I have suffered anxiety and panic attacks since I was 5 years old. I remember clear as day the first panic attack; my dad thought I was afraid of the dark. Years went by, and it didn't get any easier. My dad passed away when I was 12 years old, and life didn't get easier. I was lonely and became depressed, started hanging out with the wrong crowd in my teenage years, drinking, and skipping school to belong. I ended up being in an abusive relationship at the age of 19, getting beaten up and talked down to. After it ended, I was also so broken inside that I wanted to end the pain too. I had a psychotic breakdown and tried to kill myself in 3 separate times. Coming from a third-world country where mental health isn't a priority, this was extremely hard to navigate. After a week in the hospital, the psychiatrist said that I was acting because I wanted attention and put me on very strong antidepressants. I can't say it's been easy; I've learned over the years how to cope with my life. I found a counselor who helps me. I stopped focusing on the wrong and tried my hardest to focus on what is good in my life. I do the same thing for others, lending an ear, telling them my story, and checking on people I know are having a hard time. Sometimes a message or a kind act could change people's lives. The way this has shaped me is knowing that even behind a smile, there might always be something wrong. I became an empathetic person; I care for others, I help when possible, and I never shame others for feeling a certain way, because that could have made a difference in my life. One of the goals I carry with me on this journey is to be happy; that's the only thing that matters at the end of the day.

I come from a very humble family. Neither of my parents finished elementary school; my dad barely made it to first grade because he had to work to help his mom after his dad passed away. My mom, on the other hand, made it to 5th grade but had to stop because her dad developed kidney disease and she was forced to work in a factory. My life hasn't been easy at all; my dad passed away when I was 12 years old, and my mom became a single mother of 4. Money was very scarce, to say the least. Both of my parents taught me that hard work pays off and that I should never give up, even when the future is dark. I immigrated to the US in 2011 after being a victim of an abusive relationship. When I arrived, I had 10 dollars. I worked so hard, cleaning houses and working in restaurants. When I was in a better place, I started English as a second language classes; I got my certification after a few months. I kept going to school to get my GED and graduated with my High School Equivalency after 8 months, while managing 2 full-time jobs. I didn't have enough money to go to college. For 10 years, I kept doing the only thing I knew how to do: work hard. In 2023, I went back to community college. As an adult learner, it was really hard managing a full-time job and full-time classes; sometimes I wondered if I would be able to do it. I recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with my associate's in Business Administration. I was admitted to New York University to pursue my bachelor's degree. My dream is to become a business analyst. When I think about how this has shaped me, my vision of the world, and my career, I believe that anything can be achieved by working hard and restlessly; nothing worth it comes easy. I am a kind person; I try to help people along the way. I am the kind of person who will push others to go back to school or help them achieve their dreams, regardless of what they are. I also help people find English classes; many don't really know how to navigate the system or where to find the right help without feeling scared or ashamed. In my career, I want to help people save for retirement and teach them how to invest for the long term. Many immigrants become New Americans and don't understand what to do; time flies by, and then there isn't enough money for retirement. That's one of my main goals for my master's degree in business analytics. Thank you for your time and consideration.

When thinking about who has shaped me to see myself as a leader, I don’t instantly think of one person. There have been plenty of people who have had an impact on my life. I could consider my dad the first person; he was very hardworking. Sometimes life was really hard for us. He went bankrupt when I was 5 years old, and he had to build again from the bottom up. He never looked back at what was; instead, he kept his head up and looked forward. Sadly, he passed away when I was 12 years old, but to this day, I still look at him as one of the biggest role models. The second person would be my mom, who became a single mother of 4 after my dad passed, and I know it was incredibly hard. She would work 12 to 14 hours a day just to put food on the table. Even to this day, when I ask her how she did it, she says she did it because there was no other way. Same as my dad, she just kept going with what she could do. The third person would be my college advisor, who always helped me. She believed in me even when I didn’t want to transfer to get my bachelor's degree. Always helpful, lending an ear to see how my classes were going, if finals were going ok, or maybe just to ask if I was doing ok. Lastly, myself. I am an adult learner. I returned to college to get my associate’s degree at 35 years old. During my time in school, I was leading a team of 15 people at my job. I am an assistant store manager at a Korean restaurant. I lead by example, and I work as hard as I want my employees to work. I had to prove to them and to my bosses that working full-time and going to school full-time was doable, and that I was still available when they needed me. At school, I also served as treasurer of the business club. I successfully ran a fundraiser that helped the students for 2 years with our annual trips, and I set up a conference to help all the new graduates college-wide to find jobs, write resumes, and look for interviews with the help of my professors. The conference was so popular that it will be held every semester for students. As a first generation college student the values that these wonderful people have taught me are that hard work is usually the key, sometimes life is not easy, but you have to make the most of it, and thrive with what's given, never step on anyone, because if someone else’s shine doesn’t mean they are taking away from your light, everyone has their own skills, everyone deserves to be the best version of themselves. In my life, I have tried to do the same as these people, working hard, helping when needed, and making things better for others because their shine makes everyone brighter.

