WHO YOU ARE MATTERS

             I was born in Monterrey, Mexico and grew up in San Diego, California where my family moved when I was just seven years old. I am a fraternal twin and we are the younger of four children. I come from a house with very strong Jewish values although we are not religious. As for where I am headed, that is something that I thought would be more clear at this stage in my life. While I came to college to find what I want to do, I have instead been introduced to so many things that I am so interested in that I have found myself with less of an idea of my exact direction. However, although it sometimes scares me, it mostly excites me. I may not know where I will live next year after graduating but what I do know is that I will be working in a completely different environment than I am in today and hopefully constantly learning and creating new experiences.

             "Everyone is a reflection of their household." This saying always strikes me, especially as a twin, because I agree with it yet my twin and I are polar opposites. I am like my parents in that we share the same values. I am much like my dad in the way that we think about things and our competitive and intense nature. I am very confrontational and direct which aligns with my dad and is the opposite of my mom. I have always struggled to look at social norms in the way my parents due.
             While I wish I could say I have set my expectations for myself, I do not know if I believe that anyone has accomplished that. While I have created my own expectations outside of what my family, friends or community expects of me, I believe that any unique expectation set by anyone is based on what we see from people around us. My professional goals are my own but influenced by people I admire. My personal goals were created by me but also influenced by people I perceive to be happy.
             While I do not know Elon Musk personally, I have always admired his passion for changing the world and not succumbing to what others tell him is possible or not. He has challenged himself to change many industries in ways that people didn't think was possible. Although he sometimes makes outlandish statements about his goals, I like to not take them literally but to look at them as breaking our idea of what we think is possible.
            My connection with the animal world and the nature kingdom are intertwined. The wild animal I have felt a strongest connection with in my life has been monkey's. This comes from a love for climbing in the wild, and in turn, relating to monkeys. I have always had a very special connections with trees since I started climbing them at a very young age. I always loved being around people and socializing but I was a talented climber and found my safe haven in the trees. I found comfort in the idea of being high up in a tree where few people could reach and just lay and enjoy being alone.