EJS Foundation Minority Scholarship

My name is Vanessa Coracides, and I am a proud second-generation college student at the University of Arizona, pursuing a double major in Management Information Systems and Operations & Supply Chain Management. As a Latina of Mexican heritage, I come from a family of hardworking immigrants who instilled in me the values of perseverance, dedication, and giving back to my community. My grandparents immigrated from Mexico, and my father was born there before coming to the United States in search of better opportunities. Despite the barriers that often come with being a female minority student, I have embraced every challenge and transformed them into opportunities for growth. Growing up, I was always aware of the financial struggles that many minority families face, especially when it comes to higher education. Without generational wealth or previous UofA alumni, I had to navigate this journey largely on my own. Despite these challenges, I have excelled academically, maintaining a 3.96 GPA while balancing leadership roles, community initiatives, and professional development opportunities. This summer, I will be interning with Amazon as a Program Manager, an opportunity that aligns perfectly with my passion for technology, operations, and supply chain management. I aspire to use my education and experiences to drive innovation in business and logistics while advocating for increased diversity and representation in the corporate world. I want to pave the way for more minority students to enter these fields, proving that we belong in industries where we are often underrepresented. Beyond academics and career aspirations, I am deeply committed to community service and advocacy. One of my most meaningful initiatives has been leading efforts to combat period poverty at the University of Arizona, Eller College of Management. I recognized that many students face financial difficulties that prevent them from affording basic hygiene products, so I took the initiative to ensure that business school restrooms are stocked with free tampons and pads. This project has been about more than just accessibility—it’s about fostering dignity, equality, and awareness for an issue that disproportionately affects low-income individuals. My leadership in this initiative is just one example of how I strive to make a tangible impact on my community. Receiving this scholarship would be life-changing. It would provide the financial support necessary to continue my education without the burden of excessive student debt, allowing me to focus on my studies, professional development, and service work. Minority students often face systemic financial disadvantages, making it harder to pursue higher education without taking on loans that can hinder long-term financial stability. This scholarship would not only ease that burden for me but also empower me to continue advocating for others facing similar challenges. With my degree, I plan to leverage technology and supply chain management to drive efficiency and inclusivity in businesses while mentoring and uplifting other underrepresented students. I am determined to be a role model for those who, like me, have faced obstacles on their journey to success. I want to break barriers, challenge norms, and create opportunities for those who come after me. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and would be honored to be selected as the recipient of this scholarship. With your support, I will continue striving for excellence, giving back to my community, and proving that minority students can not only succeed but also lead, innovate, and inspire meaningful change.

I have always noticed a lack of diversity in my everyday life. Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. Because of this, I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls by going into a white male-dominated field, Dentistry. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. I liked the feeling that my teeth were clean and pretty afterward, this gave me more confidence about my smile, but, that all changed as I got older. The adult teeth that replaced my perfectly straight baby teeth were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked, leading me to get braces so I could regain the confidence I once had. When I look back, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I am a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of person and I project that happiness onto others. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I aim to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. Like a Teaching Assistant for a Biology class, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I look forward to using the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach my career goals. After graduation from college, I aspire to take on a job with Americore so I can give back and work within low-income communities. When a year from then passes, I expect to be starting dental school in hopes of becoming a dentist, focusing on working in public health. Then after dental school, I intend to work with the National Health Service Corps where I can work in public health in underrepresented and low-income areas. Dental school is a prominent stepping stone in achieving that goal, and it is hard to get admitted into and equally as hard to obtain the funding for. I hopefully plan to take part in the government program that I mentioned, NHSC, to pay back dental school costs, and in return, I work in underprivileged areas. I would be able to show underprivileged kids that there is someone who looks like them that can achieve their dreams. With the assistance of this amazing scholarship, I would be able to use it in one of two ways. I would use the scholarship funding to pay off the cost of dental school applications and the purchasing of books to study for the DCAT or use the scholarship as a backup savings if I am unable to be a part of NHSC. With the scholarship, I hope to help more than just myself, but also those children that need a boost of confidence from their fixed smile and who need someone who looks like them in the dental field.

I grew up in a struggling household where my mother was living check to check, working at three different jobs, and raising three kids by herself. The oldest child has ADHD, the middle child with significant anger issues, and the youngest has PTSD. I am the oldest child with ADHD. This disorder made learning very challenging because it came with a reading disability, dyslexia, and extra energy, which made it hard to focus. Towards the end of 1st grade, I was diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia, which led to the school's approval of my IEP. Through my IEP and medication, I obtained resources, tools, and skills to overcome challenges I faced in the classroom, such as focusing and fully understanding the information being taught to me or reading. These skills and tools gave me better control over how I focused and assisted me with understanding the information. In 5th grade, I was reading at a 3rd-grade level, and by the time I finished 8th grade, I was finally reading at a grade level. I did not let this disorder stop me from succeeding or defining who I am or going to be. Step by step, I have pushed beyond my limits to show my inner strength. No obstacle is too great. I am determined to prove that my disability cannot defeat me. As I grew up, I faced numerous life struggles that brought me down. However, I never gave up and with unwavering passion and dedication, I embraced the very essence of Merkai. I persevered through all obstacles and was strengthened by the empowering force of Merkai. My transformative experience inspired me to establish Merkai with a vision to empower others and invite them to embody the spirit that propelled me, an African American man, to pursue and achieve my entrepreneurial aspirations. I have decided to pursue higher education at a university college to broaden my knowledge, skills, experiences, and connections. To achieve this goal, I have chosen to study Business Administration, which will equip me with the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to succeed. During my studies, I hope to develop critical thinking abilities, improve my business communication skills, gain expertise in data analytics, understand the legal and ethical aspects of business operations, and acquire a values-driven approach to business. I have founded a company named Merkai. My company mission is to guide individuals to embrace, embody, and become empowered by the meaning of Merkai. Within this company, I have created a clothing line. I want to turn my company logo into a symbol of inspiration and motivation, this symbol represents that the person who wears it has no limits and can break through all barriers that stand in their way. Awarding me with this scholarship will be a significant boost in my entrepreneurial journey towards becoming a successful businessman. It will enable me to lay a strong foundation to achieve my mission at Merkai, which is to empower others never to give up on their dreams and aspirations. I am determined to complete college with great success and become an example of my company, proving that the color of your skin, the challenges you face, and your background do not matter. I believe that anything is possible if you put in the work, time, and effort into something you are passionate about. With this determination, I am eager to win this scholarship as it will aid my funding to pursue my desired career in inspiring, motivating, and encouraging people.