My name is Ana Hernandez. I have been living with lupus since 2018. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that damages healthy tissue. My experience living with lupus has been hard. My doctor didn’t believe me at first, I started feeling extremely tired and didn’t matter how much I slept, my joints started hurting a lot and it was really hard to work or do any basic tasks. The doctor kept repeating that it was vitamin C deficiency. Thankfully the doctor was transferred to a new location and I was reassigned a new doctor. I spoke to the new doctor and gave all my symptoms I was turning 27 years old, I had massive pain in my joints, mainly my hands and feet. I was exhausted and had incontinence. The new doctor said that it was weird for someone my age to have so many issues but that she was going to test me for what she thought was. After the testing the ANA result came back and I was referred to a rheumatologist. My levels weren’t high enough to determine what kind of autoimmune disease I was sick of. A whole year of agonizing pains with no treatment followed, rashes, unable to move some days, the pain was so much that sometimes I wish I died. Finally, in 2018 I was diagnosed with lupus. Treatment followed, medication every day for the rest of my life. Butterfly rashes, sensitivity to light, brain fog, sometimes even the glare of sun could give me a flare up. When covid-19 hit I was more prone to get sick, and I did my body did not fight the virus at all but welcomed it. I ended up in the ICU with COVID pneumonia, fighting for my life. I went back to college in 2023, as an adult learner it was already hard but with an deficient immune system is even worse while juggling a full-time job. It is sad to say that the every day pain is something you get so accustomed to, because I don’t remember how is to live without the pain but the flare ups with lupus are very random, one day you are ok, next you are fighting for your life. There were many days I had to email my professors that I couldn’t make it to class because pain was too much to even get up from bed, changes of season were the worse I was having rashes on my face while all the other teenagers would just stare as if I was some monster, sometimes I had to ask my professors or other students to open bottles of water for me because I just don’t have the strength in my hands . The weakness of my legs sometimes it’s so bad that I needed to walk up the stairs as if I was a 90 year-old. I still tried my best, I recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with a GPA of 3.90 and an Associate degree in Business Administration. I got admitted to New York University for the fall 2026 to continue with my bachelor’s degree. Living with lupus have taught me that even the hardest battles aren’t enough when one has passion for what they want to do in my case to continue with my education. If you can consider me for your scholarship all the money will go towards the tuition, I’ll be forever grateful. Thank you for your time

