Utah First Generation Student Scholarship

“Keep going” Those are the words I can hear my mom saying in my head. In elementary school when I didn't want to finish reading my chapter books because English was too hard, “keep going” my mom said. When I started playing volleyball in high school and I didn’t know what I was doing, “keep going, don't give up.” This was her motto for me and my siblings. She wants us to achieve everything she wasn’t able to. She left Mexico, her home, when she was 17 with my dad. They weren’t able to finish their high school education, let alone think about college. She motivates my siblings and me to continue and pursue higher education. So, we can achieve our dreams, and get our dream jobs and careers. So, we don’t have to clean office buildings and wait tables like she did. There was a time during my parents’ separation when my mom, my older sisters, and I had to live in a women’s shelter. My mother went through a very hard time, trying to keep us safe against our abusive father and still working to make sure we had a place to call home. She completed her GED a few years later and became a single working mother and has achieved so much since then. She inspires me to do my absolute best in everything, and to “keep going.” I was mostly on my own when I found interest in volleyball. From learning everything about playing by watching the older girls to figuring out a way to pay for club volleyball. I struggled to use my voice, speaking up. I was told over and over that if I couldn’t use my voice, I couldn’t play. I had tough coaches, the type to make you cry after every practice because you were constantly taken off the court for not being able to speak up. So, I made it my goal to become a leader, to be someone known for having a loud voice. “Si quieres algo, tienes que trabajar para logararlo,”- if you want something, you must work hard to achieve it. I don’t remember a time when I asked my mom for something, and she didn’t say those words. My mother has always taught me to be independent. From making me work at 8 years old, helping her clean offices, to starting my first real job at 14. Living in a low-income family has taught me so much, but the biggest thing is advocating for myself. She worked hard to give us a better future and never be in a situation where we had to end up in a women’s shelter again. I didn't want to be silent; I wanted to be as loud and independent as my mom. I had to clean my volleyball club building once a week for months to pay off my club fees, which would not have been possible without my mom. I stepped out of my comfort zone and changed from always being in the back to making sure I was always front and center. And it paid off when I became captain of my 16u club team and varsity captain of my high school team for my junior and senior years. And I know I’ll continue to use my loud voice when I get to college. I've known my whole life that I want to go into the construction field, even though it's very male-dominated. I'm not scared of the challenges I’ll face but excited I will continue to use my voice and be doing everything my mom couldn’t achieve.

He manages to put on a faint smile, like the weak flame of a melted candle. You can tell the flame is trying to keep burning; and there is just enough light to make you feel safe and warm. As I got older, I started becoming more aware of things, and I became aware of my father’s silent suffering. He wasn’t fortunate enough to pursue a higher education and only finished high school. My sweet and compassionate mother, now working as a part-time seamstress. She came to California at just 14 years old, alone. After finishing her second half of high school in the states, she dreamt of attending college at UCLA and wanted to major in STEM. But she was never able to do so, as the cost of tuition prevented her. She was devastated and rightfully so. Her sole reason for coming to the US was so that she could get a better education, but tuition was ultimately what erased those possibilities. Sometimes, she will softly cry alone, reminiscing about what she could’ve been. And catching glimpses of her vulnerability, it hurts. So much. Yet she smiles whenever she’s around us. I love her smile. However, that smile is her biggest lie. But sometimes, it’s better to tell a lie than the truth. I want to carry on their dreams and become great for them. Although being “great” is subjective, I believe that going to college and refining my education is the first step in that direction. Aside from my parents’ influence on my decision to attend college; growing up as the first-born child has also had a tremendous impact on my life thus far. After my siblings were born, I naturally assumed a leadership role to set a good example for my younger brother and sister. As a first generation college student, my motivation to become the best version of myself has never been stronger. As I grew up, I developed many new interests, habits, and goals. Currently, I am Student Council president, captain of varsity tennis, as well as the president/founder of the school’s Symphony Club and Pickleball Clubs. I specifically created these clubs to satiate the wants of my peers within my school. My school is not a very big school. In total, there are less than 1000 students enrolled in both middle school and high school. Thanks to this, I have been able to foster a close-knit community within my school and bolster unity. In my spare time, I volunteer at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium and for the City Mayor’s youth council, and dedicate time to tennis practice and school work. My intent as a first-gen student is to reach new heights that my family has been unable to before, and so that I can become the best version of myself; not just for me, but for my family. My aspirations to pursue dentistry—my goal to become a dentist—was largely influenced by school and my father's work. When I visited him as a kid at work and watched what he did, I would stare at the sheer beauty of teeth and would be mesmerized without fail. At school, I got to learn about the roles of teeth and their importance. The more time I spent researching, observing, learning about teeth, the more I began to envelope myself into the world of dentistry. Slowly, I began to notice the unique smiles that are minted by teeth. If there is something I want the most in the world, it’s to see my parents’ heartwarming smiles.