Joseph A. Monachino Memorial Scholarship

Reading the biography of this scholarship reminded me of my Grandfather, mi abuelo. He moved to America from a small town in Mexico and joined the Navy once his citizenship was finalized. When I was a little girl, I remember him telling me to work hard in school and to prove those who thought little of our people wrong. I grew up in a low income, single mother house. My mom, like my grandfather, believed that education was the utmost important aspect in our lives because being filled with knowledge is always more important than being ignorant and having as little knowledge that can be obtained. Every day, my mom would drive over twenty minutes to drive me to a school on the better part of town in LV,NV (Centennial Hills) so I wouldn't be trapped in a school filled with students who have falling behind since the first grade. By doing this, I was able to succeed and push myself further in a school environment. Many of the students in my schools were able to afford out of school tutors and Kumon classes, but I was not. So I had to make due with what I was given and uphold values that have been passed down through generations of my family members. By the end of my High School career, I took 7 A.P classes, 12 Honors classes, participated in a CTE program called Teaching and Training for 3 years, and 2 semesters of EDU. Along with those courses, I was on the bowling team for 3 years. I also was in Family Career Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) for three years as well. All of these have impacted me immensely because they made me understand the importance of multitasking and keeping my grades up at the same time. My current plans for the future is to obtain at least a bachelor's degree (until I can afford to go back to school for my master's degree), and become a teacher. Once I am settled into the school that I am teaching in and have an understanding of the atmosphere that my students are in, I want to be able to find different ways to help them. I have researched community gardens for a past essay and realized that they are not extremely difficult to set up. I want my community to have access to healthy food, and food in general. So one of my goals is to either set up a community garden within the school that I am teaching in for the students and their families or a community garden near the school. So to sum my plans for my future up, is essentially one single statement, that is to better the community I am in and help improve the students lives that are within that community as they are the future. To circle back to my financial circumstances, I am in major need of money for school. As mentioned above, my mom receives very little help from my biological father and from the state, meaning occasionally twenty dollars here and there from my father and just enough money from the state to afford food on our table. My mom does have a job as a cleaner but she does not make enough money to help pay for my school, she barely makes enough just to take care of her and my little sister. Which is why I need the money, no matter how small the amount is. By receiving this scholarship, I will be able to afford part of the tuition that I owe for next semester.