The first time I truly felt like a student was junior year of high school. I had always felt like an outsider. I was never known as a smart kid or treated like one, so that's what I believed myself to be. This continued until junior year, when I met my future mentor. They treated me with respect and pushed me to give college a shot. With their tips, I started raising my grades and did what felt like the impossible. I ended the first semester with straight A’s and repeated that second semester. The day I truly considered college was followed by a deep dive into careers. Electrical Engineering stood out because I had never heard of it, I saw mentions of difficult math, and I became intrigued. I never felt challenged by math and enjoyed its problem-solving side. The more I talked to teachers about it, the more I realized it was perfect for me. Not only did it involve math, but it also offered the chance to make a real impact on the world by designing safe, efficient, renewable energy. This passion stemmed from the harm my community faced as a kid due to harmful factory processes. Growing up, I noticed a lack of Mexicans in respected jobs. The only jobs I had seen people like me working were landscaping, construction, and cooking. When I looked into engineering, I set a goal to show future generations of Mexicans that engineering is possible and to work as a community to impact global warming, since our government wasn't. I often resent not caring about school at the start of high school, but I now realize these were “barriers.” During my first two years, I thought college wasn't possible for me. Looking back, I see this belief came from those around me: my brother barely graduated, my family always said only the smartest kids went to college, and the sad truth was they truly believed that. This is why I’ve worked so hard to separate myself from the norm. I need to succeed, to be an exception, so that one day I'm the norm. That's why my goal of making a difference is so important to me. In high school, I met model students, kids with perfect GPAs who knew what they wanted. I have no resentment against them; however, I want to be an example for all the kids who aren't like them, the ones who are starting late, the kids not expected to succeed. I want them to know it's not too late, that they shouldn't be overcome with fear, and that higher education isn't impossible, as I once believed. My dream is to create a community of engineers at the University of Portland, excel in my classes, network, and continue my advocacy by visiting schools and teaching kids about innovations in electrical engineering that help save the planet. I want to make real change in the world and never regret not doing enough good. I want the next generation of Mexican Americans to break stereotypes and be known as leaders, not just landscapers. That's why this scholarship is so important; I want to focus on school and seize every opportunity. This scholarship would let me pursue my dream without financial barriers, making working through college unnecessary. With your help, I can set an example for kids like me and, together as a community, make the world healthier and fight global warming.