Growing up, I was raised in a low-income, single-parent household. As a young child, I was unaware of the challenges we faced. My father, an illegal immigrant, left when I was three, leaving me with a necklace depicting Our Lady of Guadalupe. Little did I know she would become a significant influence in my life. My most significant challenges growing up were being Hispanic, living in a low-income family, and being raised by a single mother. The other children I was friends with had both very successful parents. From a young age, I knew my family was different. During elementary school, I faced discrimination. Due to my last name, Hernandez, I was put in ESL classes. The only language I spoke was English, but they insisted I needed to attend ESL over math and reading classes. As a child, I did not know any better, but it set me back intellectually from my peers. However, I refused to let these challenges define me. Growing up in a small town in Illinois was challenging as well. Although many other Hispanic people were living in my town, they all faced a form of racism. Due to my mother being caucasian, I eventually started not to tan as dark as my younger years. Around middle school, I began to develop my faith once I learned about religions, faith, and Our Lady of Guadalupe. During the trying times of teachers and other grown adults treating me differently due to my darker skin and my Hispanic last name, I turned to Our Lady of Guadalupe for comfort. I would pray to her for a better life for myself, my mother, and my two brothers. I wouldn't see my mother often during middle school as she worked two jobs to support me. I would pray to see my mother more and make it so she didn't have to work so much. My faith was forever sealed as, not too long after, she started working less and bringing in more money. It wasn't a massive increase, but enough to let me know that Our Lady of Guadalupe heard my prayers. Since that significant event, I began devoting my time to her. My family was not religious, but I would use my free time to pray, study, and learn about Our Lady of Guadalupe. She has seen me through thick and thin. She has helped me on countless occasions. I genuinely believe that my father knew she would look over me while he was in Guatemala. My faith in her has been forever sealed as I couldn't do anything to compensate for the wonders she has done to help me during my life journey. I have been wearing the necklace since I was four years old. Fourteen years later, I am still wearing the necklace and the first person in my family to be able to attend college. Fortunately, I found a beautiful woman I now call my wife. We have moved across the United States to pursue our education. As for my father, I have been in contact with him for a while. Another miracle Our Lady of Guadalupe has done for me was bringing my father back to me. With the guidance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I have overcome all of the challenges thrown at me and will continue to do so. I am deeply grateful to the Nabi Nicole Grant Memorial Scholarship Committee for their time and consideration of my application. With your support, my aspirations for myself and my family will no longer be mere dreams but tangible realities.

My plans for the future are a testament to my determination to overcome challenges. I am a first-generation student who grew up in a single-parent household with two siblings. My father, born in Mazatenango, Guatemala, and my mother, parted ways after my birth due to his illegal status. Born into a low-income household, hope was my only motivation. I am the first in my family to attend college, pursuing an associate degree in applied science with a focus on automotive technologies. The program I've chosen requires me to start as an apprentice at a General Motors dealership. Despite the challenges, I found a Cadillac dealership that needed an apprentice, demonstrating my resilience and determination. As I start as an apprentice, I will only be making a little money. They may only sponsor me after my first year there as they had had issues with previous students bailing on them after their sponsorship training was completed. With this scholarship, I can purchase my college textbooks and supplies and have a payment ready for next semester. When I started looking at colleges, I wanted to avoid being buried in student loans. I understood that starting my life out in crippling debt would not allow me to achieve my goals. This scholarship will enable me to continue pursuing an advanced education, allowing me to accomplish my goals. When I start my family, I want to give them what they want. I do not want them to worry about not having hot water, having the lights go out, or skipping meals because we cannot afford groceries. As a first-generation college student, I understand the responsibilities ahead of me. I am fully committed to my goals and will fight with all my power to achieve them. I am determined to pull myself, my family, and my future children into a comfortable position where they can live a relaxing and calm life. I want my future family to flourish and be happy with their lives. I have made a drastic sacrifice by moving twenty-five hours away from home to pursue my dreams. From the time I started High School, I strived to keep my grades up. Due to my unwavering effort, I graduated with a 3.63 GPA, a testament to my commitment and potential. My Dreams are far from over. I have a long way to go, and I would appreciate your help. To the Bright Lights Scholarship committee, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your time and consideration of my application. With your help, my dreams will not have to remain dreams.