My name is Ana Hernandez, I am a first generation college student. I was born and raised in Mexico. Both of my parents didn’t have the opportunity to study. Growing up in a third world country is rough. My dad could not go to school and self taught himself how to write and read. He was forced to work as a helper at a young age. My mom suffered a similar outing, after her dad's kidney disease my mom was forced to work in a factory at the age of 9. Throughout my life I self taught myself everything academically. There was no where else to look for help besides my books and my teachers. I learned how to co-op with ADHD and work around my learning disabilities. My dad passed away when I was 12 leaving my mom to raise 4 children on her own. Growing up there wasn’t a lot of money to go around, my mom had to be working like 12-14 hours a day to put food on the table. My mom has always been an advocate for school making sure we understood the importance of education since she didn’t have the chance. I started college in 2006. Sadly, I was victim of an abusive relationship, becoming depressed and eventually ended up dropping out of school in 2010 due to harassment. I immigrated to the United States in 2011 looking for a new beginning. I had no money, didn’t speak the language or knew many people. I was cleaning houses and working in two restaurants to get by. After 9 months, I quit one of the jobs and started English classes. When I got my English as a second language certificate, I asked the advisor what I needed to revalidate my high school diploma, he said the process was long and I would need more classes because the curriculum was different. I enrolled to get my GED while working two full-time jobs. I got my high school diploma in 2013 with a certificate in Computer Applications. Unfortunately, didn’t have money to continue to higher education. I worked hard for the next 10 years, and I enrolled in a community college in 2023. I was juggling a 45 hour full-time job and full-time classes. I worked as hard as I could. I recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with a GPA of 3.90 and an Associate degree in Business Administration. I have been admitted to NYU in the fall to continue with my bachelor’s in Social Sciences. Education to me is very important because my parents didn’t have the opportunity to study. Making my mom proud is one of my biggest goals, showing her that all the hard work paid off. As a first generation college student there is no other way to achieve my dreams but working tirelessly. Thank you for your time and consideration, I hope I could get your help with this scholarship it will mean a lot, all the money will go towards tuition.

My name is Ana Hernandez. My journey sometimes hasn’t been the easiest but I have done the only thing I know how to do, work hard. My experience going back to school as an adult learner was very meaningful. The first time I was in college it was in 2006, I was victim of an abusive relationship and had to dropout in 2010 due to the pressure and harassment I was enduring. I immigrated to the United States in 2011 looking for a new beginning. I had no money, didn’t speak the language or knew many people. I was cleaning houses and working in two restaurants to get by. I worked for many months without days off. After 9 months I was in a better place, I quit one of the jobs and started English classes, When I got my English as a second language certificate, I asked the advisor what I needed to revalidate my high school diploma, he said the process was too long and I would probably need more classes because the curriculum was different. I enrolled to get my GED while working two full-time jobs, traveling to a different town, every morning from Monday-Thursday. I needed to be at school at 8 am until 1 pm, and then go to work from 2 pm to 1 am. During the weekend Friday-Sunday, I was working from 6 am to midnight. I was so exhausted but I needed to work on my goal. I got my high school diploma in 2013 with a certificate in Computer Applications. Unfortunately, didn’t have money to continue to higher education. I worked hard for the next 10 years, and I enrolled in a community college in 2023. I was juggling a 45 hour full-time job, 10 hours of commuting to New York City and full-time classes. I worked as hard as I could, because I needed to prove to myself that all this hard work has been worth it. I recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with a GPA of 3.90 and an Associate degree in Business Administration, and I have been admitted to New York University in the fall to continue with my bachelor’s in Social Sciences. Working while going to school, it has been strenuous. There have been many times that I just wanted to give up, but my dreams are bigger. And, there is no other way to achieve them but working tirelessly. I am so proud to say that I have juggled my way managing full-time school and work during the last three years and the previous two years while getting my GED. Thank you for your time and consideration, I hope I could get your help with this scholarship it will mean a lot to me, all the money will go towards tuition.

