I completed my Bachelor's degree in Economics in my home country and gained valuable work experience in the field. However, I decided to leave my country to pursue a M.S. in applied economics and data science to be able to better analyze public policies and macroeconomic factors that continuously prejudice the vulnerable communities I worked with. During my academic journey, I encountered several obstacles that presented significant financial challenges, which forced me to adopt rigorous time management by juggling multiple jobs simultaneously to support myself. In addition to working, I also had to take out student loans to finance my studies, but despite these obstacles, I remained steadfast in my commitment to obtaining the knowledge and skills necessary to be able to make a meaningful contribution to the communities I have served and will continue serving. My ultimate goal is to use my expertise in public policy analysis to improve the lives of those who are most in need. I am currently building public policy tools and analyses with the knowledge gained so far. This has enabled better approaches to address the unique challenges faced by vulnerable communities during today's economy and social imbalances. I believe my passion for community development and my commitment to my goals make me an ideal candidate for this scholarship. That is why receiving a scholarship to pay off my student loans would be a tremendous help in achieving my career goals. By having my loans paid off, I will be able to focus on pursuing further education and career opportunities that I may not have been able to consider before. With this financial burden lifted, I plan to invest in my professional development by pursuing additional training and certifications to enhance my skills and knowledge. This will enable me to become a more effective and valuable member of my field, and ultimately, make a greater impact in the communities I serve. Additionally, I plan to use the funds to create a financial safety net for myself and my family. Having financial stability will provide me with greater peace of mind, which is a key factor in my professional development, and allow me to take on more significant challenges in my career and personal life. I am confident that with this support, I will be better equipped to make a meaningful impact in my field and in the lives of those I serve. I am grateful for the opportunity to be considered for this scholarship and believe that it will make a significant impact on my life and career.

I have had the privilege of meeting many women from whom I learned the lessons that guided me to where I am at this moment. I cannot say that only one female leader inspired me because as I grew up I found myself in a community where the role of women was prevalent. In this sense, the women who inspired me the most as leaders are my mother and my paternal grandmother. Their role as homemakers is undoubtedly a leadership role and in my perception one of the hardest and most effort-intensive jobs. The upbringing of these two female figures was filled with love and caring. This has been very important to me growing up as I have been able to secure remarkable bonds with other women fighting for a more inclusive society. Although the patterns of chauvinism are very ingrained in my culture as a Latina, these leaders always reminded me that difficulties were only an obstacle in my mind and taught me that I could even get to play the role that was considered the most "masculine" if I wished so. These lessons and having to see them struggle to get out of difficult situations whereas women were forced to continue submissive roles made me realize that, even though I was not going to make a change for the world, I could begin to make a significant change for the women in my family and the future generations of my lineage. It is from them that I have developed a strong character, leadership skills, and dedication. Nowadays, even if their role is not valued as it should be in the workforce, every day spent with them I learned strategies to build goals and pursue them based on how my mother and grandmother dedicated their day-to-day tasks to raising my sisters and uncles. My daily efforts are on their behalf, my achievements are dedicated to them and I always try to remind them that without such women I would not have been able to get out of the bubble in which every woman in my community falls: not having the opportunity to develop a professional life. For all this, I have committed myself to always empowering other women to be great. Despite not coming across many women in my field, when I have the opportunity I always approach them because I understand that like me we can feel somewhat intimidated by being around so many men for the same objective. I also try to create support networks among us and I am daily educating myself to understand assertive communication and to be self-assertive enough to get my message out properly since I am constantly meeting women from all cultures and backgrounds. Finally, I would highlight that one of the biggest deterrents for us as women to continue in the STEM field is to see that it has historically been dominated by men and to let fear and change take away the enthusiasm with which we began to fight for the career we are in. This is why support networks are not only imperative, but it is also important to be the channel for other women to reach these networks. Support networks are also a wellspring of knowledge and a source of learning.

