Douglass M. Hamilton Memorial Scholarship

My name is Zoe Varela, and I am a first-generation immigrant as well as the first person in my family to attend college. I was born and raised in Mexico City by a single mother who worked hard to provide for my needs and give me opportunities she never had. I grew up surrounded by loving and supportive people, such as my aunts, cousins, and grandparents, who came together to help my mom raise me. They were the ones on whom I relied whenever I needed assistance at school, work, or simply in life. I discovered my love for science by watching documentaries about the ecosystems that my grandfather used to show me during my childhood, and when I started school, science classes were always my favorite, which made me want to work in a STEAM field, even when many of my family had to give up education due to financial problems and family responsibilities. I never let that intimidate me and kept pursuing my dreams of obtaining a higher education. I dedicated myself to getting into one of the most prestigious high schools in my country, and later into UNAM University, which offers wonderful opportunities for STEAM careers. However, life can change overnight. When I was 15 years old, I moved to the United States due to my family's financial situation. This change came with many cultural and language challenges that helped shape the person I am today. Coming here didn't just mean starting a new life; it also meant making new plans for the future and letting go of the ones I had already made. Starting high school was overwhelming and frustrating. Not knowing how to speak English made my academic and social life feel impossible due to my lack of skills to communicate my thoughts. Even though I felt alone at the time, science classes were still a safe place for me, where language barriers did not matter. Those classes filled me with motivation to keep going every time I had doubts. I taught myself English through YouTube videos and free courses that I found online, and I overcame my fear of failure by practicing my speaking skills at every opportunity I had, with teachers, strangers, or simply talking to myself. I've worked so hard to prepare myself for any opportunity in this country. Now, I can speak two languages and am not afraid of not being "enough" anymore. I recently graduated from high school, and I am beginning my first year of college at Oregon State University. I plan to major in Biohealth and pursue pharmacy school after earning my BS; my goal is to use my education to ensure that medications are safe and effective for everyone. I also want to work on improving access to medicine for underrepresented communities because I believe that health awareness and access to essential medical resources are rights everyone should have. However, due to my stepfather's immigration case taking longer than expected, my mother is the only person who can support me financially. Even though I will be working on campus in a work-study position, money is a concern for us. This scholarship would help ease the financial burden on my mother and me, allowing me to focus on my studies and the school's opportunities without the constant worry about money each term. I am completely committed to making the most of every chance I get and doing something worthwhile with my parents' sacrifices and all the support I've received to achieve my dreams.

To start off I want to thank you for your time in reading about my life and giving me the chance to take me into consideration for this scholarship. I am 27 years old, I’m a mother to a soon to be 2 years old little girl and a six year old boy. I come from a migrant family, the first in my to graduate from high school and till this day the only one to attend college out of my three siblings. In 2018 I graduated from Columbia Gorge Community College with my Associates in General Studies and Medical Assistant Certificate. I have worked as a medical assistant for 7 year, which has only convinced me even further for the passion I have in working in the medical field. Ever since I was a young child I have always dreamed of being a nurse. I have a little brother with Downs Syndrome, who was always in and out of the emergency department, having surgeries, and attending multiple appointments with multiple different specialists. At home my brother required a lot of medical attention. I was the oldest of my siblings so I had to step up and help my mother. I used to consider myself my brother's personal nurse because I would attend to my brother's needs, cleaning his wounds, administering his medications, flushing his chait tube daily, and attending my brother's appointments with my mother. Apart from helping my mother around the house by cleaning, cooking, and taking care of my siblings. I believe my childhood experience is what has led me to my passion to work in the medical field. In September of 2024 I stopped working to attend school full time. Not working has made a tremendous impact in my family of 4, putting a financial struggle since our total income a month has been cut in half. Although still having the same amount of bills and on top of the additional bills for the courses, books and materials needed for school. In the past years I have had to take multiple pauses in my education to relieve us from the financial struggle that it causes us because apart from striving to further my education, my husband and I have always strived to improve our financial life, give our children the life they deserve, and give them a better life then we had growing up and not having to worry about money at such a young age. Thankfully the Finacial struggle has been worth it because I have been accepted into the nursing program at Columbia Gorge Community College, to start in September of 2025. Once I graduate and become a registered nurse I plan to work at the Emergency Department to further my knowledge and improve my skills since that department encounters multiple different medical situations. I believe that will help me be exposed to more and involved in different procedures or skills that you don’t use at every department or everyday. That way I can ensure that I won’t forget those skills when I’m freshly graduated. My dream department that I would love to work at is the obstetric care department in the hospital. During both of my labors I had an amazing experience and I believe the nurses that were involved made that possible. I hope to give that same experience to other mothers when i’m a nurse. I also find the surgery department very interesting and exciting to be involved in, to only imagine that I can be in a surgery room assisting the surgeon.

I was born in Hong Kong and brought to America by my family in pursuit of the American Dream. Like many immigrant families, our story was one of hard work and quiet sacrifice. My parents worked long hours and spoke little English. From a young age, I became someone my family leaned on, from translating medical appointments to reading important documents to even just helping my parents live their everyday lives. They couldn't do anything without me. The pressure to succeed in school while caring for my younger brother was constant. In our traditional Chinese household, support didn’t come in the form of hugs or praise. The closest I received to encouragement was, “That wasn’t bad, but I’m sure you can do better.” Despite the pressure and lack of emotional support, I was happy. I had dreams, and I had my brother, whom I could shield from all the responsibility, and that gave me purpose. I believed if I worked hard enough, things would fall into place. Two weeks into my sophomore year of high school, just a week after I turned 15, my father died suddenly from cardiac arrest. Before that night, I wanted to be a doctor. I had chosen my high school for its medical programs and often imagined myself saving lives like the doctors I saw on TV. That dream ended as I hovered over my father’s body, frozen, while the 911 operator gave me CPR instructions. My mom panicked beside me, unable to help, not only due to the language barrier, but because she just completely shut down, all while my eight year old brother cried in the background. I was the only one who could act. After a few surreal moments, I started chest compressions. It felt like an eternity before the ambulance arrived, but unfortunately, despite all my efforts, my father died on the way to the hospital. After his passing, I became the head of the household. My mother began disappearing for days at a time and refused to get a job. I juggled school, raised my brother, and managed the paperwork from my father’s death. I even tried to run his business, hoping to maintain an income, but eventually had to sell it when I realized I was in over my head. At 16, I got a job to support my family and eventually saved enough to pay for college with the help of scholarships. But with my mother still unwilling to work and my brother depending on me, after a year of college, I had no choice but to put school on hold and continue supporting them. Now, after years of responsibility and sacrifice, I’m finally in a place where I can return to school. I never lost sight of that goal. I’ve chosen to study Business Management because I’ve discovered that I thrive when helping others grow. I enjoy mentoring, guiding, and watching people succeed, and I know how to lead through adversity. I’ve learned more through experience than I ever could in a classroom alone. I’ve learned how to survive, how to problem solve, and how to keep going when it feels impossible. Most importantly, I’ve learned that while I may not have taken the traditional path, every obstacle I’ve faced has shaped me into someone stronger, more determined, and more empathetic. I’m ready to start the next chapter of my journey. I’m proud of how far I’ve come, and I’m even more excited for what’s ahead.

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.