As a Chicana who comes from two Mexican immigrant parents, education was always encouraged, always supported, and always acknowledged. My mother only got to complete her high school education, and my father only got to third grade before he was taken out of school to work on his family’s farm. My father was a big influence on my education and why I chose to go to college, his story inspired me to do more, and build a better future, not just for me but for all of us. This is how my bachelor’s degree will change my path, it’s a ticket to better job opportunities and greater stability. In today’s society, college degrees can open doors for us who have been told again and again that we are not useful to American culture. Being brown means that sometimes I’m automatically judged just off my skin color, and in the professional field we know that white men are the majority. My education and my degree will not only prove that I am capable of doing the same job a white man does but it will also pave the way for younger brown, Chicana, Latina, and Hispanic women to have the same opportunity at the same job. It’s not just a job or a title it’s a way to build up our careers, our future, and our livelihoods. The power that these opportunities hold is not just for our stability but for future generations as well, the kids that come after us need to know that it is possible. That’s how I plan to use my higher education to support our society. As a Sociology major, I want to enter the career field of a school counselor, where I can be able to encourage the youth to obtain all the education that they can. Por qué la educación es poder, because education is power. The more knowledge we hold as minorities the more power we continue to gain, it’s a movement towards equality in all fields of society. Encouraging the younger generation to pursue higher education will provide the diversity and equality that we are continuously seeking today, we want to be able to walk into any building, industry, or corporation and see the diversity of people. Because not only is it equality but it is also inclusion and honesty, just the way society should be. There shouldn’t be a need to base people on their skin color, what we should be looking at is experience, resumes, passion, motivation, and education. That’s how we know if a person is a good fit for positions, education allows us to change society for the better. Prove to younger generations that positive change is possible if we all put our motivation towards it and push others to do the same. Supporting one another will get us far and that is how I am using my education to give back to society in the future, not only so they have more resources but also to better society by spreading the message of unity.

Colorado, this is where I have been, I was born and raised in Colorado, it's home, but even within Colorado I have gone through a lot of places. Not only physically but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, in only my 20 years of life I have been places I would not have imagined. I grew up in a big family that always had what we needed, I was lucky to grow up in a home where I didn't have to worry about food, or where I was going to spend the night, my parents ensured that I should only worry about my education and school work, which is what I did. I grew up in a household that always encouraged me to go to college and gain higher education. I was told that with higher education (college) I could get a good job and help my family out, which is exactly what I aim to do. My goal is to be able to give my mom the support she gave me growing up, I plan to do this by graduating with a bachelors (and maybe a masters). I wish I could say I'm doing this to support both my parents, but unfortunately my dad passed away earlier this year, which is another place I've been. I spent sleepless nights at hospitals next to my dad who suffered from brain cancer for 8 years, sleepless nights at college wondering if I should take a break from school and go home to spend time with my dad. I spent hours on end talking to my dad during his last months trying to make sure he didn't forget who I was, hours driving back and forth from school to home to see him. It's a loss I could not have imagine until it happened to me. He had a big influence on my going to college, my dad was the one who always told me to be one step ahead of the game (life/school/ect.), to make sure I was doing everything possible to succeed. My dad saved up money to make sure I had a computer for when I went to college, made sure everything was good with my car every time I left for school, made sure I was safe. Which is why I wish I could give him the same support I wish to give my mom. I'm hoping to become a school counselor, to help children in my community the way that my school counselors did for me and also be able to support my family in the future.

