From an early age, my family and I have been exposed to the conspicuous conundrums of life as immigrants. Living under the difficult, oppressive communist regime in Matanzas, Cuba, it was natural to wonder at the intense scarcity of basic resources such as water and food. In their feeble attempts to preserve my innocence and that of my brother, my parents worked hard to hide these details from the rest of the family. However, it wasn't difficult to notice the repetitions of the same meals, or interluding cries coming from their room. When I first arrived in the US, our goal was to provide treatment for my grandfather who was experiencing his third cancer relapse. My abuelo had always been an impactful mentor in my life. He was the foundation of our family. After his passing in 2018 on Thanksgiving, I experienced my first loss of a close family member. Although one of the hardest experiences was to see his eyes blink one last time, or feel the notable coldness of his sick body, I believe that moment was ordained, protected, and directed by God. My earliest memories consist of metal sheet roofs in an underground church with small candlelights where my family and other Christian families in Cuba attempted to read the Bible and speak to God in a place of privacy without fearing one of us may spend the rest of their lives in jail or in an "education camp". My grandpa was one of the most fervent, kind Christians I have ever known in my short 17 years of life and whose faith became a great bridge that led me to find mine. When he passed, I expected my family to distance themselves and disconnect as they underwent grief but they didn't. As we processed, and grieved together, my faith in God, others and myself grew immensely. We became closer and attached to one another. My church pastors and leaders helped me find confidence in the faith my Abuelo was in heaven and believe this experience would help me find a path and direction filled with purpose and meaning. Due to COVID, several other family members have passed away and throughout all this time my church community, volunteer team, and family have always supported me. In Cuba, mental health therapies and wellbeing are not only out of reach for citizens, but seen as anomalous and superfluous. A vast majority of Miami's population still believes this as well. I hope to gain a Ph.D in Applied Behavior Analysis and become a licensed therapist and own my own counseling clinic. The clinic will impact locally, while one of my goals is to serve as a Missionary for my local church and provide counseling services to individuals worldwide with little to no resources. I plan on attending law school to serve in other cases including immigrant and incarcerated clients to broaden my reach to dismissed populations of society and encourage rehabilitation. Currently, I've been admitted to Florida International University with the Presidential Scholarship and Florida Bright Futures to begin my studies in Psychology. Additionally, I've been a solo pianist, violinist and guitarist for 7 years and will pursue a minor in Music to intertwine Music Therapy into my sessions. Therapies are deeply personal and connection-based. In my pursuit of higher education, I hope to mentor others as positively as my family and church have mentored me. In college, I plan on staying in Miami to strengthen my connections with my family and continue my regular church attendance to serve my community.

In high school, I've completed over 1,200 community service hours. A substantial amount has been completed for the Bezos Family Foundation as part of the Bezos Scholars Program. BSP encourages core values, feasibility, and sustainability. I saw this as an organization focused on ensuring community service projects would progress past the founder, which was an important value to me to define meaningful and lasting impact. Every year 12 students from the U.S are selected as Bezos Scholars. In 2021, I founded the PULSE Program connecting students to non-profits in their community. PULSE connects students to organizations based on their interests to call out each individual's sense of purpose and identity in society. I hope increase job security and decrease suicide rates associated with purposelessness and lack of societal connection. As founder, I regulate our website (pulse-program.com), emails, social media, and community outreach. Although it has been a relatively overwhelming experience with a myriad of new opportunities, I learned and applied the principles of effective leadership and communication whilst maintaining empathy and care for my community. I've dedicated over 200 hours to PULSE, whose foundations are grounded on assessing and meeting the needs of teens and young adults that haven't been able to find their fit in today's hectic workforce and fast pace life. Starting in November 2021, I constructed a team of 9 fantastic high school sophomores and juniors to ensure the feasibility of PULSE after my graduation date. Currently, our website and social media have exposure to over 400 teens searching to engage in meaningful and impactful ways with organizations in their community. This scholarship amount would not only be a reward to myself and my team, but also to fund PULSE's upcoming activities such as our PULSE Fair. In addition to launching a covid-safe plan in the realms of the online world through our website and social media, I wanted to do more. I wanted a physical representation of the vision and mission I had dreamt about since I started the Bezos Scholars Program in April 2021. With support from the PTSA and the Town of Cutler Bay, PULSE is also launching an in-person nonprofit and organization fair that allows students to survey all the establishments we're collaborating with. This will take place in March, 2022 and I believe will help reach a greater variety of students in need. My most significant take away from founding and working in PULSE has been engaging with my community. I immigrated to the U.S from Cuba when I was 10, and since then have attended over 6 American schools. Growing up, I found it difficult to fit in the American school system and the way this new country functioned. Therefore, I believed PULSE would've helped children like me find their niche in the workplace. However, what I encountered when surveying students, parents, and school administrators was that it wasn't just immigrants who felt out of place, it was minorities, introverts, those with difficult situations at home, those with overbearing parents, and many more hidden voices I had previously overlooked. Before launching PULSE, I conducted surveys at schools all over Miami and at my local church to better understand where these needs were coming from. My favorite part was allowing my community to place their input into the making of my project and construct an organization tailored to their needs as individuals and as a whole.

