Alger Memorial Scholarship

Life is inherently hard, but I’ve come to believe that the most meaningful growth comes from how we choose to respond to adversity. As a Mexican American, first-generation college student, single mother of a son with special needs and epilepsy, full-time employee, and doctoral candidate in Education, I’ve faced more than my fair share of challenges. Yet each difficulty has shaped me into a stronger, more compassionate, and more determined person, and has fueled my drive to uplift others along the way. Growing up in poverty, I learned resilience early. College wasn’t expected in my family, it was a distant hope. I struggled to navigate higher education with limited guidance, financial instability, and few role models. Despite that, I not only completed my undergraduate degree, but went on to earn a master’s, and now, I’m pursuing a PhD in Education with a focus on Higher Education and Student Affairs. I currently work full-time as a Senior Instructional Lab Technician at Rio Hondo College, and I also serve as an Adjunct Professor of Chemistry at the University of La Verne. Balancing these roles while raising my son and completing my doctoral coursework has tested me, but it has never broken me. When my son was diagnosed with epilepsy and other special needs, my world shifted. I had to advocate fiercely for his health and education while maintaining my career and academic goals. Rather than stepping back, I leaned into my purpose. I know what it feels like to be unseen, to feel like the system wasn’t built for someone like me, and that’s exactly why I’m determined to change it. Service is at the heart of everything I do. I have mentored countless first-generation and underrepresented students, especially women of color in STEM. I’ve led community workshops, coached underserved students in chemistry, and supported undocumented and parenting students in navigating college. I also volunteer my time to initiatives focused on accessibility and inclusion in education. Whether it’s staying after hours to help a struggling student or guiding a young mother through her return to college, I see every interaction as an opportunity to give back. Academically, I have maintained a GPA above 3.5 throughout my graduate studies, not because it’s easy, but because excellence, to me, is an act of resistance and empowerment. My ambition is rooted in something larger than myself. I want to build equity-centered programs in higher education that remove barriers for nontraditional and historically excluded students. I want to ensure students like me don’t just survive college, they succeed. The Algers’ story is beautiful and moving. Like them, I’ve dedicated my life to helping others, often sacrificing time and comfort to ensure someone else’s success. Receiving this scholarship would be more than financial support, it would be a recognition of the resilience, commitment, and service that I bring to my community every day. I am not just working for a degree, I’m working to transform the very system that tried to leave people like me behind.