As a low-income student, worrying about money seemed second-nature. My life experience as a disabled, low-income person nearly defined the entire course of my life. My family and I genuinely thought education would have been inaccessible, and we would have straddled between both medical debt and university debt. Thankfully, writing about my disability and informing others about my experience as a low-income student was more than enough to receive the mentorship I desperately needed from professionals in higher education. They encouraged me to apply for scholarships, to seek out every opportunity possible, until it became second nature. This advice would always stick with me. I turned to community college to have the flexibility of recovering from a recent hospitalization after my high school graduation along with paying no tuition. My goal is to make this a reality for students on the same journey, as an aspiring community college professor, and encourage them to apply. They may have never dreamed of these opportunities due to their own adverse circumstances. I love the thought of simply trying, and applying for scholarships made so many dreams of my own come into fruition, especially with the generosity of time and the labor of love I received from my advisors. I’ve given back to my community through my leadership and presided over the Mt. San Antonio College Culture Shock Club, which heightened my understanding of how others interact with their world based on their identities and lived experiences. It was an honor to hear their narratives. As people of various different cultures with their various backgrounds, talents, skills, and most of all, stories. Many were transfers and came from low-income backgrounds, especially as students of color themselves, so it felt more natural to establish and create a sense of community, imbuing life into all dreams.

My identity as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, specifically as an aromantic, asexual, and agender person, allowed me to reimagine my goals and dreams in terms of how I interact with my community. As a current UCLA Gender Studies major, my greatest life passion is my desire to teach and educate, affirm the right to an education and to empower student voices, and to create a sense of intimacy and belonging in spaces dedicated to LGBTQIA+ people. My goal is to become a professor for the Sociology of Sexuality at the community college and upper division level, as my educational aspirations are directly tied to the LGBTQIA+ community, and my dream is to provide the same kind of mentorship I received those who shared their queer reflections and remembrance. To achieve this goal and continue my passion of serving the LGBTQIA+ community, I intend on enrolling in a Master’s of Arts from San Francisco State University in Sexuality Studies, housed under the SFSU Department of Sociology and Sexuality Studies. This program is reminiscent of my very first Sociology class I took at UCLA, which acknowledged my identity as a queer/trans person, the “Sociology of Sexuality and Sexual Identities”. This was the first class I had that affirmed the art of resistance and nonconformity, fueling my passion for a more comprehensive LGBTQIA+ education. The money would primarily be used to secure reliable housing in San Francisco because I do not currently have enough savings to reliably enter and complete graduate school due to being low-income and opting to pursue full-time studies and being unable to take on an excess amount of loans due to disability and medical debt. The scholarship would also be helpful for me because it would relieve the pressure of working multiple odd jobs, so I could simply focus on one job (like working as a Graduate Peer Educator for an LGBTQIA+ Resource Center) and put in my full effort into this job and also succeeding in my Master’s degree to best service the community members who depend on me to do this job. Beyond the financial impact, I intend on carrying on Coco’s legacy by acting as an informal “House Mother” via mentorship in honor of my own mentors who supported me in navigating my queer/trans identity. One of my best moments was winning Queer Prom at UCLA and being recognized as Prom Royalty, which made me realize queer community is found family. Therefore, I consider myself home to those who didn’t feel at home with themselves or with others and continue my volunteer work within the LGBTQIA community. My goals and dreams are largely informed by my LGBTQIA+ identity, especially in terms of my commitment to academic excellence and community service. My emotional and educational investment in the LGBTQIA+ community cements this. In addition to pursuing an MA, I will pursue more grassroots advocacy. I’m invested in the process of becoming more service-oriented and finding time to provide community care by using my skills to support historically underrepresented students. One of my favorite ways to apply my skills is advising LGBTQIA+ students on how to apply to transfer universities like UCLA. One of my more personal goals is making students smile when I share my hobbies in the arts via identity groups and workshops. I cherish crafts like journaling, coloring, painting, doodling, writing, and storytelling. These were my coping skills and provided a sense of escapism during transphobic times, and this reminds me of Coco’s shining qualities and the greatest honor of maintaining her legacy– to make people smile, no matter how small the act.