My name is Ana Hernandez, I am a first generation college student. I was born and raised in Mexico. Both of my parents did not have the opportunity to study. Growing up in a third world country is very rough. My dad could not go to school and self taught himself how to write and read, his dad passed away when he was 3 years old, his mom couldn’t send him to school and when he was a little older he was forced to work as a helper. My mom suffered a similar outing, after her dad's kidney disease my mom was taken out of school at the age of 9, and forced to work in a factory. Throughout my life I self taught myself everything academically. There was no where else to look for help besides my books and my instructors. I learned how to co-op with ADHD and work around my learning disabilities. My dad passed away when I was 12 leaving my mom to raise 4 children on her own. Growing up there was not a lot of money to go around, my mom had to be working like 12- 14 hours a day to put food on the table, her dream was to see us succeed in life. My mom has always been a big advocate for school always making sure we understood the importance of education since she didn’t have the chance. I started college in 2006 after many sacrifices. Sadly, I was victim of an abusive relationship, becoming depressed and eventually ended up dropping out of school due to the harassment I was enduring. I immigrated to the United States in 2011 looking for a new beginning. I had no money, didn’t speak the language or knew many people. I was cleaning houses and working in two restaurants to get by. After 9 months, I quit one of the jobs and started English classes, When I got my English as a second language certificate, I asked the advisor what I needed to revalidate my high school diploma, he said the process was too long and I would probably need more classes because the curriculum was different. I enrolled to get my GED while working two full-time jobs. I got my high school diploma in 2013 with a certificate in Computer Applications. Unfortunately, didn’t have money to continue to higher education. I worked hard for the next 10 years, and I enrolled in a community college in 2023. I was juggling a 45 hour full-time job and full-time classes. I worked as hard as I could. I recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with a GPA of 3.90 and an Associate degree in Business Administration, and I have been admitted to New York University in the fall to continue with my bachelor’s in Social Sciences. Education to me is very important because my parents didn’t have the opportunity to study. Making my mom proud is one of my biggest goals, showing her that all the hard work as a single mother paid off. As a first generation college student there is no other way to achieve my dreams but working tirelessly. The legacy I hope to leave to my nephews and nieces is that it does not matter how late you go back to school or how hard it is, there is always a way to work on our dreams. Thank you for your time and consideration, I hope I could get your help with this scholarship it will mean a lot to me, all the money will go towards tuition.

My name is Ana Hernandez, I can relate to Maggie’s journey and love for education. I am a first generation college student and an immigrant from Mexico. When I was thinking how I could relate to Maggie, I can see her struggles because I have endure them first hand, I have been afraid of the road but I have encourage myself every time there has been and obstacle and given the best of me to my education. I was born and raised in Mexico. My dad passed away when I was 12 leaving my mom to raise 4 children on her own. Growing up there was not a lot of money to go around, my mom had to be working like 12 to 14 hours a day to put food on the table, her dream was to see us succeed in life. I started college in 2006 after many sacrifices. Sadly, I was victim of an abusive relationship, becoming depressed and eventually ended up dropping out of school due to the harassment I was enduring and the pressure of going to the same college. I immigrated to the United States in 2011 looking for a new beginning. I had no money, didn’t speak the language or knew many people. I was cleaning houses and working in two restaurants to get by. I worked for many months without days off. After 9 months I was in a better place, I quit one of the jobs and started English classes, When I got my English as a second language certificate, I asked the advisor what I needed to revalidate my high school diploma, he said the process was too long and I would probably need more classes because the curriculum was different. I enrolled to get my GED while working two full-time jobs, traveling to a different town, every morning from Monday-Thursday. I needed to be at school at 8 am until 1 pm, and then go to work from 2 pm to 1 am. During the weekend Friday-Sunday, I was working from 6 am to midnight. I was so exhausted but I needed to work on my goal. I got my high school diploma in 2013 with a certificate in Computer Applications. Unfortunately, didn’t have money to continue to higher education. I worked hard for the next 10 years, and I enrolled in a community college in 2023. I was juggling a 45 hour full-time job, 10 hours of commuting to New York City and full-time classes. I worked as hard as I could, because I needed to prove to myself that all this hard work has been worth it. I recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with a GPA of 3.90 and an Associate degree in Business Administration, and I have been admitted to New York University in the fall to continue with my bachelor’s in Social Sciences. We as immigrants have to work so much harder than natives, we start from zero and build from there. Sometimes the journey is long, sometimes it gets too hard but there is pride in owning every second of it, because even in the struggles we rise. Thank you for your time and consideration, I hope I could get your help with this scholarship it will mean a lot to me, all the money will go towards tuition.

