happiness and I hope my actions inspire a student to do the same.

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I love animals, more than I should. I currently have a dog, and her name is Luna. She’s a German Shepherd mixed with a Husky. To me she is my yellow, the way her tail wags from side to side each time she sees me it brings me so much happiness and joy to me daily. Not only does she bring me joy, but I have huge gratitude towards her, because even though she doesn’t know she makes me very happy. Everyday when I notice her soft coat of hair and her sparkly eyes, it brings me serotonin. She is one of the most important factors in my life that I thought that I would never have nor be so thankful for. Often when I find myself down, I love to step outside, take a deep breath, and just take in her presence. To me, she is like my soulmate, friendship wise, and I couldn’t be any happier than to have her in my life.

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I believe that we all have characteristics or special traits that make us all stand out. We are unique in our own ways, whether that’s based on personality, looks, or many other factors. And for me my mindset is what stands out. For my age, I’d say that I'm a pretty smart and wise woman, well growing up my dad has always given me the best advice to get through the obstacles that have been presented in my life or will be presented. I tend to avoid drama, drama isn’t for me, I enjoy the peace instead and rather keep to myself than share big details of my life to others. Being mature at 16 isn’t easy for some, I know that our actions can be reflected upon in our community, friends, or even family, and yes it takes for us to become mature as our brains are growing and growing. But my mindset tends to be more positive than the average teenager. Individuals with a growth mindset are proven to be more successful than closed mindset individuals, and I do find myself to be open minded based off of others comments.