Hello! My name is Arianna Morales-Garza. I'm a UTSA IES Pathways Fellow and non-traditional undergrad pursuing a degree in sociology and minoring in health, aging, and society with a focus on school-based sexual health education in underserved communities. I started my education the traditional route by attending a university right after high school in 2012, but dropped out and pursued a different course. After a couple of years, I mustered up the courage to return to school in 2015 where I graduated with my Associate of Arts in Psychology in July 2016. While attending school I held two full-time jobs and was pregnant with my and my now husband's first child. A few short months later, my baby was born prematurely and I chose to become a stay-at-home mom to care for and advocate for all their special needs. Three almost four years later I became a mom of 2 and as you can imagine my hands became a little fuller. Once our oldest was able to attend school which was the first year back to in-person classes after COVID-19, my partner and I agreed it was a great time for me to pursue my education again. I returned to higher education in the Fall of 2022, 6 years after I'd received my Associate. Continuing your education after some time away with skills you're unsure will apply to your courses is scary, but returning as an "older" or "non-traditional" student is almost a little scarier. The application process is daunting because no one tells you how to do it and it felt impossible to receive any help from the school directly. While attending one of my first courses I met other individuals who had similar experiences as non-traditional students and we came up with the idea to create our university's 1st Non-Traditional Student organization. We are still very new but have many ideas and plans for how to improve the college experience for those returning to school after a hiatus. I've been offered many opportunities to pursue various pathways in my academic journey and the opportunity to continue it further is just one of my most recent feats. I want to make it clear that this degree is not my husband's, but mine. That being said this scholarship would help me continue my education goals beyond a bachelor's degree and help ease the burden of any financial insecurities I have in securing that for myself. There were times when I had to bring my children to class with me which I'm very grateful I was able to do, but like any mother, the guilt would occasionally creep in that I was taking too much time away from my children. That changed when my husband told me about a conversation he had with our youngest while I was in class one day. He said she asked for me and when she heard where I was she replied, "I want to be a mom when I grow up and go to mama's school because moms go to school!" I'm pursuing this degree and more not only because I chose to believe in myself, but because my little family believes in my education and the importance of theirs. Thank you for your consideration!

Options. We are fed into a system that tells you there is no way to succeed unless you go one way which is their way. The education system wants you to become just another pawn in their game of "what district does better in standardized tests." Children are not textbook and should not be treated as though they are. All children do not test the same. All children do not learn the same. All children are different and should be given the chance to advance without the generic restrictions placed so early on their lives that tell them what they are or aren't capable of doing. If you are blessed with the ability to teach the newest generations then it should be taught early on that there is more than one way to succeed at something. That one way is not better than another and that for some their way works for them, but may not work for you and that's okay so long as the task at hand is completed. We've taken away what options gave to us which is creativity. They want you to think this way or do things that way and it takes away the art of individuality. The lack of options takes away the incentive to be creative, explore, and go beyond what is expected. Take this essay for instance. You're required to answer this simple question in 300-500 words, but if you felt you did so in less we couldn't ask why that isn't enough because we wouldn't even be given the option to submit it. Is it simply so you can decide who is worthy enough of receiving said scholarship based off of one simple question without any knowledge of the capabilities of the individual? You've just then inadvertently taken away the option for this one student because it didn't meet yet again your basic standards.

