​​​​​​​​​​​​​Ashley Maria Garcia-Parra is a writer and researcher. She studies biology at Hunter College, CUNY and works as a medical assistant at The Mount Sinai Hospital. Ashley believes that writing can help us reflect and grow, and writing with others helps us expand our perspectives more than we can on our own. ​

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Ashley plans to publish her essay, "Independence, Independencia," which describes independence as having "the free will to live as I believe" and what she learned from her mother and grandmother: "no cuesta nada hacerlo." Ashley wrote the essay to inspire young Dominican women to prosper and strive in a demanding world and know that we have the power to change and direct our own lives.

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Ashley also works as a researcher on several studies. She hopes this work will leave a lasting impact on communities.