Growing up I did not think I would go into healthcare, and I definitely did not grow up loving the dentist. In fact, I was the kid who dreaded every visit. I remember sitting in those chairs feeling unheard, ignored, and uncomfortable, like my questions did not matter. For a long time, that was my only view of dentistry. But as I got older, I started to think about it differently. I realized that the problem was not the field itself, but the kind of care I experienced. That shift made me ask myself, what if I could be the person who changes that for someone else? Now, I plan to major in biology and pursue a career in dentistry. This path means everything to me because I am not only a first generation college student, but I will also be the first in my family to enter the healthcare field. My parents immigrated from Mexico and never had the opportunity to finish school. Because of them, I see education as something bigger than just classes and grades. It is an opportunity they never had. I do not always enjoy school, and there are times when I feel exhausted or overwhelmed, but I keep going. I keep going because I know what my parents sacrificed to get me here. I carry their hard work with me in every late night and every challenge I face. As a future dentist, I want to create a different kind of experience for my patients. I want people, especially those from underrepresented communities, to feel heard, respected, and comfortable. I want to take the time to listen to their concerns, answer their questions, and make sure they never feel ignored the way I once did. I want to build trust, not fear, and create an environment where patients feel safe and confident coming back. For me, dentistry is not just about treating teeth, but about caring for people and changing the way they experience healthcare. I know this path will be difficult, especially financially, but I am committed to it. I am willing to work, make sacrifices, and take every opportunity I can to make this dream come true.Through STEM, I want to build a future where I can support my family, give back to my community, and create opportunities that once felt out of reach. More than anything, I want to make my parents proud and show that everything they sacrificed was worth it. I want to be someone who makes people feel confident not just in their smiles, but also in the care, respect, and understanding they receive.

Everything I have today started with my parents making the decision to leave Mexico and face their fears. Both of my parents immigrated to California from Mexico, leaving behind everything they had ever known to build a better life. My dad came here alone when he was only 20 years old. He has told me stories about those early days, and they have stayed with me. When he first arrived, he had almost nothing. He slept at a friend’s place with only a mattress and often could only afford one meal a day. Still, he kept going. When my parents met, things did not suddenly become easy. They worked constantly. My mom has been a server for over twelve years, often taking on long hours, and my dad has worked in construction for as long as I can remember. Their lives have been built on hard work and sacrifice. I remember them telling me about a time when money was so tight that they had to break open a piggy bank just to pay rent. That moment has always stayed with me because it shows how much they struggled, but also how they never gave up. Despite everything, they continued to push forward and created a stable life for me and my sister. Because of them, I have had opportunities they never did. Their sacrifices are the reason I am where I am today. Growing up with this has shaped how I see education. To me, school is not just something I have to do, it is an opportunity that my parents fought to give me. Every late night studying or challenging class I take is rooted in the understanding that their hard work made it possible. It has also taught me resilience. When things feel difficult, I think about everything my parents went through, and it reminds me that I can keep going too. Their story is also what drives my goals. I want to become a dentist, not only to build a stable future for myself, but to give back to my family and community. I want to be able to support my parents the way they have always supported me and make the sacrifices they made worth it. Being accepted into my dream school means everything to me, but it also comes with financial challenges that my family cannot easily afford. That is why this scholarship is so important. It would not only help relieve financial stress, but also allow me to continue my education without placing that burden on my parents. My family’s story is one of sacrifice and determination. It has shaped who I am and continues to guide me as I move forward. Everything I do is with the goal of making my parents proud, just as I am proud of them.

My name is Bryana Miranda and I am a high school junior who plans on going to college and pursuing a career in either computer science or nursing. My whole life I have wanted nothing more than to go to school to not only make myself proud but also my parents and to achieve my goals of traveling the world and also helping my parents the way they have helped me my whole life. However, in this journey to finding myself and wanting to pursue higher education, I have been faced with several challenges that have made my life tremendously harder in many ways. During a pivotal moment in my life, I was forced to confront a significant challenge that tested me, pushed me to my limits, and at times really knocked me down which was when I fell into a deep depression that hurt me not only mentally but also physically. Throughout my life, I have faced several challenges but this particular one was much more difficult to overcome and completely changed me as a person. When I was younger my mental health wasn’t the best but as I got older it only got worse, especially during middle school. My time during middle school had a huge impact on my life and changed me as a person for the best and worst. This was a time when I had just moved schools for the first time in 6 years, had no friends, and had just come out of online school due to the pandemic. I know many like myself were struggling with school after the pandemic but I felt so alone during this time and felt like no one knew how much I was struggling. I felt like I lacked support from my teachers as they were incredibly strict and didn't care for my well-being. On top of all the stress I faced at school, I also became so fixated on my appearance that it ruined the way I saw myself and forced me into isolating myself as I didn’t want anyone to see me or my body. I would force myself to exercise every day and deprive myself of eating food because I was obsessed with this idea of how my body was supposed to look. I had this negative mindset for years and over-time as I continued to over exercise and undereat I got incredibly sick and was forced to go to the hospital. This change was something that was not my choice and I was terrified that if I stopped this toxic routine my body would change and I would hate myself even more. However thanks to my amazing mom she saw the damage that I was doing and got me the help I needed. If I continued to harm myself I would slowly start to kill my body and my mind and I would not be here today writing this story. My journey to get to where I am today was far from easy and it took a lot of strength and tears as it was something that I feared, however, if I had never tried I would still be in the same depressive mindset from all those years ago and would never be who I am today. If I never recovered I would have never opened myself to new friendships and made all those amazing memories with them and my family. This was the most difficult challenge I have ever faced but it taught me that there is much more to life than your appearance and to enjoy every new day.