Growing up I use to watch Disney movies all the time with my family, and although I didn't realize the lack of diversity in movies when I was younger, I do now. Disney has come a long way in showcasing other cultures and identities over the many years (17+) that I have been watching. The first movies I remember watching as a kid were Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, and The Little Mermaid, all of which come from white backgrounds. Their stories were entertaining, especially as a kid, some had meaningful messages, like Belle for example. She taught us to not judge others based on how they perceive themselves because they could be a completely different person on the inside. But their stories never seemed to have any connection to my life, I never really saw myself in their shoes, although I did own a little yellow pair of Belle's shoes when I was younger. I didn't start to see diversity in Disney films till I was a little older when I first saw diversity when I saw Mulan. Although she was pale, like Cinderella and Aurora, she was from a different culture and background. Then there was Jazmin from Aladdin and Tiana from Princess and the Frog, I remember being so excited when I saw these two Princesses. They had similar skin tones as me, as a little girl I was amazed to see princesses that looked like me. I loved Tianan so much, she had become my new favorite Disney Princess, she resembled working hard to achieve your goals and I could see myself in Tiana's shoes. But yet my culture was still not being represented in these characters. I come from a Mexican household where, yes, hard work is what we are taught to achieve our dreams and goals, just like Tiana. But the Mexican culture was not being represented by Disney, it wasn't till 2021 when Disney release Encanto that I truly saw myself in one of their films. Encanto is a powerful film, that represented so many problems and issues that come along with being a child of an immigrant. If you have not watched Encanto I will not entirely spoil it for you but I will talk about one of the seans in the film that show one of the struggles that I connected to. The sean that resonated with me was the concept that we as children tend to be compared to those who are doing better than us. I see this issue in my own family, my dad and mom would compare my siblings and me to each other, and not just in ways we can be better but also in bad ways. They would indicate to us how we were making the same mistakes that others are. Mirabel also goes through this, she is the only child without a gift and her family sees that and would compare her to others, her grandmother at one point even asked why she couldn't be like the rest of the family. I know a lot of Chicanos/as that go through the same thing and it's hard to push out those comparisons and do your own thing, but that's exactly what Mirabel did. She fought against those comparisons and proved them wrong. This and many other reasons is why Encanto is my favorite thing about Disney, and although diversity was not a word that came to mind when I thought about Disney at a young age, it does now. To me, Disney means diversity and inclusion.

I have had many losses in my family from aunts, to grandmothers, grandfathers, friends, and uncles. But right now I am grieving a lose that has not even left the earth yet, my father. He was diagnosed with cancer about 8 years ago, a tumor that has taken up in his brain and has caused him to go though so many painful surgeries, radiation, and therapy. All the surgeries he's gone though have made his mobility worse, but despite all that he has continued to fight, and has always wanted to fight till his last breath. But in October my family and I received the news that there was nothing more that could be done for him. The tumor has won, my father fought so hard to beat it, he traveled around the country just to find the best surgeons and yet he lost the battle. Now my father is slowly dying and my family nor I know how much time he has left. He is slowly forgetting who the people around him are and being in college doesn't make it any easier for him or me. When I found out my father was in the hospital again I didn't panic as much as I did the first times he was in hospitals because he always recovered and came back home to keep fighting and get better. So I went to go see him one weekend thinking I wouldn't have to come back several times because he would be out soon, and doing better at home. But that's not the case this time, and now I'm driving six hours every other weekend to come see my dad so he doesn't forget who I am. My father is still going strong, although sometimes when I ask him if he knows who I am he forgets and responds with a shoulder shrug. It makes me sad to think that one day he won't be able to recognize any one around him. My mom is struggling to keep everything together, tying to figure out all the financial stuff, and all the passwords to things my dad owns, signing papers she doesn't even understand. So when she told me that my dad was dying, I told her I wanted to come back home, but she refuses to let me leave my college, or my education. That's when I realized I need to fight for my education as hard as my dad tried to fight his cancer. Giving it everything I have to do something great and help my family. My family and my education is what is most important to me, and they are the reason I keep fighting for my education and they are the reason I will continue to do so until I get that degree. I still have time with my father, but not knowing how much is what stresses me out the most. My father is still with us but knowing that he's going to die regardless of anything we do to keep him alive really hurts. I want to do something and at times I feel useless because I can't do anything for him or for my family. So I am grieving the loss of my father, because one day I won't have him by my side and I will have to help and support my family in any way or form I can. This is why I've learned that I need to fight for my education and do amazing things, for my family and the world.

