My family has taught me to be proud of who I am. Most of my family still lives in Mexico. Only few of my cousins have gone to college. They taught me to value the fact that I am Mexican. I can speak, read and write Spanish fluently and enjoy eating Mexican foods. Pride in my heritage has been a big part of my ten-year involvement in Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council Ballet Folkloric. I initially joined because my aunt signed me up to learn my culture, though my personal reason was to spend time with my cousins. My continual involvement grew due to my Mexican pride. It enables me to express my culture and show my pride through my passion for dance. Not only did my family influence me but also of my community. I am a resident of Little Village, a Mexican neighborhood in Chicago. I have lived in this neighborhood for fifteen years. People always ask why I still live there, in a neighborhood that is known for gangs, crime, and illegal immigrants. I admit that this is partially true. Sometimes at night, I hear fights and illegal fireworks. One time, I woke up in the middle of the night to find my neighbor’s car on fire. Regardless of these events, I still love my people and am proud of my roots. Every day, I stroll through my neighborhood on my way home from the bus stop. As soon as I get off the bus, I hear lively Mexican music and find the delicious smell of Mexican delicacies; I see taco stands, Mexican restaurants, and other businesses that maintain our culture. I am seeing the richness of my neighborhood I must say that my community has shaped me and my perspective. I give a person, a place or a thing a second look because I know that its bad reputation does not tell all about it. One must look closer as its interior value to recognize and appreciate its richness. This neighborhood has the richness and reflects who I am: Mexican, Latino or Hispanic (whatever is appropriate). Even though it may be a “bad” neighborhood, it is who I am. I cannot feel ashamed of its bad aspects but rather be proud of its positive attributes. Throughout my life here, I see my people united, trying to progress as a community. Instead of being ashamed of my community and isolated from it, I would like to help my people. I would like to help my people, but with my mathematics skills since I have a strong interest in mathematics. It was not until I was asked to participate in a market research case study that I realized how I could combine my passion for helping others with my interests and skills in mathematics. I had to answer questions regarding teen issues. This fascinated me, because society is facing many drastic problems as I learned through my sociology/psychology class. I felt obligated to do something about it, like the problems that my community is facing by asserting my interests in the mathematics field, which is one of my career goals that I pretend to read, and perform successfully in all related to for my own and for the society. Although there are more pathways to follow to help others, I feel that if I concentrate on my strengths in recognizing patterns and dealing with numbers, I can make a positive impact in the world. I would like to start in helping my community progress, for I cannot leave something that is part of me.