When I start my relationship with my fiancé, I knew little of her background and what she struggled with. When I first met her, she was nothing but smiles and laughter. I loved everything about her. Once we started dating, I started to realize small details about her everyday life that simply seemed off. I would ask her about what was going on and what I could do to help. After some time, She started to improve. Her mother thanked me for helping her daughter deal with her struggles. Unfortunately, one night I had a terrible feeling. Something in my gut told me to call my fiancé and check up on her. I gave her a called and it definitely sounded like she was or had been crying. We talked for a couple of hours, but she never told he was she was about to do right before I called. A couple of weeks down the road, she told me that she had grabbed a knife and an entire box of Dayquil and Nyquil. She was on her bed about to end it all. Her pain from her childhood was getting the best of her right before I called. She grabbed me and said that I had saved her life with a simple phone call. My stomach twisted and turned thinking an alternate world where I did not call my fiancé. Mental health issues have been a long running issue in my family, and well as my fiancé's family. My grandmother attempted multiply times to take her own life Infront of my mother when she was a kid. My mother has been diagnosed with Depression and PTSD, same with my fiancé. My fiancé's father was deployed to Iraq in 2005 shortly after my fiancé was born. Upon his return in 2006, my fiancé's mother called him a changed man. Undenounced to my fiancé's mother, my fiancé's father was already dealing with major depression, and he had just developed severe PTSD. My fiancé was primarily raised by her father. He had spiraled into alcoholism which destroyed my fiancé as a kid. This carried on to her adult life. I have talked to everyone previously mentioned about their struggles. From all of the stories and information I have gathered, mental heal has more power than most physical aliments in my belief. Outside of my future career, I wish to make an impact on the world of mental health. I plan on attending events and donating to charities focused on helping people with their struggles. My goals in life are to provide for my future family, but also assist my loved ones and other who are in the darkest corners in their head. Mental health isn't curable by medication. Many people will need help; I want to be there to make a change. Being able to make a difference in this world is a larger factor which drives me to become greater everyday. Coming from a low-income household, getting a start will be difficult, but with the help of this scholarship, I can make a difference sooner.

My craving to become something big in the world of automotives started as a little child. I watched the Cars movies, Fast and Furious, and any other movie that was racing or car based. As I grew older, I tried looking into other careers like aerospace engineering and HVAC. Despite this, cars and engines still fascinated me. As a first generation college student who was raised by a single mother, I realized that this journey would be a tough one. I still face all of these challenges head on and I will not accept failure. The event that stuck with me the most was when my fiancé and I were driving some backroad on our way to celebrate our anniversary. She was driving her old Jeep Cherokee, which had leaked all of its coolant which caused it to overheat. We were near stranded in the middle of nowhere, all dressed up getting baked in the hot summer sun. Thankfully, a man just so happened to be driving down the road. He passed us at first, but then he came back a couple of minutes later. He asked us what had happened to which we explained what happened to the jeep. He had concentrated coolant in the back of his car and he was kind enough to fill the jeep's coolant reservoir. He had helped my fiancé and I get back home where we then add water to dilute the coolant. Due to this mysterious mans kind gesture, he helped us avoid heat stroke or a serious sun burn. We were also able to continue our plans for out anniversary. This has helped me find purpose and meaning in what I wish to accomplish in my life. By this man showing empathy and kindness for others, he has allowed me to find a direction in which I wish to grow. I wish to help others, in and out of the workplace. I have come to realize how a kind favor as big as helping someone with a broken down car, or even an act as small as holding a door or complementing someone can effect their day or even their lives. With the assistance from this scholarship, I will be able to pursue my dream in becoming a great automotive mechanic who can help others in an honest and friendly fashion. I plan on growing one man's kindness into something that reaches others all across America. During these trying times of hate and evil, I believe the world needs more kindness and more people that believe in the good spirit that mankind can have.

