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Aurora Rocha Memorial Scholarship

Funded by
user profile avatar
Rocha
$1,000
2 winners, $500 each
Awarded
Application Deadline
Mar 31, 2025
Winners Announced
Apr 30, 2025
Education Level
High School
Share
Eligibility Requirements
Education Level:
High school senior
Ethnicity:
Hispanic
Field of Study:
STEM
Background:
First-generation college student
Involvement:
Volunteering experience
Education Level:
Ethnicity:
Field of Study:
Background:
Involvement:
High school senior
Hispanic
STEM
First-generation college student
Volunteering experience

Pursuing a college degree is often an early step on the path to becoming a changemaker who leads an impactful life.

As college becomes an increasingly necessary qualification for many career fields, students with modest financial resources often have to choose between giving up on their dreams or taking on significant debt in order to afford higher education. Many Hispanic students are the first in their families to attend college, which often means having limited mentorship from parents and little financial help.

This scholarship seeks to honor the memory of Aurora Rocha by supporting Hispanic students who are pursuing college in order to make a difference.

Any Hispanic high school senior who will be a first-generation college student may apply for this scholarship if they plan to pursue a STEM field and if they have volunteering experience. However, applicants who have volunteered at a non-profit in a Hispanic community are preferred.

To apply, tell us about yourself and how you plan to make a difference in your community or in your family.

Selection Criteria:
Ambition, Drive, Impact
Scholarships for High School SeniorsScholarships for MinoritiesHigh School ScholarshipsScholarships for Hispanic StudentsFirst-Generation ScholarshipsEssay ScholarshipsSTEM Scholarships
Published September 9, 2024
$1,000
2 winners, $500 each
Awarded
Application Deadline
Mar 31, 2025
Winners Announced
Apr 30, 2025
Education Level
High School
Share
Essay Topic

Please tell us a bit about yourself and how you plan to make a positive impact in your community or within your family.

400–600 words

Winners and Finalists

April 2025

Winners
Adamaris santillana
Boston University
Houston, TX
Fabrizio De Lima Bello
Texas A&M University- College Station
Houston, TX
Finalists
Marvin Manzano
Yes Prep - Northline
Houston, TX
Brayan Martinez
East Early College High School
Houston, TX
Yara Garcia
Lone Star College System
Houston, TX
claudia Vallejo
Kipp Northeast College Preparatory
Houston, TX
Ashley Guzman
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Houston, TX
Leah Mendez
Kingwood Park High School
Humble, TX
Levi Leon
Texas A&M University- College Station
Houston, TX
SHEELSIE CAZARES
Harmony School of Innovation-sugar Land
Houston, TX

Winning Applications

Adamaris santillana
Boston UniversityHouston, TX
Fabrizio De Lima Bello
Texas A&M University- College StationHouston, TX
Moving to the United States from Venezuela was a major change in my life, which brought forth many obstacles, like the language barrier, and my mom particularly struggled finding a stable job. Year after year, we always had to rent an apartment. I recall walking on the side of the roads to try to reach stores, since we had no reliable transportation, and because of the lack of sidewalks. Always having to live in the cheapest places we could find, sometimes we had to live in shady areas, and my mom worried for our safety. It was also particularly difficult for me to make friends in school, since our housing situation resulted in us moving after each school year, which had a negative impact on my social life. Living like this, however, only motivated me to work harder, to create a better future for me and my family, and ultimately be able to repay my mom for opening so many doors for me while giving up her whole life for me. Having the privilege to receive a proper education in the United States made me realize how fortunate I was, which inspired me to give back to my community. Every week at church, I volunteer in the livestreaming team, where I help set up the livestream camera, push graphics for the online service, edit the service podcast, and public livestreams to social media. After volunteering for a whole year, I gained the opportunity of training new people for the livestreaming team, which helped me hone my leadership skills and my teaching skills. Furthermore, I was invited to help run the games section of Vacation Bible School (VBS), which was a great experience where I worked in a team to set up fun games for the kids. On top of church, I have also taken part in fundraising volunteering for my school’s band program, by volunteering at Top Dog Fireworks, where I got valuable experience as a salesperson and as a cashier, giving me opportunities to interact with strangers, and work on my communication skills. All of my volunteering experience also allowed me to join my school’s 2025 chapter of the National Honor Society, giving me new opportunities to volunteer around my school district. I have approximated that by the end of my senior year, I will have over 500 hours of volunteer work completed. My interactions with other people have not just been limited to volunteer work. I have a deep passion for programming, and have started several passion projects where I coded Minecraft servers, which allowed me to create online communities, with one reaching around 100 members. While I mostly program for fun, being able to create new communities is a fun way to connect with others. Having positively impacted several people who played on my servers, I realized that I wanted the same for my career, and I seek to study Computer Engineering. I seek to explore my interests in game design or potentially artificial intelligence, because I both enjoy creating new communities and interacting with them, but I also believe in the potential of AI to optimize many aspects of society, and wish to contribute to its growth. With all my experiences in volunteering and connecting with online communities, I hope I can contribute to advancements in artificial intelligence, while continuing to make meaningful connections, both in real life and in a digital space.

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FAQ

When is the scholarship application deadline?

The application deadline is Mar 31, 2025. Winners will be announced on Apr 30, 2025.

How will scholarship application information be used?

Your privacy is a top priority on the Bold.org platform, and you can find our privacy policy in full here. You may opt out of communications from Bold.org at any time, and unless we’ve first notified you and gotten your consent, you’ll never receive communication from any third parties related to personal information you give us.

What is the scholarship award?

Award amounts per winner are designated by the donor. Check the award amount for a detailed breakdown.

When will the scholarship winner be chosen? How will they be notified?

The winner will be publicly announced on Apr 30, 2025. Prior to the announcement date, we may contact finalists with additional questions about their application. We will work with donors to review all applications according to the scholarship criteria. Winners will be chosen based on the merit of their application.

How will the scholarship award be paid?

Award checks will be sent to the financial aid office of the winner's academic institution or future academic institution in their name to be applied to their tuition, and in the name of their institution (depending on the school's requirements). If the award is for a qualified educational non-tuition expense, we will work with the winner directly to distribute the award and make sure it goes towards qualified expenses.

How will my scholarship application be verified?

Before we award the scholarship, the winner will be required to confirm their academic enrollment status. Depending on the circumstances, verification of Student ID and/or their most recent transcript will be required.

How should I get in touch with questions?

If you have any questions about this scholarship or the Bold.org platform, just email contact@bold.org and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can.

Does the scholarship have terms and conditions?

Yes. The terms and conditions for this scholarship can be found here.

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