Douglass M. Hamilton Memorial Scholarship

My name is Emiliano Ruelas Sosa, and I am undocumented. I recently graduated from Willamette University with a bachelors in Economics and business, and am currently working to pay for my tuition at the University of Oregon, where i’ll be in their MBA program. I am a first generation highschool graduate and college graduate, but my true hardship has always been being undocumented. Highschool became difficult for me when I was wanting to apply to college, and realized I didnt have a social security, which almost every important document required. This led me to stumble down a path of depression, and my stress grew so large that I began to have visions of giving up. All I could think about is how poor I am, I cant legally work, and now my bridge to a better future was closed. Through faith, and self determination I worked around legal systems and went to college. In college I had to work numerous jobs to pay for my tuition, oftentimes working two jobs while having a full schedule. Through my determination, I strived to be more engaged in my community, and joined numerous clubs and organizations to gain volunteering hours. Being undocumented has also given me the challenge of not having a driver’s license, in which I have had to either rely on city transportation to get to where I need to or simply just walk. This was also one of the main reasons why I chose to go to a university that was close to my home, for that transportation would not be as big of a problem as it was in high school. From being undocumented, I have learned that hard work and having faith are the necessities I need to accomplish my goals. My family is the reason I can go through all my hardships, because they are in the same problem as me and although sometimes I dont see them all day because we are all working, and we are tired by the time we get home, we still share the same happy thoughts knowing that all of our efforts will be worth it one day. From the obstacles we have overcome as a family and myself individually, I plan to use my education to give back to my family, and my community. I want to go into the financial field of business, managing businesses and expanding my knowledge in finance and accounting, where I can help my community in tax preparation and tax consulting on my free time. Hispanic people are the most likely to not receive a refund every year from taxes due to them not knowing how to properly file but are high taxpayers in the US. With the proper knowledge, I can help Hispanics in my community file their taxes while giving them proper tax advice so that they can see where their taxes are contributing to, and make sure they are receiving the most they can back. Aside from helping my community, I want to help my family and myself. No one in my entire family has ever graduated with a master's degree, and I plan to use that accordingly. Although I don't want to chase the money, out of fear that it will drain me from time spent with my family and friends, I do want to acquire the knowledge I can to land me in a position of a high-paying job. With a high-paying job, I can achieve my dream of owning a house, helping my parents with their mortgage, and getting my family out of poverty like they deserve to.

Hello. My name is Ella Gerlach and I am a senior in college working to get my undergraduate in Global Studies. I come from a middle, military class family. Growing up, we were living comfortably with still some money scarceness. My family and I had a very good relationship and I was close with all my siblings. As I got older, however, my dad moved up in his career, setting my family up for what seemed to be success. Over the past year, due to a personal belief leading me to come out to my family, my parents have disowned me. This has left me alone to complete my education and pay my education and personal bills. Throughout this year, I have been extremely anxious about how to pay for my education which I hold dearly. My dream would be to graduate from university and pursue my master's degree in Global Justice and Development. I believe that I have a calling to help human trafficking survivors after I graduate. This field of work has been in my heart since I was 13. I first heard about the evils of human trafficking at a conference put on by the founder of an organization that fights to end modern-day slavery. Over this year, this passion of mine did not dwindle. Instead, it has set me out to become more driven in my studies which has led me to be on the Dean's List for my high GPA. Not only have I struggled with not having a relationship with my family anymore but it has also been a struggle for me in my faith. I believe that I can carry out my faith and my sexuality together even though I have been told I have to choose one or the other. I have also struggled with injuries from being a student-athlete as well. Through all of these obstacles that have occurred in a year, I have still fought hard for my education, athletes, and friendships. I have been in counselling that has been provided through my school which I am utterly grateful for. I am also currently doing a summer internship with a non-profit that fights against sex trafficking and the criminalization of these survivors instead of their accusers. I am excited as to what God has for me in my future and I hope my education and skills will prepare me for the best in this line of work.