Financial debt from student loans is something I do not wish to live with for years to come. Many adults around me who are in their forties and fifties still have student loan debt. I am applying for this scholarship to try and help myself avoid as much debt as possible for my schooling. I am a first generation advanced education student in my family. I was also raise by a single mother. With the circumstances I was born in, my family has almost zero ways to support me with the heavy cost of my education for becoming a automotive technician. I understand that many scholarships like this one have hundreds or even thousands of applicants. However, I understand that every chance I do not take will negatively affect me due to them being able to help me if I try. This scholarship will has the chance to help me in ways that are unimaginable. I have chosen to go to a school that only focuses on producing the best trade workers, including auto mechanics and technicians. This school also gives me a the opportunity to focus on automobile brands. I plan on specializing in Ford, BMW, and Porsche vehicles. This comes with a large schooling cost after what it will cost me to go for my automotive technologies II program. Unfortunately, growing up in a small town did not help me with the local scholarships. Most of them targeted to students who were the most in need of scholarships were given to those whose families who are well known and have more than enough money to pay for their education which trade student scholarships were included in this bias, but I digress. I am optimistic that I can and will succeed, but I will need some help along the way. Scholarships like these can help my achieve my dreams by assisting me with the large financial burden of the cost of schooling. I will become an automotive mechanic due to me spending my childhood being in love with cars and vehicles. To this day, I have an undying love for this area for a career. I dream of success in this field; failure is not an option for me. With the help of this scholarship, I plan on helping out my mother who has pushed me to be the best that I can be. She has worked three jobs the majority of my life. Due to her raising three children, she did not have much room to save money for her children's future education. This scholarship will help me get out of student loan debt and this will allow me assist my mother faster. I am being as proactive as possible so that I can become an auto mechanic. With the vocational school I am attending, I am almost guaranteed a job which will help me jumpstart my adult life. Due to this, companies such as those mentioned above will give me a larger pay due to me being specialized in their automobiles. In my future, I do not only plan on helping my mother. I plan on creating my very own scholarship to help others who are in a similar position I am in. I will be a dedicated and honest technician and I wish to spread kindness and support through my career.

Being born into a low-income single-parent household has proven to be a challenge. However, I recognized that I needed a proactive attitude to overcome these adversities. I started working the youngest I could in my home state to try and save for college. I am the child of an American mother and a Latino father who is an illegal immigrant who currently resides in Guatemala. I was the third child after my twin brothers which did put a lot of financial strain on my mother. I overcame these adversities by realizing the situation I was in and seeking to break out of it and rise above the level I was born at. I have continued to believe in myself as well as the work I produce, my work ethic, as well as how I go about encountering new adversities. Working in the food service industry for most of my youth has allowed me to develop communication skills. A part of those skills is being able to defuse or de-escalate a tense situation where someone is angry or upset. I have adapted myself to be able to recognize new challenges or misfortunes which allows me to be able to plan how I approach a situation. This is the same logic that I have applied to my everyday life to help me grow as a person. I use the adaptations I have gained and I apply them to my everyday life to overcome adversities. My biggest adversity as of now is living in a low-income household. When I first started thinking about college and doing research on college expenses, I almost decided to not attend higher education since I thought it would be impossible to come up with that kind of money. As I grow older, I realize the importance of higher education and the importance of battling against the odds to succeed. When I go to the college that I have already been accepted to attend in August 2024, I will be funded from what I have earned and scholarships. I believe that the harder life I live is to be an example for others in my situation. No matter your roots, you can sprout and grow into something gorgeous. I continue to believe in myself and be my biggest supporter. I push myself past earlier limits so that I can grow and become more advanced. These limits that I push past help me counter adversities. Adversity is a common occurrence in my life. Although I am young, I have learned a lot from real-life experiences. This is partly due to me having conversations with my mother about her life and how she deals with her situation. Although she will not have any money to give to help me out in college, she does everything else she can to make sure that I am doing ok and that I am prepared for the real world. I have overcome most adversity in my life through my understanding of life and how I approach these situations. I don't let them hold me down and I certainly don't let them put limits on my life. Although my life hasn't always been full of sunshine and rainbows, I have kept my head up and I have remained respectful to everyone regardless of race, gender, religion, origin, or any other form of identity. Through my time have come to the realization and strong belief that a large portion of overcoming adversity is realizing that every person is created the same. To succeed we as a people need to work together and put our differences aside.

I am from a low-income, single-parent household. I will also be a first-generation college student in my family. This has proven to be a huge challenge for me financially. I am currently 17 years old and I have been working since I was 14 years old which is when I was legally allowed to in Illinois. Since I was a little boy, I have been exposed to content regarding cars and automotive mechanics. Since then, I have matured my dream of high horsepower cars to be able to repair them, build engines, install forced induction hardware, install nitrous systems, vehicle tuning, and learn how to operate a car dyno. Universal Technical Institute of Avondale Arizona has all of those listed goals included in their classes. They also work with various car manufacturers that sign students into a career. I aspire to be at the top of my class so I can be hand-picked by Porsche to be a specialist on their vehicles. Learning this information has made me want to turn my dream into a reality, and I believe my dedication will allow me to do that. I believe that if I follow my passion in this field I can become an innovator, I can retire my mother, and I can get citizenship for my father so he can see me for the first time since I was little. I know my future is bright and I will accomplish my dreams no matter how hard the road to them is.

