Abran Arreola-Hernandez Latino Scholarship

I am a first-generation Latina, raised by two immigrants in Southeast Georgia. I've heard all of the names: "criminals", "aliens", "illegal monsters". As a little girl, I often felt uncomfortable in my skin, I felt alienated; I was ashamed of my skin color, language, and culture. Three years ago, I finally got the chance to visit my family in Mexico. The experience was surreal, I had never seen so many people who looked like me. Despite my slight "acento de gringa", I felt like I had finally found home; my heart felt full. Neighbors often came over to greet us and talk. We would talk as if we had known each other for years. The sense of community was beautiful. However, I couldn't ignore the children in the streets playing with shoes two sizes too small, the women with babies wrapped onto their backs trying desperately to sell their fruit, and people walking to the nearest urban cities at least an hour away to try and make a living. After I came home, I realized I had found purpose. I knew I needed to excel in all areas of my life to accomplish what I wanted. In high school, I excelled both academically and in my extracurriculars. As a junior, I currently have a 3.8 unweighted HOPE GPA and a 4.0 weighted GPA. I have taken rigorous AP classes, but most importantly, I have contributed to my community through extracurriculars. I am the former treasurer and current President of Glynn Academy's World Culture Club, former sophomore representative, and current President of Glynn Academy's Key Club, a South Coast Bank Junior Board Member, the First-Chair Violist for the Golden Isles Youth Orchestra, and most importantly, the Vice President of Community Service for Glynn Academy's HoPe Club. I joined the school's Hispanic Organization Promoting Education (HoPe Club); in May of 2025, I became the Vice President of Community Service. HoPe aims to create a flourishing community of Latinos that gives students access to multiple scholarships, community service opportunities, and more. Our community service opportunities are often in collaboration with local elementary schools. We provide interpreters for their events, like festivals, Open Houses, and Parent-Teacher Conferences. I love engaging in community service initiatives with HoPe, however, I also knew there were more ways to serve my Latino community. After the recent actions of the Trump Administration, I knew that our community needed more help now than ever. So, when the Executive Director of Migrant Equity-Southeast (MESE) reached out to my cousin and me about a volunteer interpreting job, we eagerly accepted. MESE is an incredible immigrant-led non-profit organization based in South Georgia that advocates for immigrant rights and works to bring migrant and refugee communities of South Georgia equitable access to resources (healthcare, educational, etc.). We worked directly with lawyers (Georgia Legal Services Program) and were tasked with being interpreters for families seeking legal advice for establishing Temporary Guardianship for their children in case they (the parents) were to be deported. Though they never said it, I knew the parents were scared. I comforted them, I told them they would be okay, their children would be in good hands, and the dreams they carried into this country would never die. My dream is to become a doctor and serve the Doctors Without Borders Organization (MSF), I want to continue to serve underprivileged communities. I have been given so many opportunities to excel in the United States, I have to give back. Because if I don't, then who will?

Since I was five-years-old, I have been struggling with an invisible illness known as juvenile arthritis. To many, this disease is only attributed to people who are older and have lived long lives. However, I had barely begun my life and was already suffering from extreme pain that oftentimes left me physically paralyzed or bedridden. As a child, this put a damper on my goals in life and made me believe that I would never be able to enjoy life like the other children my age. When I was struggling with my health, many teachers and even doctors claimed that it was impossible for me to be in extreme pain since I was so young. Many people doubted my struggle and claimed that I was a liar. However, as I mentioned before, no one can know you just by looking on the outside. Although I looked young, I was suffering terribly on the inside. This lesson is what pushed me into taking action. Every time I went to the hospital, I was amazed by how many children who, just like me, were suffering from various illnesses. Being young and sentimental, I often told my parents how distraught I was at being unable to help the other young patients in the hospital. Thinking of how holding a stuffed animal in a tight hug made me smile even on my sickest of days, an idea had struck me. Getting straight to work, I began to collect various stuffed animals from anywhere and everywhere. I asked local churches, stores, family friends, and parishioners if they could donate to my cause. Soon, I had over a hundred stuffed animals to give away. My very first stuffed animal donation was at Holy Name Medical Center in New Jersey, all of which were distributed to the children in the hospital. I was proud to be able to help give a smile to people who were suffering. To this day, I have continued my stuffed animal donations with as much tenacity and drive as my younger self has. In this way, I hope to have impacted my community with a ray of hope. Despite having a particularly rocky summer in terms of my health, I have begun to recover and desire to work toward the goals I thought were once impossible. I hope by continuing my donations and working toward higher education, I can achieve my goal of genuinely helping others gain hope. Through my struggles and difficulties, I learned that a little bit of hope can go a long way.