Since I was young, I have been intrigued with business, starting with the typical lemonade stand at age six. My mother helped me understand how to calculate net profit and I used my early math skills to know how much money I was earning from each cup I sold. I was always looking for a way to make extra money and at age twelve, I would walk the neighborhood with my wagon full of buckets, and simple supplies and wash cars for $10. When I got my driver’s license at age sixteen, I took my previous business and car-washing experience and started my own mobile auto detailing business. I started the business using my old Honda Civic and had the trunk tied down with rope as I tried to fit a power washer, vacuum and carpet shampooer in it. I performed an excellent detail service at a much lower price than my competitors and began to build a client case. After six months, I bought an old truck, custom built a trailer rig by myself, and soon business was booming. No longer was I washing cars with buckets and simple supplies as I began to learn the true art of car detailing and perfected my techniques. I absolutely love owning and running my own business. I feel that entrepreneurship is in my blood as my father was a businessman who started from very humble beginnings and owned a couple of small businesses. Unfortunately, he was murdered when I was eleven years old and he didn’t have the opportunity to teach me about life and business. His untimely and tragic death, and later a realization that while he was a business owner, he did not have the knowledge or education to handle his finances, impacted me in such a way that I knew I wanted my life story to be different. I wanted to not only make money, but know how to invest it and I realized the key to my future success was education. I attended a rigorous magnet school program for middle and high school at an inner-city school, graduated summa cum laude and knew that I would pursue a business degree. I am currently entering my senior year at Texas Christian University, where I am pursuing a dual degree in Entrepreneurship and Finance with a Real Estate emphasis. TCU has recently been ranked as the number one undergraduate business program in Texas and I am honored to be able to attend this school. I have been involved in the Leaders for Life program at TCU in which I was mentored by an upperclassman for the first two years and now I have taken the role of a mentor to help guide freshman and sophomore business students. My dream of being an entrepreneur began with that lemonade stand, grew into being the owner of an auto detailing business, and will continue to grow now that I am completing my college education. I intend to expand my auto detailing business to include in-shop services for more extensive work, and I also intend to work in commercial real estate. I have big dreams but I know that through my strong work ethic and determination, I will be successful. Despite the tragedy in my life at a young age, I refused to be another sad statistic of a minority from a single-parent home, a homicide survivor, who attended an inner-city school. Two men may have taken my father from me but they will not steal my future.

I am the child of a single parent, as my father was murdered when I was 11 years old. While his death was tragic, and he died at a time I needed him most, it has made me more independent and determined. My father didn’t complete high school and yet was able to be a successful businessman in his small town in Honduras. Being undereducated, he always wanted more for me and I knew I would have to fight the statistics of being a Hispanic male in a single parent home, homicide survivor, attending an inner-city public school in order to fulfill his dream for me. But I remembered all that he hoped I would accomplish and fought the odds stacked against me. I pushed myself in school and knew that education would be important for my future success. When I got my driver’s license at age 16, I started my own mobile auto detailing business. I absolutely love owning and running my own business. I enjoy the challenge of it – the logistics, the math, the planning, the marketing and the satisfaction when I’ve transformed a dirty car into one that looks like it came off a showroom floor. During high school I worked my business full-time while enrolled in a rigorous STEM magnet program. I graduated summa cum laude in 2019 and knew that my hard work and perseverance would pay off. I’ve spent hundreds of hours doing volunteer work in my community including working in homeless shelters, delivering Thanksgiving meals to the elderly, and cleaning the gardens at the wounded warrior center. As an entrepreneur, I understand the responsibility to give back to the community. I’ve been able to use my business to sponsor, organize and lead fundraiser carwashes to benefit a local nonprofit youth organization that I am a part of. In April 2019, I was honored to receive the United Way’s Youth Volunteer of the Year Award for San Antonio, Texas. I am now a Junior at Texas Christian University, majoring in Entrepreneurship and Finance with an emphasis in Real Estate. I feel that entrepreneurship is in my blood and I know that through my passion for business and learning, coupled with dedication to the community, I can achieve great things. Two men may have taken my father from me but they will not steal my future.