In 2013 my family and I immigrated from Cuba to the United States. My earliest memories consist of small leaking metal-sheet roofs in an underground church of my hometown, Jaguey Grande, Cuba. The first church we ever attended was located in a pastor’s backyard where we hid for holidays and events every Sunday. Due to Cuba’s political regime, religious beliefs and faith in God are more than frowned upon: they are punishable by jail or death. Regardless, my family always instilled in me the Christian values of faith in God, myself, and others. The omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent characteristics of God that I read about in the Bible helped me through the hardest time of persecution during my life in Cuba. Those values have followed me here, in times of financial insecurity, debt, pain, and loss. In the timeline of my short 17 years of life, there hasn’t been an instance in which doing the right thing in love and kindness hasn't been applicable to my circumstances regardless how difficult. The way I treat family, friends, myself and those who don’t believe the same I believe comes from the kindness and grace that has been instilled in me through those values I read about as a child and currently still seek to display. In high school, I've accumulated over 1,200 community service hours as part of organizations including church, clubs, honor societies, and the Bezos Scholars Program. Although my initial goal was to achieve the necessary quota, I fell in love with helping. I fell in love with using my abilities and talents to serve. I fell in love with my community. Through the Bezos Scholars Program I've launched my own organization titled PULSE, pulse-program.mailchimpsites.com to help others find their purpose and place in the world like I've found mine.

I believe the biggest problem facing the world is a lack of purpose and direction in high school and college students. Although I’m still just a student, I wanted to use resources available to encourage friends to complete their community service somewhere meaningful to them. COVID made this significantly difficult and thus in 2021, I founded an organization titled PULSE sponsored by the Bezos Scholars Program and the PTSA, with hopes of decreasing the sense of purposelessness plaguing teens. Most students have been unable to complete community service due to COVID quarantining and are discouraged about their future. In my research, I’ve discovered 56% of students report their school has not matched their interests to a practical career choice and feel anxious about their future. Regarding minorities, I’ve found that African American and Hispanic college enrollment is significantly low in comparison to other races. PULSE provides resources to link students to nonprofits based on their interests to enter in memberships, internships, and community service according to their strengths. This is done through our website at pulse-program.mailchimpsites.com where students answer a small survey regarding their interests and receive emails on internships and memberships in their area. As a student-led and founded organization, this scholarship money would permit me to pay for the expenses of my organization and ensure its feasibility, success, and reach for years to come. As a 17 year old immigrant who struggled with finding her purpose and fit in society, I know I would’ve greatly benefited if an organization offered these services for me growing up. PULSE stands for Promoting Unity by Linking Students through Engagement and I believe that if I can engage students to participate in the areas of their community captivating to them, student leaders will rise and repair the world’s broken societal fabric.

In 2013, my family and I immigrated from Cuba to the United States in hopes of finding appropriate cancer treatment for my grandfather who later passed away and increasing opportunities for our family. Since then, I’ve attended 6 schools altogether due to financial hardship and housing insecurity. Although it was difficult at first to form an authentic sense of community, attending different schools allowed me to meet and understand diverse people as individuals and as part of their respective selected societal place. However, a common trend I encountered all across was that a vast majority of students faced an increasing amount of societal pressure regarding their career choice, which resulted in anxiety towards their future. This being something I’ve experienced first hand, I empathize with students who felt they had no fit in society’s workforce. Therefore, in 2021, I founded an organization titled PULSE sponsored by the Bezos Scholars Program and the PTSA, with the hopes of decreasing the purposelessness and meaninglessness that plagues teens. In my research, I’ve discovered 56% of students report their school has not matched their interests to a practical career choice and feel anxious about their future. Regarding minorities, I’ve found that African American and Hispanic college enrollment is significantly low in comparison to other races. Through this project, I aim to increase student morale and faith in one's self character and capabilities to lead a fulfilling life, tailored to the needs of each specific person. PULSE provides resources to link students to nonprofits based on their interests to enter in memberships, internships, and community service according to their strengths. This is done through our website at pulse-program.mailchimpsites.com where students answer a small survey regarding their interests and receive emails on internships and memberships in their area. On February 26th, 2022, we’ll be launching our first annual festival with a series of nonprofits in Coral Reef Park students may survey and sign up for. As a student-led and founded organization, this scholarship money would permit me to pay for the expenses of my organization and ensure its feasibility, success, and reach for years to come. Some expenses include shirts and business cards for PULSE, in addition to other advertising techniques, park event fees, website fees, and nonprofit donations. Currently, our social media @pulse.program on instagram and our website have nearly 100 followers and visitors and if I had more resources, I would reach out to media coverage pages to spread PULSE and support student-led projects. PULSE stands for Promoting Unity by Linking Students through Engagement and I believe that if I can engage students to participate in the areas of their community captivating to them, student leaders will rise and repair the world’s broken societal fabric. If I can ensure a strong legacy, many underrepresented marginalized students will be given the opportunities to step into a strong, confident future.

