To me, being a first-generation student is hard to put into words. It’s an unknown future. There are no stepping stones to help me figure out how college works, since none of my immediate family has attended a university. That doesn’t mean I don’t have much support on my side. I am from an immigrant family. My parents both dropped out of school as early as middle school to help their respective families. While not having much experience in the education field, they have built so much from the ground up for me to succeed. My father, sacrificing hours upon hours, not being given the chance to see his family much due to the amount of work he’s put into his job. In a way, being a first-generation student to me means sacrifice and hope. My parents beared through the sacrifice, in the hopes of their children being able to experience higher education. I had to overcome the unknown future of moving to a new city and a new institution. I've been going to the same school for years, and transitioning to a new environment is scary. What kept me moving forward was the amount of good I could do for my community. I want to pursue the dentistry field to help those underrepresented feel safe and have their voices heard. I'm Mexican, so I know how it feels to be not heard due to language barriers, among other things. Thankfully, I didn't feel much discrimination due to the environment I grew up in, but there are so many who aren't as lucky as I am. I've been told by healthcare professionals who are Latino the struggles Latinos go through. They aren't looked upon favorably, they are not taken serious, etc. I want to create an environment where all races, not just Latino's, can feel comfortable in the environment they are in. One of my dreams is to be in the dentist field, because there aren't a lot of Latinos in dentistry. If I become apart of that field, Latinos will feel more comfortable knowing there are people just like them in the health field and they won't have to go through the struggle that is the language barrier. This scholarship would help me pursue my dreams in the health field. We all know how expensive medical school and college can be and this scholarship would do more than you think it would for me. I would be very appreciative if you were able to me a chance at receiving this scholarship. There are so many aspiring young adults like me that need this scholarship as well, so I understand the reason If I was not chosen. I thank you for your generosity and giving many students like me this life changing opportunity. -Fernando Ramos