My family and community are the ultimate motivators who encourage me to continue pursuing my education at WSU. They serve as constant reminders of those affected by the lack of social assistance still necessary for certain marginalized communities to comfortably, adequately, and safely live. Growing up in a small town, migrant community full of undocumented, lower class, families of color made me even more appreciative of all that my mother provided, even without the assistance from my father, who later died when I was a teenager. Although I never felt poor or in need, looking back at my childhood as an adult, I realized that this was only because my mother sacrificed many of her own wants and needs so her scarce income could instead provide …show more content…
Once I finally began to learn about many of the personal and political differences and inequalities that many people from all types of communities faced, this made me even more proactive and determined to achieve my goals so I could help change this vicious cycle, and ultimately improve the lives of not only myself and my family, but for my entire community, and general society in which I am actively part of. This is why I immediately began taking women studies, comparative ethnic studies, queer studies, and psychology courses, so I could begin to try to understand the depth and dynamics of social differences, that I never even knew existed, until I entered college, and left my small community. I instantly became so interested and invested in advocating for social justice that I felt it necessary to also become involved in many of these movements outside of merely the academic setting, where many of these real life injustices occur. It was here in these settings where I was able to apply what I learned inside the secluded, and safe barriers of a classroom, and ultimately, practice what I was preparing at school to practice as a