From an early age, my family and I have been exposed to the conspicuous conundrums of life as immigrants. Living under the difficult, oppressive communist regime in Matanzas, Cuba, it was natural to wonder at the intense scarcity of basic resources such as water and food. In their feeble attempts to preserve my innocence and that of my brother, my parents worked hard to hide these details from the rest of the family. However, it wasn't difficult to notice the repetitions of the same meals, or interluding cries coming from their room. When I first arrived in the US, our goal was to provide treatment for my grandfather who was experiencing his third cancer relapse. Besides lacking quality education, Cuba lacks other resources such as medical treatment, civil freedoms, and employment opportunities (i.e. for the elderly in this case). After his passing in 2018 on Thanksgiving, I experienced my first loss of a close family member. Although one of the hardest experiences was to see his eyes blink one last time, or feel the notable coldness of his sick body, I believe that moment was ordained, protected, and directed by God. My earliest memories consist of metal sheet roofs in an underground church with small candlelights where my family and other Christian families in Cuba attempted to read the Bible and speak to God in a place of privacy without fearing one of us may spend the rest of their lives in jail or in an "education camp". My grandpa was one of the most fervent, kind Christians I have ever known in my short 17 years of life and whose faith became a great bridge that led me to find mine. When he passed, I expected my family to distance themselves and disconnect as they underwent grief but they didn't. As we processed, and grieved together, my faith in God, others and myself grew immensely. Not only was I confident my grandfather was in a better place, but I believe this experience helped me find a path and direction filled with purpose and meaning. Due to COVID, several other family members have passed away. In the future, and as a soon-to-be first-generation college student in my family, I hope to enlarge my skills in Applied Behavior Analysis in Psychology to help others deal with loss and battles they may undergo in their minds. One's greatest obstacle and enemy, as one's greatest ally is themselves. Due to this in 2021, I founded an organization titled PULSE sponsored by the Bezos Scholars Program and the PTSA, with the hopes of decreasing the purposelessness and meaninglessness that plagues teens recovering from loss in their families or are socially marginalized. In my research, I’ve found that African American and Hispanic college enrollment is significantly low in comparison to other races dominant in this country. Through this project, I aim to increase student morale and faith in one's self character and capabilities to lead a fulfilling life, tailored to the needs of each specific person. Additionally, PULSE provides resources to link students to nonprofits based on their interests to enter in memberships, internships, and community service according to their strengths. This is my way of progressing my mission with the limited resources available to me still as a high school student. This scholarship money would permit me to pay for the expenses of my organization and ensure its feasibility, success, and reach for years to come. If I can ensure a strong legacy, many underrepresented marginalized students will be given the opportunities to step into a strong, confident future.

Neither my family or I have been foreigners to the conspicuous conundrums of life. Living under the difficult, oppressive communist regime in Matanzas, Cuba, it was natural to wonder at the intense scarcity of basic recourses such as water and food. In their feeble attempts to preserve my innocence and that of my brother, my parents worked hard to hide these details from the rest of the family. However, it wasn't difficult to notice the repetitions of the same meals, or interluding cries coming from their room. When I first arrived to the US, our goal was to provide treatment for my grandfather who was experiencing his third cancer relapse. Besides lacking quality education, Cuba lacks other resources such as medical treatment, civil freedoms, and employment opportunities (i.e. for the elderly in this case). After his passing in 2018 on Thanksgiving, I experienced my first loss of a close family member. Although one of the hardest experiences was to see his eyes blink one last time, or feel the notable coldness of his sick body, I believe that moment was ordained, protected, and directed by God. My earliest memories consist of metal sheet roofs in an underground church with small candlelights where my family and other Christian families in Cuba attempted to read the Bible and speak to God in a place of privacy without fearing one of us may spend the rest of their lives in jail or in an "education camp". My grandpa was one of the most fervent, kind Christians I have ever known in my short 17 years of life and whose faith became a great bridge that led me to find mine. When he passed, I expected my family to distance themselves and disconnect as they underwent grief but they didn't. As we processed, and grieved together, my faith in God, others and myself grew immensely. Not only was I confident my grandfather was in a better place, but I believe this experienced helped me find a path and direction filled with purpose and meaning. Due to COVID, several other family members have passed away. In the future, and as a soon-to-be first-generation college student in my family, I hope to enlarge my skills in Applied Behavior Analysis in Psychology to help others deal with loss and battles they may undergo in their minds. One's greatest obstacle and enemy, as one's greatest ally is themselves. Due to this in 2021, I founded an organization titled PULSE sponsored by the Bezos Scholars Program and the PTSA, with the hopes of decreasing the purposelessness and meaninglessness that plagues teens recovering from loss in their families or are socially marginalized. This is my way of progressing my mission with the limited resources available to me still as a high school student. This scholarship money would permit me to pay for the expenses of my Organization and ensure its feasibility, success, and reach for years to come. If I can ensure a strong legacy, many will bless from PULSE.