One teacher who really made a difference in my life was my sixth-grade history teacher, Ms.Frausto. When I first came to the United States from Guatemala, I didn’t understand English at all. I was in middle school for the first time and only spoke Spanish. I was also very shy, which made everything harder. At first, Ms. Frausto didn’t realize I was struggling, but soon she noticed. Instead of ignoring it, she helped me. She shared her own story about coming to the United States at fifteen and learning English from scratch. Knowing she had been in my place gave me hope. She encouraged me to try my best, especially on writing assignments, even when I was scared of making mistakes. She reminded me that learning a new language takes time and courage. In my second year of middle school, Ms. Frausto became an ELD teacher, helping students who were learning English. She continued to help me through eighth grade, teaching me new words, sentence structure, and how to feel more confident. With her guidance, I eventually met the testing requirements to leave ELD. She showed me that education is an opportunity, not something to be afraid of. Even though I grew up in Guatemala, I am a U.S. citizen, but I did not learn the English language. Growing up there, I saw that education is not easy to get, especially for girls. Many kids have to stop going to school because their families cannot afford it. Coming to the United States made me realize that getting an education is a privilege. Ms. Frausto helped me understand that I should take advantage of this chance and never give up. In high school, another teacher who impacted me was my Spanish teacher, Ms. Lopez. She saw my potential from freshman year and always encouraged me. In sophomore year, I became JV academic team captain, and she supported me every step of the way. Junior year, I decided to take the AP Spanish exam even though I was not in the class. Ms. Lopez went out of her way to help me prepare. She printed out practice sheets, reviewed them with me, and helped me study before and after school. Thanks to her support, I passed the exam. She always reminds me not to be afraid of attending college, even though English is not my first language. She gives me the encouragement to believe that everything is possible and that my background should never be seen as a disadvantage. Now, as a senior and secretary of my CP Magnet Student Council, Ms. Lopez still supports me as our advisor. Both of these teachers inspired me to work hard and pursue higher education. They showed me that my background is not a weakness but a strength. Because of them, I hope to go to college and become a nurse so I can build a better future and help others. They did not just motivate me. They also taught me to encourage other students to keep going, even when school feels hard.

I come from a country where my parents grew up, which is located in Central America, Guatemala, a country where Spanish is mostly spoken, making it my first language. I was born in the U.S.A.; however, I spent most of my childhood studying in Guatemala. Growing up in Guatemala has shown me that there are not a lot of educational opportunities or motivation for students to go beyond their studies. The government does not provide support for education after elementary school. Only those who have a higher financial status can actually continue studying if they want to. Especially for girls, they are less expected to pursue a career. At the age of 11 years old, I came to the U.S.A to visit my family members, where I felt a sense of estrangement that made me feel disconnected from others. That is where my desire to study English grew stronger. I was amazed by how different a language can be, a language I was not familiar with. I decided to convince my parents to let me have the opportunity to expand my education in America. My parents agreed, and I started living with my Aunt. It was a new chapter for me, which was daunting. Because that meant that I had to be away from my parents. Being in the U.S., new doors of opportunity opened for me, and I knew my life would be different here. But this meant I had to make the decision of being away from home, away from my family, in order to want to persevere in my future. Separation was a harsh experience for my younger self throughout the years, including the present. Away from home was a new chapter for me to start; it felt more like I was making an early maturation decision at the time. I did not have any physical support from my parents since they were in Guatemala, which affected me academically. What helped me to overcome it was having the support of my Aunt and Uncle, they treated me as their own daughter, in addition to staying with cousins whom I considered as my sisters. They gave me the biggest companionship that I have ever had. What I learned is that I am not alone in this journey; I have my family's support, which is my biggest encouragement to determine my education efficiently, since it's a path that would give me a better opportunity to have a better life. I have been taking my education seriously since I started attending the United States. My objective is to become a Registered Nurse so I can work as a travel nurse in the future and help communities, especially those that lack access to healthcare. My motivation comes from my childhood experiences in Guatemala, where access to healthcare was limited. I plan to apply to less expensive colleges or universities, which would reduce the amount of expenses for my education. And later get a part-time job as a way to manage the costs. I believe receiving this scholarship would mean a lot to me. Since I am a first-generation student without my parents' presence. This could help me pursue my career even greater. That would make me want to focus on my studies and work even harder to achieve my career goals. I do not want my guardians to be paying that much, since they already took a huge responsibility of taking care of me when they are not even my parents. I want to help them out by applying for scholarships, so I can minimize the burden of paying.