Life has many unexpected turns, and that tends to be all the more true if you grew up in my family. There’s always a new challenge, because my parents taught us to not be comfortable with what we had, but to aim higher, whether in academics, athletics, or in our personal lives. This is why, with the support of my parents, I decided to move from Mexico to the United States at fourteen, to seek better academic opportunities. Like all decisions in life, no matter how big or small, obstacles arise, and the chance to overcome these obstacles teaches us lessons that help us to grow as people, and see life from different perspectives. The perspective I saw was that of my older brothers enrolled at UT Tyler, and that sparked an interest for me to follow their path and go to an American college, in the hope of a better future. What I was not expecting was the news that my parents were thinking about moving to the U.S.. I was ecstatic, and since I was closer to my dream. I suggested that I could go to the U.S. by myself and live with my brothers, before my parents’ move. They liked the idea, but since it was June, they told me that it was too late for me to enter school in August. Still, they had taught me not to give up, so I started looking at schools and figuring out a plan on how I could move in August. When I showed my parents my progress, they saw it was possible. Fortunately, everything worked out, and, at 14, I moved that August and began high school in America. That doesn’t mean it was easy; leaving Mexico was hard, since I had lived there my entire life. I left my friends and family. The decision was so spontaneous that I had no time to think about the challenges that it would bring to my life. One big challenge was adapting to the United States, but it was also a bigger challenge to see that living with my brothers was not like living with my parents. The toughest part of living with my brothers proved to be the independence I faced. Yet, it helped me become more organized; since no one was there to take care of me, I became more responsible and balanced my time between school, athletics, friends, and chores. My freshman year of high school made for a scary change, but because I’d always been a social kid, the experience helped me to open up more and realize that even with a different culture I could adapt. For the longest time I had mixed emotions, because on one hand I missed my friends and parents, but on the other hand I was experiencing something new and exciting, which taught me the many benefits that can arise from change. I’m thankful that I saw how my brothers benefited from going to college in the United States and that my parents modeled for me the importance of aiming higher and expecting the best out of myself. Like my brothers, I have matured a lot, and the experience has taught me that my hard work is not done. My brothers now have amazing jobs and own a house in their name. Their success and my parents’ encouragement drive me to keep at it, so as I prepare for the next goal of attending college, I can continue to work hard and reach the next goals I set before me.

I am a bilingual Mexican student-athlete that has lived in Mexico all his life until freshman year of high school. I have lived in the United States for the past 4 years, attending BIshop T.K Gorman High School. My dream is to start a family in the United States, and create my own engineering firm where I can work to improve current systems and design and operate sustainable systems both for and to give back to my community. I am really passionate about soccer and sports, being very vibrant in my life. I plan to pursue a master's in engineering and a minor in business, to eventually start my engineering firm where I will work to improve current systems and design and operate sustainable systems for my community. Graduating from a great university like UTSA will help me not only become a better engineer but also make connections in the professional world that I wouldn't be able to make graduating from other colleges. My parents live in Mexico, and financially maintain two households in two different countries. Being the youngest of four, I’ve seen them pay for both of my brothers’ college tuition and rent, and my parents currently pay for my sister’s tuition and expenses, all in the US, while working in and from Mexico. This has made my college search limited by financial circumstances. As an international student, I am not able to apply for FAFSA. This is why this scholarship would help me reach my goals in life, and allow me to attend UTSA, which, by the strength of your academic programs, will later allow me to grow not only personally, but professionally too. leaving Mexico was hard, since I had lived there my entire life. I left my friends and family. The decision was so spontaneous that I had no time to think about the challenges that it would bring to my life. One big challenge was adapting to the United States, but it was also a bigger challenge to see that living with my brothers was not like living with my parents. The toughest part of living with my brothers proved to be the independence I faced. Yet, it helped me become more organized; since no one was there to take care of me, I became more responsible and balanced my time between school, athletics, friends, and chores. My freshman year of high school made for a scary change, but because I’d always been a social kid, the experience helped me to open up more and realize that even with a different culture I could adapt. For the longest time I had mixed emotions, because on one hand I missed my friends and parents, but on the other hand I was experiencing something new and exciting, which taught me the many benefits that can arise from change.