My name is Ana Hernandez, when I think back at the hardships that I have gone through to put myself through college it makes me emotional because I have walked a very long road, but there still a lot to walk through. I was born and raised in Mexico. My dad passed away when I was 12 leaving my mom to raise 4 children on her own. Growing up there was not a lot of money to go around, my mom had to be working like 12-14 hours a day to put food on the table, her dream was to see us succeed in life. I started college in 2006 after many sacrifices. Sadly, I was victim of an abusive relationship, becoming depressed and eventually ended up dropping out of school due to the harassment and the pressure of going to the same college. I immigrated to the United States in 2011 looking for a new beginning. I had no money, didn’t speak the language or knew many people. I was cleaning houses and working in two restaurants to get by. I worked for many months without days off. After 9 months I was in a better place, I quit one of the jobs and started English classes, When I got my English as a second language certificate, I asked the advisor what I needed to revalidate my high school diploma, he said the process was too long and I would probably need more classes because the curriculum was different. I enrolled to get my GED while working two full-time jobs, traveling to a different town, every morning from Monday-Thursday. I needed to be at school at 8 am until 1 pm, and then go to work from 2 pm to 1 am. During the weekend Friday-Sunday, I was working from 6 am to midnight. I was so exhausted but I needed to work on my goal. I got my high school diploma in 2013 with a certificate in Computer Applications. Unfortunately, didn’t have money to continue to higher education. I worked hard for the next 10 years, and I enrolled in a community college in 2023. I was juggling a 45 hour full-time job, 10 hours of commuting to New York City and full-time classes. I worked as hard as I could, because I needed to prove to myself that all this hard work has been worth it. I recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with a GPA of 3.90 and an Associate degree in Business Administration, and I have been admitted to New York University in the fall to continue with my bachelor’s in Social Sciences. When I look back at the struggles and hardship it makes me proud to know that I come from the bottom, and I have given my best to my education. I hope I could get your help with this scholarship it will mean a lot to me, all the money will go towards tuition. Thank you for your time and consideration.

My name is Ana Hernandez, I am a first generation college student. I come from a very humble background. My dad passed away when I was 12 years old, leaving my mother to raise four children on her own. She tried her best; she worked hard cleaning houses and eventually became a taxi driver. For a very long time we had to live with our family members, my mom suffered the abuse and bad treatments of her family because we were technically homeless, but she never gave up. She saved every penny, until she was able to get us a place to live. Sometimes, to put food on the table, she would work between 14 and 16 hours a day. She wanted us to go to school and be successful, but there was not much to spare at times. My mom really wanted us to go to school and be better, her dream was to be an accountant. She valued higher education because she was never given the chance to study. I started college in 2006, but after being a victim of an abusive relationship, I dropped out in 2010. I broke my mom's heart when I dropped out, all that hard work she saw it fading in front of her, but I never forgot. I immigrated to the United States in 2011, seeking a new beginning. When I arrived, I only had 10 dollars to my name. I struggled a lot. I had 3 jobs to get by, counting coins at the grocery store to buy what was most needed. After I settled, I started English classes, and I asked the advisor at the BOCES program what I needed to do to get my high school diploma revalidated. The advisor said that it was going to take a long time because the curriculum was different. Instead, I enrolled to get my GED. One morning during the months I was going to school to get my GED I called my mom crying. I was an adult trying to get by, taking the public transportation back and forth to school, then having to work two full time jobs, just to have enough to survive. I thanked her for all her hard work, and told her everything that she sacrificed for us was worth it. When I graduated with my GED, I couldn’t continue to higher education. I did not have enough money to pay for college. After 10 years of hard work, I was able to enroll in community college. I had two goals on my mind, to make my mom proud and to prove myself that I was capable of earning my degree. I worked as hard as anyone could between a 45 hour full-time job and full-timeschool. I recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 3.90 GPA with my associate degree in Business Administration After my graduation, I told my mom that every sacrifice she made was worth it and that she deserved that degree more than me. I got admitted to continue my education for my bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences at New York University. If I could get your help with this scholarship, those funds would go to my tuition. Every struggle, every tear and sweat remind me that is always worth to work on our dreams. My mom never gave up, and I can't either. I hope to get your help with my goal. It has been a very long road, but there is so much more ahead, and I need help. Thank you for your time and consideration.

