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Sophomore year I was encouraged to join Puente by my parents and my friends. At first I did kind of regret it because I didn't feel close to my Puente class and we weren't doing things that I expected Puentistas to do. But as I spent more time in Puente I came to realize that I helped me more academically and to my path to college. Ms. Santoyo is an amazing counselor that encouraged me to take challenging classes and cares about her students. My current Puente teacher Ms. Valdez is also an amazing teacher as she helps us on our path to college and encourages us to do our best and shoot for the stars. I've heard several negative things about Puente but all I can think is how much it's helped me as a person and as a student. Puente takes us to college trips from NorCal to SoCal and helps us discover and explore a wide range of UC's and other universities. I am grateful to those that encouraged me to join and I am grateful for my counselor and my teachers who have helped me from sophomore year to senior year.

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During my sophomore year of high school, my best friend Sofia created a club where we would bake things. I joined it because it sounded fun and I wanted to support her also. The club was the highlight of my week every Thursday and I looked forward to talking and spending time with my friends, including with people I've barely talked to. It was fun baking and accidentally making mistakes like baking cookies for too long or getting messy. I asked her to make a comeback with the club this year again because I miss it and hope to be able to bake with my friends again.

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Junior year was my first year in which I took an AP class and it was AP Language. I didn't really choose to take it, Ms. Santoyo told me to because that's what Puente counselors do. But, I am very glad I took the class. Even though sometimes it was very challenging and there was a lot of homework, I still enjoyed every second of it. I think I mostly got through it because of my friends and we were able to help each other out and make sure we weren't going crazy. In the AP test I received a 3 which I think is pretty good, but it doesn't show how much I enjoyed writing essays and receiving feedback from Ms. Elliott. I think the thing I enjoyed most was growing as a writer and getting better at English. Taking this class made me regret not doing AP classes my sophomore year, but encouraged me to take AP Government, AP Literature, and AP Drawing this year.

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During summer break I took part of CLYLP. It was a bumpy journey trying to get into the program. I had to write three essays and include several things in my application. I felt confident about what I wrote but when the acceptance emails came in I wasn't accepted, instead I was placed basically in the back up list. I was genuinely so sad about it because the program sounded interesting and I wanted to become more of a leader also because I worked really hard on all three of my essays. Thankfully, there was space for me and I was able to be part of the program. It was a 3 day program and it taught me about my culture, career, community and we also went to Oakland City Hall and had a mock press conference. The program exposed many things to me and it was very inclusive and welcoming. Sadly I can't do it again next year, but it was a great experience.

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I've had several job ideas like being an art therapist, art teacher, or a sonographer. Right now I have the goal and interest to become a Dental Hygienist. I am always researching careers and what would be best for me. Becoming a Dental Hygienist is more than getting paid well, but to help others with oral health since it's something I've struggled with and have been insecure about.

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This summer my sister went to study abroad in Rome, Italy for Psychology. She told me about her experience traveling to Rome and being able to visit other cities in Italy. This made me want to visit Rome one day and also Prague. I would love to visit the beaches, eat their food, and look at historical sites. She would send us several photos and it was always so beautiful.

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One of my goals is to learn how to drive, especially on the freeway. The thought of having to drive one day on the freeway terrifies me. I do not know how my sister was able to learn to drive and how she isn't scared to drive to Berkeley and back home for work. I genuinely think I'm going to stick to the roads and avoid freeways at any cost. Maybe once I actually learn how to drive it would become easier for me to face the terrifying freeway. But for now I am afraid of it.