Boundless Scholarship

I was born in Honduras, where life was not easy. My family struggled financially, and safety was often uncertain. At age 15, I moved to the United States with my mother and brother in search of a better future. Leaving behind everything I knew—my home, friends, and language—was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. We arrived with very few resources and no guarantees. My mother worked hard to keep us afloat, but we often lived paycheck to paycheck. This experience shaped me in ways I never expected and gave me a powerful mindset for overcoming adversity. Poverty has never been just a financial struggle for me—it’s been a daily reminder to work harder, stay focused, and never give up. In my first year in the U.S., I faced a major language barrier. I didn’t speak English well and often felt lost in class. I could have given up or fallen behind, but I refused. I stayed after school for extra help, practiced English at home, and pushed myself to keep improving. Eventually, I not only caught up—I began to lead. I graduated from Englewood High School with a 3.7 GPA while being active in several leadership roles. I was a dedicated cadet in JROTC, where I earned awards for leadership, behavior, and performance. I also played trumpet in the band for several years, spending hours each day practicing, performing, and growing as part of a team. I joined the National Honor Society, Latinos Rams, and also participated in track and tennis. Each of these activities taught me something important: discipline, teamwork, time management, and perseverance. Being low-income meant that I couldn’t afford tutoring, new clothes, or extracurricular fees easily. I worked part-time at Checkers and currently work at Lowe’s to help support my family and save for college. Instead of seeing these challenges as obstacles, I see them as motivation. My financial situation pushed me to be resourceful, independent, and focused on my goals. Now, I am a college student at Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ), pursuing my Associate in Arts degree before transferring to the University of North Florida to major in electrical engineering. I also plan to join ROTC and serve as a military officer after graduation. My goal is not just to succeed for myself—but to give back to my family and community. I want to prove that no matter where you come from or how hard your start was, you can overcome adversity with dedication and heart. My journey has taught me to be bold, curious, and committed to growth. Poverty did not define my future—it refined my mindset. I’ve learned to keep moving forward even when life is uncertain, and I believe that strength will carry me through every challenge I face in college, the military, and beyond. Thank you Luis Bardales

Growing up, my family struggled to get ahead when it came to financial problems. For most of my early youth, we spent rationing most of the food that we had gotten, and there were even nights when dinner was not often an option. My father spent a relentless amount of time trying to move up in his sales HVAC company, and my mother worked as a waitress, where her tips were often what put food on the table. This obvious struggle left a mark on my siblings and me, as we saw how hard our parents worked for just the simplest aspects of life such as food, water, and electricity. Most of my friends in my youth never had these struggles which often led to me hiding my private life from them and being embarrassed about our house and financial situation. However, looking back on all of it, I would never change the way that I grew up. The lessons that we learned directly from our parents taught us that there are benefits to going through hard work to achieve what you want in life. My mindset changed from simply wanting the grand things to seeing that there is beauty in the work behind them. I started working at the age of eleven babysitting my younger cousins being paid $2.5 per hour. While it did not pay much, it allowed me to see the struggle of working under poor conditions and how life as an adult might go. I later started working other jobs that paid higher, but through every condition, I learned a new lesson about working through adversity, the value of hard work, and the importance of time management skills. I also took this mindset all of the way through high school, attaining straight A's for almost my entire high school career and a GPA of 4.375. Even though I was made fun of for my obvious lack of nice clothes and accessories such as phones, laptops, and computers, I still worked hard to showcase myself in the academic arena. I was quickly realized as one of the best students in my class and gained many academic achievements such as gaining entry to the Chesapeake Bay Governor's School program and being promoted to Logistics Officer in my Air Force JROTC program. I am currently 2nd in my class and Saludatory for my graduation ceremony. I wholeheartedly believe that growing up in a state of poverty sets a person up for rigorous trial and error and the value of virtues such as humility, patience, and fighting an uphill battle.