I give back by supporting others through advocacy, mentorship, and service. I am actively involved with Get Lit Word Ignite, a nonprofit organization focused on empowering youth through literacy, self-expression, and community engagement. In my role, I help create programs and provide mentorship that offer young people safe spaces to share their stories and process their emotions. As well as with their other projects, such as Creative Career Lab, which aims to help students in marginalized communities find careers and connections in the creative industry. Many of the students I work with face anxiety, stress, or instability similar to what I experienced growing up. Being present for them, validating their emotions, and helping them find their voices is my way of turning my own challenges into meaningful support for others. Beyond formal involvement, I give back in everyday ways by being a trusted source of support for peers and younger students. When friends or classmates come to me overwhelmed by anxiety or stress, I listen without judgment and remind them that their feelings are valid. I’ve learned that sometimes the most impactful form of giving back is simply showing up—offering understanding, patience, and reassurance. These moments may seem small, but they help build trust and foster a sense of belonging, which is essential for mental well-being. Looking toward the future, I plan to positively impact the world through nonprofit leadership focused on mental health advocacy. I am pursuing a degree in business management because I believe strong leadership and effective management are essential to creating sustainable, impactful nonprofit organizations. My goal is to lead or work within a nonprofit that expands access to mental health resources, education, and support—particularly in underserved and marginalized communities where stigma and lack of resources often prevent individuals from seeking help. By combining my lived experiences with professional skills in nonprofit management, I hope to design and lead programs that prioritize mental health as a community issue, not just an individual one. I want to help build organizations that create safe spaces, encourage open conversations, and provide practical tools for healing and growth. Ultimately, my goal is to give back on a larger scale by strengthening nonprofits that uplift voices, reduce stigma, and ensure that no one feels unseen or unsupported. My journey has taught me that giving back is not just about service—it’s about creating systems of care that last. Through nonprofit work, advocacy, and leadership, I am committed to making a lasting, positive impact on the world by ensuring mental health is recognized, respected, and supported for all.

As a first-generation Salvadoran-American student at Cal State Northridge, pursuing higher education is both an opportunity and a responsibility. I am working to overcome financial strain, generational barriers, and the weight of navigating academic systems that no one in my family has experienced before. My mother fled El Salvador during the civil war and has spent decades in physically demanding jobs to provide stability for us. Her sacrifices pushed me to pursue college, yet they also highlight the financial limitations we face every semester. Growing up, we lived paycheck to paycheck, and financial insecurity shaped many of my decisions. College was never guaranteed—it felt like something I had to fight for. Although my mother has always encouraged my education, she cannot contribute financially, and her limited English means she cannot guide me through paperwork, university processes, or academic expectations. These challenges have required me to learn everything on my own: how to navigate FAFSA, how to seek out grants, how to balance part-time work with full-time classes, and how to stay committed even when financial stress feels overwhelming. Being first-generation also means carrying emotional responsibility. I often feel the pressure of knowing that my mother’s sacrifices are tied to my success, and that I am pursuing the opportunities she never had. There is no safety net if I fail, and that reality pushes me to work harder, but it also comes with anxiety and the constant need to prove that I belong in higher education spaces. Despite these obstacles, I am determined to continue my studies in the humanities, because storytelling, cultural expression, and community work have always been where I find purpose. Since I was seventeen, I’ve been involved with Get Lit – Words Ignite, a nonprofit that uses poetry to amplify youth voices. My work there—first as a volunteer and now as an intern—has shown me how powerful creative expression can be for immigrant youth and students of color. Many young people face the same challenges I do: financial instability, language barriers, and the struggle to feel seen in academic settings. My dream is to create nonprofit programs that support these students, offering them access to creative spaces, mentorship, and mental health resources grounded in community and cultural understanding. This scholarship would help ease the financial pressure that threatens to disrupt my education. It would allow me to focus more fully on my coursework, on building my skills in nonprofit leadership, and on continuing the community work that has shaped my identity. More importantly, it would help me move closer to creating programs that empower marginalized youth—work that honors both my mother’s sacrifices and the legacy of Sharon L. Smartt, who dedicated her life to uplifting students through the humanities. By pursuing higher education, I hope to break cycles of limitation in my family, create opportunities for others, and transform the challenges I have faced into meaningful change for my community.