The excerpt below was originally written in 2011, while I was in high school. This week, I decided to rewrite the piece (keeping the main points intact) as a way of reflecting on how things have changed, if they have changed at all, in the last five years. Look out for my analysis and reflection in next week’s article, and please share your thoughts with me in the comments below!

"All are architects of fate living within these walls of time. So look not mournfully into the past, it comes not again."

Life is unpredictable. I don't know where I'm going to end up, or how I'm going to get there, but I do know that the choices I make now will help pave the path. When I read the above quote, it reminds me that everyday I can start over and benefit from the time I have, if well spent. I know that one of my main goals in life is to make a difference in the lives of people. Whether that be through political activism, teaching or just lending someone a hand, I know that it is one of my top priorities to make a positive impact on others. That is why I wish to choose a major in education. Knowledge is vital in today's world, and to give someone some of that knowledge is a reward in itself. Just as my parents have been my teachers throughout my whole life, I want to do the same for someone else. When I look at my dad, a graduate from NYU, and all the sacrifices he makes for his family, all the stress he undertakes from his job, and yet how he still manages to be such a generous and caring man, it amazes me. When I look at my mother, who used to be the best at what she did until I was born and she left work, I don't see how she could have sacrificed her career to become a stay-at-home mom. Their constant struggles inspire me to be a better person and give back to them what they gave up for my brothers and I.

I think that the biggest reason for my desire to give to others is because yes, it is important to give back to those who gave to you, but also because my experiences are what shaped me to become who I am today. Time for a life story: I was born in Queens, New York, but moved to Los Angeles, California at a very young age. I grew up there but also moved around within the city. From West LA to Orange County, and then to the D.C. area for a few months, only to go back to LA and then eventually move to Boston in December of 2008, traveling has been a huge part of my life.

These experiences have been more beneficial to me than I would have ever thought. I have seen so many different types of people, cultures, environments, and ways of living, that I feel like it's my job to tell people what I have learned. Of course, I'm not a preacher. I don't know what life is about. But I do know that the close-minded people, that blow every little thing out of proportion, and latch onto material possessions as if they are going to be living in this world for eternity, do not have the right mentality. It is true that you should live for today, but you should also make choices while weighing the outcomes and consequences.

I want to share my experiences with others and hope that they are impacted in a positive way. Life is too short to be getting caught up in frivolous things and vain acts, and you shouldn't regret what happened in the past because it has made you who you are today. Instead, you should plan on how to spend your life in a way that when you die, people will remember you for all the good that you did. I guess that's my main goal in life. Spreading knowledge is one way I can achieve that. But another way I want to go about this task is by inspiring people. Throughout these four years (maybe even before that) I have been in a constant struggle to figure out who I am and what I want to do. I hope that by the end of high school I have at least some sort of idea. I want to do so many things. I love writing, art, reading, teaching... I want to mold myself into that kind of person that people come to for inspiration. I, myself, have many role models that I look up to. My parents are the biggest. They are more my friends than parents but have also built a structured environment for me so that I am able to make my own decisions with the full confidence of making the right ones. I hope to become a combination of all of my role models. I want my art to inspire others, I want my writing to be discovered, I want to make a difference in someone's life. That doesn't mean being famous. I might've already changed someone's life without knowing it. But as I grow up, I want to have the satisfaction of achieving this goal, knowing that I did it.

So when it comes to careers, I might be doing many things at once. Perhaps an educator by day and artist by night. Or teaching, designing, writing, maybe a combination of all three. What matters to me in the end is that I have changed people as well as myself for the better, and have given back to society, the community and my parents along the way.