My father was murdered when I was 11 years old and this changed the trajectory of my life. He was taken from me at a time I needed him most – those years in which you are becoming a young man and need a father’s teachings and guidance. I had other male role models step in but the most significant person was my grandfather. Although he lives 650 miles away, I was able to see him several times a year and spent a couple of weeks every summer with him. We did all the things that young boys like to do which included him teaching me how to drive using his 1959 Ford pickup. I was only 12 years old but anxious to learn how to drive and he trusted me to learn on his beloved old truck. He taught me how to use tools, fix things, do mechanic work, mow a lawn, fish, and barbecue. But more importantly, he taught me how to be a good, kind and giving person. My grandfather grew up on a ranch and knew what it was like to put in a hard day’s work. He stressed to me the importance of working hard and knowing how to do things on your own plus helping others along the way. I took my grandfather’s lessons to heart and vowed to work hard to avoid the statistics of my life: a hispanic male in a single parent home, homicide survivor, attending an inner-city public school. I pushed myself in school and knew that education would be important for my future success. When I got my driver’s license at age 16, I started my own mobile auto detailing business. I bought an old truck, custom built a trailer rig by myself which included a water tank, generator and power washer, and soon business was booming. I began to learn the true art of car detailing and perfected my techniques. I absolutely love owning and running my own business. I enjoy the challenge of it – the logistics, the math, the planning, the marketing and the satisfaction when I’ve transformed a dirty car into one that looks like it came off a showroom floor. During high school I worked my business full-time while enrolled in a rigorous STEM magnet program. I graduated summa cum laude in 2019 and knew that my hard work and perseverance would pay off. Due to my grandfather’s influence, I’ve spent hundreds of hours doing volunteer work in my community including working in homeless shelters, delivering Thanksgiving meals to the elderly, and cleaning the gardens at the wounded warrior center. As an entrepreneur, I understand the responsibility to give back to the community. I’ve been able to use my business to sponsor, organize and lead fundraiser carwashes to benefit a local nonprofit youth organization that I am a part of. In April 2019, I was honored to receive the United Way’s Youth Volunteer of the Year Award for San Antonio, Texas. Earning this award showed me that success comes in many forms and that success as a person who devotes themselves to community service is just as rewarding as being a successful business owner. And if done correctly, you can be successful in both at the same time. I am now a Junior at Texas Christian University, majoring in Entrepreneurship and Finance with an emphasis in Real Estate. I feel that entrepreneurship is in my blood and I know that through my passion for business and learning, coupled with dedication to the community, I can achieve great things. Two men may have taken my father from me but they will not steal my future.

I feel there is so much more to me than what is reflected on my resume of grades, test scores, extra-curricular activities and awards. I am the child of a single parent, as my father was murdered when I was 11 years old. While his death was tragic, and he died at a time I needed him most, it has made me more independent and determined. My father didn’t complete high school and yet was able to be a successful businessman in his small town in Honduras. Being undereducated, he always wanted more for me and I knew I would have to fight the statistics of being a Hispanic male in a single parent home, homicide survivor, attending an inner-city public school in order to fulfill his dream for me. But I remembered all that he hoped I would accomplish and fought the odds stacked against me. I pushed myself in school and knew that education would be important for my future success. When I got my driver’s license at age 16, I started my own mobile auto detailing business. I bought an old truck, custom built a trailer rig by myself which included a water tank, generator and power washer, and soon business was booming. I began to learn the true art of car detailing and perfected my techniques. I absolutely love owning and running my own business. I enjoy the challenge of it – the logistics, the math, the planning, the marketing and the satisfaction when I’ve transformed a dirty car into one that looks like it came off a showroom floor. During high school I worked my business full-time while enrolled in a rigorous STEM magnet program. I graduated summa cum laude in 2019 and knew that my hard work and perseverance would pay off. I’ve spent hundreds of hours doing volunteer work in my community including working in homeless shelters, delivering Thanksgiving meals to the elderly, and cleaning the gardens at the wounded warrior center. As an entrepreneur, I understand the responsibility to give back to the community. I’ve been able to use my business to sponsor, organize and lead fundraiser carwashes to benefit a local nonprofit youth organization that I am a part of. In April 2019, I was honored to receive the United Way’s Youth Volunteer of the Year Award for San Antonio, Texas. Earning this award showed me that success comes in many forms and that success as a person who devotes themselves to community service is just as rewarding as being a successful business owner. And if done correctly, you can be successful in both at the same time. I am now a sophomore at Texas Christian University, majoring in Entrepreneurship and Finance with an emphasis in Real Estate. I feel that entrepreneurship is in my blood and I know that through my passion for business and learning, coupled with dedication to the community, I can achieve great things. Two men may have taken my father from me but they will not steal my future.