Abigail Manalese is finishing her second year at Foothill College with plans to transfer to the University of California, Los Angeles in the fall. Driven by a desire to explore the complexities of migration and broaden her worldview, Abigail has set her sights on pursuing a major in Global Studies. After obtaining her Bachelor's degree, she intends to enter law school with a concentration in immigration or international law. Her academic concentrations were influenced by her background as a first-generation American. Growing up, she had a firsthand glimpse into the myriad of challenges her family encountered while navigating the complex legal processes of migrating from The Philippines to the United States. These experiences led her to assume the role of captain for her county-awarded high school mock trial team, take on an Editor-in-Chief position of the first international news organization in her college, and demonstrate her skills as a researcher by serving as a research coordinator for Foothill College's Ethnography Lab and interning as a dedicated research assistant for a Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University. In her free time, she enjoys visiting new cafés, restaurants, and open-air farmer's markets to support local businesses and communities.