In my adolescent years, I never fully understood the importance of education. We're forced into a system that hammers the importance of going to school and what happens if you don't. You get the "don't do drugs" speech and "don't be a bully" speech and many more, but let's be honest none of those work one hundred percent. Yes, it felt amazing being rewarded for completing your work and accepting awards for your accomplishments, again as children and even young adults we didn't know how important that is. We didn't even properly discuss the lack of education, the quality of education, or the inequality of education the world still faces today. You see I don't think education is just what you learn from all these books you're told to read through though it certainly is helpful and insightful and makes you sound smart, it's also what you learn outside of the classroom. The experiences you have in life outside of school are also educational and some of those experiences are bad, but some of them are amazing. I dropped out of school towards the end of my first semester and fell into a "gap year." I learned about money, working, and many other things they don't talk about in your high school textbooks. It was also the hard way of learning and didn't provide me with much security in my future. I escaped back home to find that I learned some good and bad things, though nothing that was going to set me back in the right direction. I got back into school and this time at a community college that was much more intimate than the university I had previously attended. I worked hard to raise my GPA a whole 2 points and some change and felt like I was making a difference in myself with all that I was learning. While there I took a Human Sexuality class as part of my degree program which I didn't even know was a thing. It's there that I discovered what I truly wanted to do in life and wouldn't have made the realization had I not gone back to school which is personally where I thrived. I graduated with my associate's degree, but this time took a 5-year gap before throwing myself back into my education. In that time I learned all I could from work experience in an area that I knew nothing about, caring for 2 wildlings that not even the books could have prepared me for, and many more learning opportunities. However, I have watched friends graduate with their bachelor's and master's and excel in ways I could not because of my lack of focused education. All they have learned has helped them to travel and meet some of the most influential people of our times. It's helped them to obtain jobs to better themselves and the life they have created with their partners and families. I've also seen what getting a real education can do for you in times where leaving home is crucial to your survival and future. At my age now and as I return to school I have a mindset and genuine appreciation for what it is to receive a proper education. I am determined and focused in ways my younger self never was or could not yet comprehend. The doors my education will open up for me and my family are life-changing and the rewards it holds are endless and ever-growing so long as I continue to pursue more.

When I became pregnant with my son I was in the middle of completing my associates degree. This was also after I had dropped out of my previous university, escaped and overcame a traumatic life experience, and thought it was time to get back on track. I was working two jobs and going to school full time when I met my now husband and shortly after a few months of dating became pregnant. At my graduation from community college my partner congratulated me but the second thing he said was "you're not done, yet. You still have more to finish!" Months passed and we began to prepare for the arrival of our son who unfortunately came 2 months early and spent 5 weeks in the NICU. Naturally, I chose to stay home and take of my son as he required multiple therapies and there were numerous doctor appointments each week. Over the years I lost myself and the woman who worked two jobs and loved attending school just faded away. I worked odd jobs for my mother in law and even was able to get a job as a child care worker at my church where I could also bring my son. I thought I was doing better for myself and our son because I was being proactive and helping my son to socialize and grow developmentally. After an irregular OBGYN appointment my partner and I were faced with another dilemma regarding the possibility of having another child. We chose to try for our second child and after a LEAP procedure at my 4 week post-op it was confirmed that I was pregnant. Mind you I had been thinking about returning to school and had completed an application, but that fell to my drafts inbox. I had once again began working with my mother-in-law on more corporate events and learned more about the hospitality industry than I knew could be possible. My children are now 2 and 5 years old and without any assistance or without letting my family know, I applied to The University of Texas at San Antonio at the beginning of January and received my acceptance email today, the second day of March. I surprised my husband with the news and he immediately reminded me of what he told me when I graduated from community college and then he went on to buy all the UTSA merch. My children can't yet comprehend the kind of cheerleaders they have in their corners. I can't wait to show my wildlings that it doesn't matter where and when you start so long as you finish whatever it is they choose to do. I'd like to get my counseling certificate to have under my belt, but my Bachelors, Masters, and maybe even Doctorate to finally be able to financially provide for my family. My husband has done an amazing job of caring for us, but I'm ready for my time to shine for myself and my family!

One practical solution to helping more people who struggle with mental health is implementing check-ins in the school system. Growing up is hard and sometimes school is an escape from the students’ outside lives and struggles. The earlier on that children learn to ask for help regarding their mental state the easier it could be to ask for help the older they get. It also may help to identify markers for other staff to keep an eye out for in these children. Now marking a child shouldn’t make them any less of a person but rather someone the system would like to have “unmarked” and cared for. If the schools really care for the children as much as they preach then a child’s mental health should be at the top of the list. The short time that these children are with teachers can still be a large and unforgettable experience for them that they influence them more than their parents/guardians. Our goal should be to raise kind humans. It’s gotta start somewhere and even if millennials didn’t get that same grace I feel they are becoming more aware of their mental state and trying to break the cycles with their own children. As a parent I strive to raise kind wildlings but I can’t guarantee that others are doing the same, but it would help to have the establishments I’m sending them to to ensure everyone is doing so and checking in on one another.