When it comes to implementing strategies for life skills or to perform better in life endeavors, not everyone has the same commitments, extracurricular activities, and even credits at the University. However, in my experience as a Master's student and working full time remotely in a country with a one-hour time difference, part-time at my university as a Research Assistant and Ambassador in the International Student Office, I learned several strategies that have helped me a lot in this journey. First, made use of the Pomodoro technique. This is an interval of work time that uses time management to complete tasks and avoid getting distracted or being burned out. Second, try to stick to a schedule, for example, my days go from 5 am to 10 pm and although sometimes it seems impossible I always try to be in bed ready to sleep by 10 pm. Additionally, keep a monthly planner for the month's goals and a weekly planner to carry out all the jobs, tasks, and so forth. It is important to set goals, as this gives you motivation and vision. Finally, I must say that working out and making it part of the routine and even writing it down in the planners is very important allowing you to start the day with optimal energy levels. To conclude, the most important and applicable advice for any area in life, but in particular to achieve academic success is to not compare ourselves with the performance of others and to understand that we are always doing the best we can for ourselves, regardless of whether we believe it or not.

Relax Mind, Body & Soul. Your well-being is your most important achievement, nothing can be accomplished if you are not physically and emotionally sound. This is why whenever feeling is not sound, I try to find myself in a state of tranquility and practice some of the following tips. First, I light incense and a candle, play some soothing music (I have created a playlist for this purpose), and enjoy a glass of mango juice, my favorite drink. This is a perfect moment to read a book not related to school or write about what I am grateful for. Another tip is being around my pets. This is a perfect moment to just sit for hours and pet them while we all find a moment of peace, and even meditate. Pets are a wonderful source of de-stress. However, I consider that unplugging for a day is much needed, and the best tip for students to take care of their mental health. I normally use these days of not social media to de-clut. I get rid of any excess and junk from my email inbox, desk, and closet.

As a lifelong enthusiast of learning and journeying my way through data every day, I have always been thrilled to contribute to social projects directed to vulnerable populations. In 2016 I started working with people with disabilities and victims of the armed conflict, and this was a challenge and a great opportunity which led me to where I currently am: Dedicating myself to applied research in the incidence of public policies through economic tools to be able to identify the impact such policies have on different social sectors. This is crucial, especially in the traceability towards successful political cultures in vulnerable populations of various countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. My professional experience has exposed me to wonderful lessons. During my six years of experience, I have worked on formulating and coordinating the adequate financial and technical development of social programs sponsored by the cooperation of international donors, these programs are targeted at vulnerable populations such as people with disabilities, victims of the armed conflict, ethnic communities, and immigrants with a Gender-Based Violence approach. With my main interest in acknowledging sustainable processes in territories, I have focused my expertise on the creation of tools that evaluate the impact of the public policies that exist for these communities, and how to strengthen the processes of the governmental entities to realize the goals of the International Cooperation. In my capacity as a Political Scientist and Economist, I am competent in the analysis of local and international public policies that mediate the country's decision making, specifically those focused on political economy, labor market, health care (particularly disability), and financial services. My six years of experience have also allowed me to elevate my interest and knowledge in research about high-skill immigration, Green New Deal, and taxes. My wish upon completion of this master's program at George Washington University (GWU) is focused on applying the analytical and econometric tools necessary for the development of research capacity to proactively implement and interpret economic and social problems in any workplace. My studies aim at my professional goals motivating me to work for initiatives like the ones conducted by NGOs, Governments, and even the private sector. Additionally, I have expanded my coding knowledge through my career as an Economist and Data Scientist at GWU where I have been part of projects for the Applied Economics and Data Science Departments, operating coding software like Python, VS Code, GitHub, R, and Stata. In this sense, I have also realized the importance of data analysis in decision-making scenarios, therefore the money received from this scholarship will be used to pay for the two semesters I have left to finish my master's degree, allowing me to apply to Ph.D. programs in Data Science.