HigherLearningPreps Scholarship

Growing up in an underprivileged family taught me creativity and resilience. Left to raise two kids alone, our hardships motivated my mother to pursue her degree and secure a job that met our needs. While tough, her perseverance inspired me to face all obstacles courageously. My childhood was different from my friends’ but it inspired me to aid those in circumstances similar to mine and inspired me to join my school’s social justice club. While other children binge watched shows on Disney and Nickelodeon, I binge watched couponing shows, trying to find ways to help my family get by. I missed out on extracurriculars, school events, and time with friends but it was all in sacrifice to help my mother take care of my sister. When there wasn’t hot water, we’d turn it into a race, carrying pots from the kitchen to the bathroom before the water cooled. It was actually a lot of fun. These moments taught me to transcend my environment's barriers by turning my negative situations into positive experiences. My childhood motivates me to be more than what my environment sets for me. I constantly reflect on my journey, which only pushes me to work harder so that one day my children will have everything I didn’t. I admire my mothers perseverance and her strength to turn her pain into motivation. Her perseverance drives me to overcome all barriers that I am presented with in the future. At the 2023 Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice, I delivered a speech to Senator Chuck Schumer’s representatives advocating for educational equality. My speech was deeply personal because I had faced the same barriers I addressed. Participating in a club that fights for equity matters to me because we are actively working towards change. I know what it feels like to see injustice happen and feel hopeless because you don’t believe there’s anything you can do about it. I want to show others that they, too, can use their voices to dare to grow our communities by advocating for necessary reform. I hope that I can bring these beliefs and values not only to Vanderbilt’s social justice organization but also to the community as a whole. At Vanderbilt, I know I can get my dedication to innovation, compassion, and determination to overcome obstacles to the school community. As I dare to grow at Vanderbilt, I will continue to use my personal experiences to empathize, connect with, and advocate for the communities I encounter. Through Vanderbilt’s social justice organization, I will deepen my understanding of various injustices and work with my peers to create solutions that help those affected. I hope my involvement shows others that they can also dare to use their voices to advocate for necessary reform and community development.