I have been raised by a single parent for my entire life. My mother has worked minimum wage jobs to support our household, and despite her efforts, covering the cost of college tuition is simply not financially possible for us. I have had no contact with my father and have always relied solely on my mother for support. Her income is fully dedicated to basic living expenses, leaving no ability to contribute toward my college costs. Despite these circumstances, I have remained committed to my academic goals throughout high school. I am looking forward to attending Fordham University this fall semester, but I require financial assistance in order to make this opportunity possible. I am seeking financial assistance so that I can continue my education and work toward my future in finance. Throughout high school, I have worked relentlessly to secure a brighter future. My school offers a dual enrollment program, and I have worked for four years to earn my associates degree in liberal arts alongside my high school diploma. I have taken college classes at Hostos Community College, where I have experienced and succeeded in college level coursework reflected in my 3.771 GPA on the college side. In high school, I worked towards my Advanced Regents Diploma by taking extra classes junior and senior year, and I will be one of three students in my school to obtain this diploma. In addition, I am currently obtaining the Seal of Biliteracy in English and Spanish and am in the interview and presentation stage. Finally, I have graduated at the top of my class with a 4.0 GPA and will be my class valedictorian. I am also a member of the National Honor Society, where I participated in events such as Prom Projects, helping set up free formal attire for students. I also assisted with the induction ceremony of new members and delivered a speech on Leadership, one of the four pillars of National Honor Society. Alongside school and college, I have gained multiple types of work experience. From working with elementary students to working in a fast paced kitchen, I've experienced it all. My first work experience was during the summer of my sophomore year through the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), where I interned at Hostos Community College in the GED / ESL departments. During my sophomore year, I also worked with Read Alliance, an afterschool program designed to improve literacy skills for students in grades K-2. I was quickly promoted from tutor to a Senior Team Leader, where I monitored students and tutors, tested students for progress, and continued tutoring. I continued working this job my junior and senior year and recently finished the program in the beginning of March. During the summer of my junior year, I returned to SYEP and worked as a cook at NBHD brûlée. I eventually secured permanent employment, which I still hold today. My senior year I balanced both jobs, Read Alliance and NBHD brûlée, at the same time.

I have been raised by a single parent for my entire life. My mother has worked minimum wage jobs to support our household, and despite her efforts, covering the cost of college tuition is simply not financially possible for us. I have had no contact with my father and have always relied solely on my mother for support. Her income is fully dedicated to basic living expenses, leaving no ability to contribute toward my college costs. Despite these circumstances, I have remained committed to my academic goals throughout high school. I am looking forward to attending Fordham University this fall semester, but I require financial assistance in order to make this opportunity possible. I am seeking financial assistance so that I can continue my education and work toward my future in finance. Throughout high school, I have worked relentlessly to secure a brighter future. My school offers a dual enrollment program, and I have worked for four years to earn my associates degree in liberal arts alongside my high school diploma. I have taken college classes at Hostos Community College, where I have experienced and succeeded in college level coursework reflected in my 3.771 GPA on the college side. In high school, I worked towards my Advanced Regents Diploma by taking extra classes junior and senior year, and I will be one of three students in my school to obtain this diploma. In addition, I am currently obtaining the Seal of Biliteracy in English and Spanish and am in the interview and presentation stage. Finally, I have graduated at the top of my class with a 4.0 GPA and will be my class valedictorian. I am also a member of the National Honor Society, where I participated in events such as Prom Projects, helping set up free formal attire for students. I also assisted with the induction ceremony of new members and delivered a speech on Leadership, one of the four pillars of National Honor Society. Alongside school and college, I have gained multiple types of work experience. From working with elementary students to working in a fast paced kitchen, I've experienced it all. My first work experience was during the summer of my sophomore year through the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), where I interned at Hostos Community College in the GED / ESL departments. I assisted walk-ins, took meeting notes, made phone calls to students, and documented information. During my sophomore year, I also worked with Read Alliance, an afterschool program designed to improve literacy skills for students in grades K-2. I was quickly promoted from tutor to a Senior Team Leader, where I monitored students and tutors, tested students for progress, and continued tutoring. I continued working this job my junior and senior year and recently finished the program in the beginning of March. During the summer of my junior year, I returned to SYEP and worked as a cook at NBHD brûlée. This environment was entirely new for me and I had a difficult time adjusting, but over time I learned techniques to thrive in the kitchen setting, eventually securing permanent employment, which I still hold today. My senior year I balanced both jobs, Read Alliance and NBHD brûlée, at the same time. My academic and career goal is to attend Fordham and obtain my bachelor’s degree in Finance. I’m hoping to build connections and secure internships with companies such as Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan, with the life goal of working as an investment banking analyst on Wall Street.