Life is not easy, and it doesn’t get easy. To quote my friend “it does suck, a lot. Life doesn’t get easier, life is hard all around. We just have our easier days where things are good and life is good to us, but imagine if we didn’t have these tougher moments. We wouldn’t be able to decipher the good between the bad, and sometimes there isn’t’ much you can do, except find the good in the hard times making something good out of a bad situation. It makes you strong, for the next lesson to come.” She texted this to me today, after I had told her I had a really bad day. Right now I’m struggling with family issues, and I don’t know where life is taking me, and I don’t know what I’m doing. It started my Sophomore year of high school I realized that my childhood dream job, being a vet, was not what I wanted. I fell into this deep hole of trying to figure myself out and my future, and I’m still trying to find a way out. But during this time of realization for my future, I found that I wasn’t happy. My father was sick and I worried for my mothers happiness, and at one point I noticed my little brother was staring to isolate himself. I was so worked up with trying to keep my family together and happy that I stopped focusing on my mental and physical health. The moment I came to terms with myself that I was not mentally okay, my mother noticed it too. At one point it had gotten so bad she wanted me to go to therapy, but I didn’t want to, I thought I could fight through it. It turns out it wasn’t that easy. I’ve always been the person to put my feeling aside to make sure others are okay, I’ve never wanted to put my feelings and emotions on someone else, I never wanted to be a burden. So I keep quite, it’s become a habit to the point were I still do it, I shut off any emotion I have that might worry someone. Sophomore year was also when I meet my closest friend, my ride or die. Through out the years she has taught me to open up, to let it out. She’s a great listener and support, we do this for each other, we listen to one another and give our advice on the situation. She was my therapy, she changed the way I held my emotions in, even tough I still shut them off at times,when I’m with her it seems like she gets were I’m coming from. She’s the reason why my mental health is better, she’s one of the many reasons of why I still keep going forward. Although I still have a long way to go with my mental health, I believe that the mental health I had four years ago changed who I’ve become. My belief in god is stronger and my relationship with my family is better and stronger. Even though I have not yet found my career aspirations, I believe college will help me find my passion in life

Family has always, and will always be something big in my life. I’ve grown up in a Catholic household, from as far back as I can remember, my family and I would attend church every Sunday. My parents are very religious and have always believed that God is our savior, and I can agree. In 2008 my father was diagnosed with a chordoma tumor that leads to his main nervous system. At the time I was only five and had no idea what he was battling, the year I turned thirteen was when I really started to understand what was happening. As a little girl who looked up to her father and wished nothing but for him to get better, this tumor was what I thought would take my father. In 2016 he had his first brain surgery, it had gone well and they told us that they got 70% of the tumor out. But that didn’t fix any of my fathers' pain. I was fourteen and it was the summer before going into my freshmen year of high school. My parents had found a great surgeon in Huston that said he could help. My parents went to Huston while my little brother and I stayed with my aunt and uncle. During this time I had become very sad, to the point where my mother thought I was depressed, she wanted to send me to a therapist. I felt this way because I had no control over what was happening and no power to help my father. This was also the time where I stopped believing in God, I didn’t understand why he was putting my father through so much pain. So I gave up, I lost faith, I didn’t want to believe in a God that caused my family this pain. After my fathers' fourth operation I started to realize that God is the reason he is still alive, he was the one helping my father through his pain and suffering. God is our savior, he is the reason I still have a father to hold and hug. I began to have faith again, I had read somewhere that God gives his toughest battles to those he knows can overcome them. That is what he has given my father a battle he can overcome with time. Although my father is still battling with the tumor he had less of it now. On June 16th, 2021 he had his latest operation and now he only had 5% of the tumor. God has given my family and me more time with him. This is one of the reasons why going to college is important to me, to find my passion in life and show my parents that through all this I was able to find and reach my dreams. I plan to use my fathers' story to inspire others to not give up, to keep going even if it seems there’s no way out. God had a plan for all of us and this I have learned in the last ten years. Now I am closer to God than I have ever been, and I thank him every day for giving my dad more time.

Building has always been a part of my life. I’ve always had a passion for building anything that involves renovating. For example, a couple of years back I built 5 birdhouses for the birds that would come and eat bird food at my house. To this day those birdhouses are still standing, I’ve also built a decore ladder for my room. I made it to hand my blankets and save space. I was also able to build a shelf for my room because my plants needed more space. Just this month I saw a small three-story shelf on the street that was getting thrown away, so I decided to grab it and take it with me to refurbish. I took it apart, sanded it down, primed it, and painted it to my liking, I loved how it turned out and now my plants have more space to grow. This scholarship will help bring my vision to life by providing me with the education to create more projects like these. It will provide me with the classes and skills that are used in the architecture/interior design field. As a women of color in this society I believe it is important to prove that women can do the same jobs as men no matter what. As women we are always told by men that we can not do sertain things but I like to prove them all wrong and do what others think I can’t.