My name is Jahayra Bernal Martinez, and I grew up rather differently than others in my community. Growing up as a Mexican-American female with a single mother and father in prison, limited many recourses to me, even as a child. College was presented to me as the impossible, and in just the third grade I was made to believe by my teachers and superiors that higher education would never be available to me, I would never be smart enough, let alone be able to pay to study in such an institution. The city I grew up in was majority-minority, and my peers and I never had the resources we needed to fulfill our education. It wasn't until High school that I learned why these ideologies were so deeply embedded into my mindset. In High school I was presented with loads of new information, the biggest piece being intersectionality. I remember very clearly the day when I finally realized why I was treated the way I had been treated within my communities education system. I came to understand what It meant to be a Mexican-American girl with a single mother in the United States. At just three months old I was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a type of cancer, this impacted my family on a great level not only emotionally, but financially as well. Despite the struggles my family faced, they never backed down and they never stopped fighting to give me the life they thought I deserved, I will forever be grateful to; my mom, my grandma, and my aunt, the three strongest women I know. Despite the system being against me and my family, and all the people who told me I couldn't along the way, I am proud to say that I was able to graduate high school and get accepted into my dream college. I am cancer-free and I find myself looking back at my experience as a child. I constantly think about all the children with cancer who aren't as fortunate as myself. I believe that I was blessed with a second chance to make a difference for these children, and this is where my true passion comes in. I have decided to major in nursing and I am currently in the pre-health program at Regis University in Colorado. My experience with cancer has impacted my career goals and education by giving me a reason to keep going. By awarding me this scholarship you would be funding me with the materials and resources I need to continue my education in the pre-health/nursing path, in which I plan on working with children with pediatric cancer. If anyone understands what these children have been through / are going through, it's me, and with my experience, I aim to be the loving and supportive figure to help these children through this rough patch in their lives.

When I was an elementary and middle school student, college was presented to me as the impossible. It seemed absurd for me, a Mexican-American female student to be able to make it to college, let alone for me or my single mom to be able to afford to study in such an institution. My transition into high school was the push and inspiration I needed to truly believe in myself. Learning about intersectionality and facing important parts of my identity led to self-discovery and I finally understood what it meant to have a passion. At just three months old, I was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a type of cancer and the first five years of my life were spent in and out of the hospital, which was very traumatic for me as a child. I recall myself as a child going to various appointments and checkups throughout the year in which I came face to face with children who had been diagnosed with cancer just like me. Learning about cancer and how it affected me at such a young age resulted in me becoming a very observant child, At my doctor's appointments I was constantly comparing myself to the other children with cancer, and I found myself wondering why I was so fortunate to be able to walk, to have hair, let alone have a second chance at life. I grew up very fearful of hospitals and doctors' offices.18 years later, I am cancer-free and I look back at my experience as a child. I constantly think about all the children with cancer who aren't as fortunate as myself. I believe that I was blessed with a second chance in order to make a difference for these children, and this is where my true passion comes in. I have decided to major in nursing and I am currently in the pre-health program at Regis University in Colorado. My experience with cancer has impacted my career goals and education by giving me a reason to keep going. By awarding me this scholarship you would be funding me with the materials and resources I need to continue my education in the pre-health/nursing path, in which I plan on working with children with pediatric cancer. If anyone understands what these children have been through / are going through, it's me, and with my experience, I aim to be the loving and supportive figure to help these children through this rough patch in their lives.