The moment my uncles told me they would help me get a passport to visit my family in Mexico, I felt something I hadn’t felt in years hope. For most of my life, I wasn’t sure if I would ever see my father again after he was deported when I was just three years old. That uncertainty shaped my childhood, but it was my faith, values, and determination that helped me turn that pain into purpose.
Growing up as a first-generation American-Mexican, I often felt disconnected from a part of who I was. When I was young, I learned that my father had another child, and that news deeply hurt me. For a long time, we stopped talking. I carried feelings of confusion, sadness, and even resentment. However, as I got older, I realized how much I missed him and the rest of my family. Reaching out again was not easy, but my values, especially forgiveness, love, and the importance of family, guided me to rebuild that relationship.
When we began talking again, I noticed my father was losing his English, which created a new barrier between us. Instead of letting that distance grow, I made the choice to learn more Spanish so we could communicate better. That decision changed everything. Not only did it strengthen my relationship with my father, but it also helped me reconnect with my culture in a meaningful way. Visiting my abuela during those years was a blessing I will always cherish, and it reminded me of the importance of staying connected to my roots.
Throughout high school, my faith in God became a source of strength and comfort. There were times when I felt discouraged, especially with the financial struggles my mom and I faced and the uncertainty of my future. But my faith gave me hope that things would get better and that one day I would reunite with my family and create opportunities that once felt impossible. That hope became reality when my abuela and uncles visited me in Springfield, Illinois. When they offered to help me travel to Mexico this summer, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. After more than a decade, I will finally be able to embrace my father again.
This journey has shaped my goals for the future in powerful ways. It has taught me resilience, compassion, and the importance of perseverance. As a first-generation college student, pursuing higher education once felt out of reach, especially given my family’s financial challenges. However, my experiences have given me the motivation to work harder and dream bigger. I want to make my family proud and create a better future not only for myself but for those around me.
Receiving this scholarship would not only support my education but also honor the sacrifices my family has made. My story is one of faith, growth, and determination, and I am committed to continuing that journey by pursuing my degree and giving back to my community.
My name is Andres Mejia DeLeon, and I am a First-generation immigrant and student. I am currently attending Harold Washington college with the Ascend pathway in IIT. I was raised in Guatemala for 4 years which granted me the chance to experience life in a perspective I can't acquire anywhere in the USA. My mother side was from the poverty district and my father was from the coast. Living in poverty not only opened my mind to life experience it also made me humble and appreciative of the many opportunities provided in the Unites states educational system and corporations.
It has been a struggle to succeed since the moment I was born when my parents decided that my mother should give birth to me at USA so I can be a citizen. This was the start of my journey that God has set me out to do. Both my parents have worked hard to give me and my 8-year-old brother a chance to live comfortability and succeed. We have devoted ourselves for 13 years to help the church we currently attend, we take our responsibilities at church with big heart as it helps us and others. By devoting ourselves to God, it has helped us learn from our failures and keep our ambition greater. I'm grateful for following my morals and beliefs as they have made me want to accomplish more in life to not only to thank my parents for their sacrifice and hard work. I thank God for the experiences he has allowed me to go through and get out of, to one day help my family and others back in Guatemala in district 3.
Constantly seeing the most influential people in your life work hard for the benefit of someone else really inspire you. Since I was young, I have wanted nothing more than to be successful. This ambition rode with me until high school when I still prioritized my studies, but I lost myself which affected my studies. I have forgotten all the sacrifice and hard work people around me were doing to help me succeed until I low spot in my life where God was the one who helped me get out. Because of my bad decisions it changed the coursework of my life, but I know it helped me as I now know how it feels to be at a low spot, and I don't want to ever be in that hole again. In my last year of high school, I participated in ACE mentor group where I found my love for architecture. Thats when I knew God still had a big plan for me and I am now more ambitious than ever.
Architecture has changed my life as it includes everything I have worked hard for. I have been in honors math which will help me in calculating necessities in projects. I also have always been creative and architecture challenges me with that every project making me think from my experience with architecture and art. My first year as an architecture student has made want to triumph from all stones in the way whether it's financial, spiritually, personal and educational. My ambition to triumph and succeed have made me stand out and I was invited and currently a member of the Honors society PHI THETTA KAPPA. As a first generation in many things, I am ready to keep being the first in my educational and career journey to show my parents that their hard work paid off. This scholarship will help me with time management with my education and leadership roles.
My name is Marcos Vidal Marroquin. I have attended East Valley High School from 2018-present and am currently attending the University of Washington where I am expected to graduate in 2026.
My parents are Jairo Marroquin and Graciela Merida. They were both born in Guatemala and later immigrated to the United States where they met and got married in Georgia. They’ve been married for 22 years and have raised my older sister and I in a christian household. I lived in Georgia for around seven years until we ran away due to my parents’ citizenship status. We arrived in Spokane three days later and have lived here ever since, creating a new chapter in all of our lives. We have been congregants of our church for over 10 years now and have been actively involved.
Growing up, I have always been fond of math and science, and have excelled with anything related to them. Consequently, it shaped my dreams and aspirations to pursue a career that has a lot to do with those subjects. I am planning to major in physics, or astrophysics, as it ties in both subjects uniquely and fits my interests. Additionally, I was awarded with the Spokane Scholar Award in the criteria of math.
I got where I am today through God’s will and my parents’ sacrifice. I am grateful for my parents and all the good they have done for me. They have raised me to be a respectful, amicable person that is curious about the world we live in. I’m also grateful for my teachers and friends who have given me a wonderful education experience. I am thankful for all the anecdotes and advice I have received, especially from Mrs. Peterson, who has motivated me from the start. I wish to be able to one day say I made it, and be able to reach out to each and every one of those who made the journey less lonely and easier.
I have been involved with the Latino community in many different ways. The primary one has been through church. I have played the drums for almost 10 years and have also been a kids’ teacher for three years. I have also taken on the role of being a tutor for kids who only speak Spanish in my school. I will meet up with them three times a week and help them with math and English at the same time. Additionally, when I worked at Wendy’s, I would occasionally have the opportunity to help Spanish-speaking customers with their orders and even a deaf person as well. I hope to be a beacon to other latino students and show that while the journey may be arduous, it is definitely possible.
Receiving this scholarship would greatly help me with my education. Although my EFC says it’s around 15K, in reality it’s not even half of that, so as a result, COA for the schools I want to go to are higher than my family and I expected. The money would help me further my education in physics and give me a confidence booster to achieve my goals, as well as let me know that I’m not alone and have the Latino community supporting me as well.
