Students with drive facing hardship ought to receive financial aid; ability isn’t tied to luck. Often, promising futures hit roadblocks due to finances, essential needs, or limited opportunities. Scholarships offer more than just funds - they free up time, provide learning experiences, also equip students to channel effort into positive change both personally and locally. Fourteen years old, Cuba felt hard. Doctors, medicine - both were difficult to find; each day brought the challenge of simply eating. I recall my mother’s early morning anxieties concerning our next meal. Usually the refrigerator was nearly bare – some rice, a slice of bread, water. Consequently, we became skilled at creating meals from scraps. Though we’d chuckle about it, a heaviness settled within me. It altered everything within me - a resolve bloomed to lift us from where we were, ensuring nobody I loved would ever know that ache of emptiness again. The U.S. hit different, honestly - like landing somewhere completely new. Grocery stores overflowing with options? Wild. It shifted my thinking; scarcity faded, yet I began to truly appreciate what lay before me. Experiencing difficulty changed me; small frustrations didn’t bother me anymore, having faced real hardship. Consequently, I learned to bounce back, work steadily, moreover, truly value opportunity. Mechanical engineering, specifically robotics, is where I aim to apply myself. It stems from wanting to create useful things - tools that genuinely help people, particularly families similar to my own. Forget grand theories; I envision designing accessible technology easing everyday struggles, promoting well-being, or bringing essential resources to those who need them most. That ambition shapes everything I do – focused studies, real-world experience, even helping fellow students. Receiving funding - a scholarship or grant - would truly change things. It means covering school costs like tuition alongside supplies for the lab. Rather than making do, I could get the right equipment for building and testing ideas. Moreover, it opens doors to learning from leaders in the field at events plus finding future career paths. Above all, lessening work hours lets me fully dedicate myself to studies, research, and impactful endeavors. It isn’t about handouts - it’s building something together. I’ll get the most from any help by diving into classes, grabbing internship opportunities, then passing on knowledge to people like me. Supporting me doesn't simply fund studies; it creates real results alongside guidance for those following behind.

Growing up in Cuba shaped me – a constant challenge, yet brimming with possibility. It wasn't easy living there. Food felt uncertain, power flickered, likewise medical needs went unmet. Mom often seemed troubled when I woke up, wondering where our next meal came from. The refrigerator frequently held meager offerings – perhaps a bit of rice, a slice of bread, or simply water to tide us over. Things weren’t ideal, so we found humor wherever possible; often it felt like our only defense. Still, even then I noticed the weight on Mom’s shoulders. It sparked a resolve within me: someday I’d create something better, both for her yet also for me. Cuba faded quickly, replaced by something utterly different. The U.S. hit me hard at first – a bewildering abundance of groceries, spotless roads, opportunities everywhere you looked. Stepping into that U.S. supermarket felt like another world - I just stopped, stunned. Every shelf overflowed with goods I’d previously only imagined. To think something once special back in Cuba now seemed commonplace…it hit me hard. It shifted my perspective completely. Opportunity clicked into focus, so I vowed to appreciate it - always. Being the first in my family born outside Latin America means I live with memories of hardship alongside hopes for tomorrow. Who I am fuels what I want to achieve. Having seen firsthand what life can lack, I value everything - opportunities, classrooms, knowledge itself. More than that, it fuels a desire to show what people like me are capable of, dismantling the idea that background limits potential. As a first-generation student, academics aren’t solely personal; they encompass my family’s aspirations, remembering their struggles while striving toward a brighter future for them. I gravitate toward mechanical engineering because figuring out why stuff does what it does has always fascinated me. However, my real goal is to build solutions - tools and systems that genuinely help others. The goal is creating low-cost tech alongside resilient setups assisting those lacking essentials. I envision a future dedicated to improvements – perhaps tools easing burdens, power sources both economical and eco-friendly, or methods fostering security where it’s fragile. Leaving Cuba behind, my life since then showed me triumph isn't ease - it’s sticking with things. There were times it seemed hopeless, challenges pushing me to my limit, yet quitting wasn't an option. Instead, these hardships built resilience alongside thankfulness, shaping a daily drive within me. It wasn’t just hardship; it was about bouncing back, holding onto optimism, then changing for the better. Equipped with learning, who I am, alongside what I have to say, I aim to demonstrate that remarkable things are possible regardless of origins.

I remember back when I was 14, I lived in Cuba. Times were rough, we barely had medical supplies or good doctors in case anyone got sick, and getting food on the table was a daily struggle. I remember waking up some mornings and seeing my mom already stressing about what we were going to eat that day. There were times were we would open the fridge and see that there was almost nothing inside, just a few things that didn’t even satiate you. We learned to make something out of nothing. Maybe it was a little rice, a piece of bread, and water for the day. We’d laugh about it sometimes because that’s all you could do. But inside, I knew how heavy it was for my mom, and that's what made want to become someone successful to help her and never have to go through this again. Leaving Cuba behind was like arriving on another planet. The sheer abundance in that first American supermarket- shelves overflowing seemed unreal, straight from a film. I simply froze, absorbing the sight. Suddenly, meals weren’t a concern. Jobs provided money for necessities. Though it sounds simple, that change meant a lot . Thanks to that, I recognize good fortune; having food, getting an education, even just dreaming about my future. I don’t take anything for granted anymore,. Living through that made me grow up faster. It gave me a different mindset. I don’t complain about small things anymore because I know what real problems are like. When life gets tough, I remind myself that I’ve already faced harder things and that I’ve made it through days that felt impossible. That’s where my confidence comes from now. It also gave me a purpose in life . I want to study mechanical engineering, not only because I like how things work, but because I want to build a better life and eventually help others do the same. I want to use what I learn to make something that improves people's lives, something useful. I know what it’s like to live in a place where people don’t have much, and I’d love to create solutions that make life easier for families like mine. I think a lot about what people can learn from my story. To me, the biggest lesson is that your situation doesn’t define you. You can come from nothing and still become something. Struggle doesn’t mean bad luck, it is a signal telling you to wake up. And yes, it’s your response that decides who you become. Life isn’t fair most of the time, but even then, you can still keep going forward. You can always achieve or become something better. That’s why I'm sharing my story, not to complain or make whoever's reading feel pity for me. I do it because I want others to do the same, to grow from their pain and whatever their situation is to never give up and keep moving forward.