While browsing through Facebook, I stumbled upon many sad stories: a mother who made the decision to text and drive and ended up losing her daughter in a car accident resulting from her negligence, a woman who was in jail for more than a decade and was later found to be not guilty of the convicted crime, and a proposal to kick homeless people out of their untidy living situations to make a stadium more welcoming to its guests. Unfortunate situations arise to many people, and they may happen to yourself or people you know. While some issues only require a quick phone call and/or a couple signatures to fix, other problems can have a huge impact on those affected and may completely change the way a person lives.

I always try my hardest to appreciate the things I have in my life, but it’s not always so easy. So, I decided to name three of the top things that I am grateful for that many people may not have. If it were up to me, my list would never end and would probably have new things being added to it every day! But for now, I’m going to list just a couple of the things that I feel are important in life that others may not be so fortunate to have.

1. Family & Friends

When I think of what I am grateful for, I automatically think of my family. I think of my parents who work so hard to support my brother and me so that we have a roof over our heads and food to eat. I think of my sisters that have been there to give me advice and helped me as I talked to them about crushes or makeup. I think of my sweet niece who I’m very lucky to spend time with this summer! I think of my extended family that I have grown up with and who have seen me at all my embarrassing times of my life!

I also think of my friends who I consider very important to me- both old friends and new ones! I think of the friends who I have had since high school and have managed to still be a meaningful part of my life. I’m grateful for my two roommates, Xin and Amri, for putting up with my weirdness and sharing my love for food! And I’m grateful for all the friends that I’ve made in college so far that have partaken in all night study sessions with me! My friends and family are what make my life so interesting and worthwhile! They’re there to tell me to calm down when I’m ranting about school and other stressful things, and they’re also there to cheer me on from the sidelines as I navigate through new and exciting things. Without my amazing family and friends, I don’t know how I would deal with the problems that get thrown my way. They’re the reason I smile and continue to work hard.

2. Education

While school is definitely on the top of my list of things that I complain about, I also cannot emphasize how grateful I am for the education that I have received. I’m grateful that I live in such a great country that provides me the opportunity to use my knowledge to apply myself for upper level academics. I’m grateful for the AP classes that I gotten to take that definitely helped me at UC Merced. I’m grateful to be part of the first generation in my family to go to college -- I hope to become a registered nurse! I’m grateful that education is so easily accessible to me unlike in other countries, where students have to take risky paths just to get to school or may be unable to attend at all due to having to partake in labor work to support their families. I’m beyond thankful that I have an amazing mother and father who work as hard as they do just to get me through school and have never discouraged me from going to college and getting a degree. I hope that education continues to be highlighted as a right and not a privilege, so that children and adults everywhere can go and learn about whatever their hearts desire.

3. A Home

I believe having a home involves more than just a physical structure that you stay in. While I am very grateful that I have a place to sleep with a roof over my head, I am even more grateful for the love and support that makes the house I live in meaningful. A house is just a structure and holds no type of emotion within it; is only when that house is filled with love and kindness that it truly becomes a home. I hope that when I live on my own, my house is a safe and loving environment for anyone who walks in. I am grateful for the memories I have made in my home and for the many that I know I will make in the future.

Going back to that story about the homeless people by the stadium, I was absolutely saddened to see the people in the article talk about rounding up the homeless as if they were trash ready to be thrown out. While I understand that a stadium is an area that should leave guests feeling safe and welcome, it is certainly not ok to think that kicking out a bunch of homeless folks is a solution. The number of homeless people in San Diego is only increasing and it is obvious that they need help. Many homeless people consider their makeshift tent to be their home and I’m sure it hurts them deeply when they’re told to get out and are dismissed without a second glance. Most of Americans are only a paycheck away from homelessness, so it is important that we sympathize with the homeless community and work with them to get them the help and respect that they deserve.

I read a recent news article that made me cry tears of sadness and joy. A young woman, who had been homeless since the age of 6, was finally going to get her own place to stay. I was devastated when I realized that her entire childhood consisted of living out on the streets, but I was so happy to see that she was getting the help she needed. There are probably so many stories out there like hers, and I can only hope that we can continue to help those in need.

To conclude, I want to urge my readers to take a moment and make a list of things that you’re grateful for. Whether that list only has a couple things on it or is several pages long, it’s important to realize that many people may not have anything at all. I hope that when I am feeling stressed out or ungrateful, I sit down and write a list of my own.