My name is Ana Hernandez, I am a first generation college student. I come from a very humble background. My dad only went to the first grade of elementary school because his dad passed away suddenly. My mom had to stop going to school in fifth grade due to my grandfather’s kidney disease. She was force to work in a factory at the age of 10. I was born and raised in Mexico. My dad passed away when I was 12 years old, leaving my mother to raise four children on her own. She tried her best; she worked hard cleaning houses and eventually became a taxi driver. Sometimes, to put food on the table, she would work between 12 and 14 hours a day. She wanted us to go to school and be successful, but there was not much to spare at times. I started college in 2006, but after being a victim of an abusive relationship, I dropped out in 2010. I immigrated to the United States in 2011, seeking a new beginning. When I arrived, I only had 10 dollars to my name. I struggled a lot. I had 3 jobs to get by, counting coins at the grocery store to buy what was most needed. After 9 months of hard work, I was finally in a better place. I left one of the jobs and started English classes. I got my English as a second language diploma after a few months. To keep the momentum going, I asked what was needed for me to keep studying. The advisor at the BOCES program mentioned that getting my high school diploma translated and revised would take a long time and that I would have to take extra classes because the curriculum in Mexico compared to the US. Instead of going through the revalidation process, I started my GED classes and graduated after 10 months with my High School Equivalency and a certificate in Computer Applications. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough money to continue in higher education. In the years that followed, I worked hard and knew I needed to get back to college to finish what I started. In 2023, I enrolled in community college after a 10-year hiatus. Returning to school as an adult learner was hard to say the least. I worked 45 hours a week, commuted another 10 hours, and went to classes full-time. I worked so hard; I wanted to make my mom proud for all her hard work, and I wanted to prove to myself that, even with the struggles life has thrown at me, I was meant for something better. I recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with an Associate degree in Business Administration at the commencement ceremony I walked with my stole that read first generation student. I am proud to say that I got admitted for my bachelor's in Social Science at the University of New York, a highly prestigious school in the country. My goal is to become a Business Analyst. Every struggle, every tear and sweat remind me that is always worth to work on our dreams. I hope to get your help with my goal, this scholarship will help me with my tuition, and it will mean a lot after all the hardships. It has been a very long road, but there is so much more ahead, and I need help. Thank you for your time and consideration.

My name is Ana Hernandez, I am a first generation college student. I come from a very humble background. My dad only went to the first grade of elementary school because his dad passed away suddenly. My mom had to stop going to school in fifth grade due to my grandfather’s kidney disease. She was force to work in a factory at the age of 10. I was born and raised in Mexico. My dad passed away when I was 12 years old, leaving my mother to raise four children on her own. She tried her best; she worked hard cleaning houses and eventually became a taxi driver. Sometimes, to put food on the table, she would work between 12 and 14 hours a day. She wanted us to go to school and be successful, but there was not much to spare at times. I started college in 2006, but after being a victim of an abusive relationship, I dropped out in 2010. I immigrated to the United States in 2011, seeking a new beginning. When I arrived, I only had 10 dollars to my name. I struggled a lot. I had 3 jobs to get by, counting coins at the grocery store to buy what was most needed. After 9 months of hard work, I was finally in a better place. I left one of the jobs and started English classes. I got my English as a second language diploma after a few months. To keep the momentum going, I asked what was needed for me to keep studying. The advisor at the BOCES program mentioned that getting my high school diploma translated and revised would take a long time and that I would have to take extra classes because the curriculum in Mexico compared to the US. Instead of going through the revalidation process, I started my GED classes and graduated after 10 months with my High School Equivalency and a certificate on Computer Applications. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough money to continue to higher education. In the years that followed, I worked hard and knew I needed to get back to college to finish what I started. In 2023, I enrolled in community college after a 10-year hiatus. Returning to school as an adult learner was hard to say the least. I worked 45 hours a week, commuted another 10 hours, and went to classes full-time. I worked so hard; I wanted to make my mom proud for all her hard work, and I wanted to prove to myself that, even with the struggles life has thrown at me, I was meant for something better. I recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with an Associate degree in Business Administration, at the commencement ceremony I walked with my zarape stole that read first generation student. I am proud to say that I got admitted for my bachelor's in Social Science at the University of New York, a highly prestigious school in the country. My goal is to become a Business Analyst. Every struggle, every tear and sweat remind me that is always worth to work on our dreams. I hope to get your help with my goal. It has been a very long road, but there is so much more ahead, and I need help. Thank you for your time and consideration.