When I was young, I was exposed to a lot of content like Fast and Furious, Top Gear, and many other shows and movies that introduced me to mechanics and modified cars. Since then, that little boy has never left me and I still dream of pursuing a career and education in automotive mechanics. Although that little boy wants cool cars that are modified to be super fast, I have expanded my passion to include fixing cars, engines, and transmissions. Growing up in the era of video-sharing websites introduced me to a whole world of wonders. The only ones that keep amazing me are automotive videos that showcase exclusive cars or engine work being done on a vehicle. I have watched videos ranging from talking about how the engine came to be to someone modifying and completely rebuilding a 2000s Mustang V6 engine to be able to beat modified V8 engines. All of this information and content has led me to this very point. I believe that since I have the drive, aspiration, and dedication to dive into this career, I will be able to accomplish all of my dreams. I will be able to retire my mother who raised me and my two siblings on her own without any help, I'll be able to get my father citizenship in America so that he can see me for the first time since I was a baby, and I can comfortably support my future family. I have told many college representatives that I aspire to be at the top of my class regardless of the challenges that I will face. I have never had the opportunity to take an automotive class without jeopardizing other aspects of my education, but my dedication will allow me to learn quickly. With all of my time and knowledge being spent on automotive mechanics, I feel like I will excel in all fields thrown at me. I want to create an automotive business, unlike any other automotive business in America. To get to this point, I'll be the first to admit, I need help. Coming from a low-income, single-parent household as well as being the first in my family to go to college/university has shown me many challenges, all of which I will overcome to lead and excel in my passion of learning automotive mechanics. I believe that I can turn my knowledge into becoming an entrepreneur who can work with large corporations to thin out the issues in the automotive industry. I believe I can bring change to the automotive industry since I do not think like a typical person. It is hard to explain, but I think about every possible solution to my issue, how to avoid it, and how to prevent it from becoming an issue again. I will encounter a problem like this where I can invent or innovate a way to stop the existence of the problem. I strive for success and I will not stop sort of it. I believe my future is bright and I trust in this so much that I do not have a plan B regardless of what others say. A plan B gives me something to fall back on in the event that I fail. However, I do not plan on failing. I will push and pull my way to the finish line if needed. I am set on automotive mechanics and becoming a leader in the business that follows it.

I am applying for this scholarship because I need financial support to pursue my dream of going to Universal Technical Institute in Avondale Arizona as an automotive technician and then being selected to specialize in Porsche automobiles. I feel that going this route will help me accomplish my dreams and goals that I have set for myself in life. These goals include, but are not limited to, retiring my mom, getting citizenship for my father who lives in Central America, and being the first in my family to actively pursue their passion with a college education. UTI of Avondale Arizona has everything I have been looking for in an automotive mechanic. They have the basic learning of engine components as well as maintenance and repairs, but they teach forced induction using turbochargers and superchargers. They also teach nitrous systems, car tuning, engine rebuilding for power, and how to use a car dyno to test a car's power. This hits every point I wanted to learn and even more that I would happily learn. They also partner with many brands of car companies that can sign and hand-pick mechanics to specialize on their vehicles which can lead to a career for the student. I aspire to be at the top of my class to get hand-picked by Porsche to be a specialist for their automobiles. I want to be a mechanic because I have a dream to not only work on cars and fix them but to modify them with forced induction hardware, nitrous systems, as well as learn how to tune a car and turn it into a powerhouse. I also want to turn this passion into a career and eventually a business that I can use to financially support not only my future wife and kids but also my mother who has raised me and my two brothers on her own without help. I believe that since she dropped out of high school to raise me and my brothers, which unfortunately ruined her life financially, I feel the need to pay her back by allowing her to retire which will allow her to not work until her body gives out on her. She has always worked more than one job at a time since she had my brothers. All the years of constant hard work with no time to relax and allow her body to recover are creating a lot of health issues for her. Both of my brothers did not go to college due to learning disorders that stopped them from being able to pursue an education higher than high school. This ties in with the impact I can create in the future. The impact I can create involves retiring my mom, being the first in my family to go to college/university, and being able to get all the funding I need to get my father citizenship so he can come visit me for the first time since I was a baby. With the financial support, I will have been allowed to let my mother live her life and I can be reunited with my father. Not only will I be able to do what I mentioned previously, but I also plan on setting a standard for future generations of my family by showing them that no matter how bad the hand of cards you dealt, you can and will escape and reach your perfect ending and accomplish all of your dreams and goals with hard work and dedication.