Hi, Fundate Estate of Barbara Devaney. I hope that you are very well. First of all, I would to say thank you so much for giving this opportunity to many of the students that we need this money to achieve our goals. I’m going to introduce myself, and how this scholarship could help me to continue my goal. My name is Keytlin Ramirez and I am 23 years old, I’m from a small town in the South of Costa Rica (OSA). The first time that I left my town was in 2017, I went to the capital (San Jose) to study Microbiology, and it was the first time that I felt how much you need to sacrifice for your goals because, at the same time, I was studying and laboring. My parents did not finish their studies, my father just finished school and my mom withdrew from University to take care of my sibling and me, however, my parents created a small restaurant in my town and that has been our economic support since 2008. Through this knowledge, my parents are teaching me that perseverance, effort, and faith in God can make the impossible possible. In 2022, I got the opportunity to study in the USA. I spoke with my parents about this opportunity and how this opportunity could change our lives, and I was worried because I understand that it is more expensive to study in the USA than to continue studying in Costa Rica. However, my parents and my boyfriend believe that I have a lot of potential in the area of Microbiology in the USA. Right now I’m studying at Georgia Gwinnett College Cell Biology and Biotechnology, my parents are working more hours than normal so I can continue studying, and my boyfriend helps a little bit with the check of tuition, also I’m an International student I have a lot of regulations for example, I can only work part–time in the university the salary is $15x h, I can apply a few scholarships, and I need to pay the triple in tuition for be an international student. Although that is complicated, I figured out that this effort is going to have good compensation in the future, With this scholarship I can achieve my goals. How this scholarship could help me? I would like not dependent financially on my boyfriend, and help my parents pay for the university. How this scholarship could help me to develop professionally in the future? my main goal in the future, when I finish my major, is to build a laboratory in my town and My dream when I become a professional is to be able to build a laboratory in my town in Costa Rica and to be able to develop the technology and scientific development of Costa Rica with the latest advances in the health area of the United States, this to be able to practice a better diagnosis for patients, the area that I would like to develop more would be in molecular biology such as the early diagnosis of childhood cancer and in general, leukemias, autoimmune diseases. I know that this direction is not easy because I am fighting against studying in another language, living in another culture, and also being far from my family, but I know that my perseverance will allow me to achieve my future goals and be able to reward my family's efforts.

Hi, Paul Schilling. I hope that you are very well. First of all, thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to many students who seek to overcome financial obstacles. I'm going to introduce myself a little bit what is my story reading a book and how this book impacted me positively. My name is Keytlin, and I'm from a little town in the South of Costa Rica "Osa"; My family has had a little restaurant in front of the Hospital since 2008; My father did not finish school and my mon withdrew from the university for take care my sibling and me. However, they are doing everything for me can study in the USA, and this process of studying in the USA is the most difficult challenge that I ever had in my life: I’m so far away from my family and my culture, I’m still learning English, and my parents does have the total of the money for paying the university. However, my parents gave me an important lesson- with perseverance, effort, and Fe in God we can do everything. In addition, the book that is helping to achieve my goal is “Atomic Habits.” This book talks about when our life has a tragedy It could be the beginning of a new life, but what happens if we have everything in our life like money for the university, an excellent job, or a company, and we do not have good habits; we can lose everything. Atomic habits teach us how each action is important in our life us, and how creating a good habit can help us to achieve our goals; however, for the archive, you do need to work constantly every day. But before all else, have time to be grateful to God for the good things and bad things, continue, imagine that each member of the community has a frequently good habit for example, not littering, cleaning the community, helping the community, and recycling every waste from their own homes. The community, and even their countries could help to avoid contamination. The little action makes the difference, and it is something impacts me because I would like that my little action like doing volunteer work specifically in my new community can help the environment and people. Additionally, when I finish my major in Cell Biology and Biotechnology, I would like to improve health science, Combining the new technology in the USA and my knowledge I could improve the diagnostic in public health In Costa Rica, especially in remote areas of the country.

It is a pleasure to greet you here, first of all, I want to thank you for supporting many students who do not have the financial resources to meet their objectives. I will explain a bit of my story, my name is Keytlin Ramirez, and I am from a small town in the South of Costa Rica where the main sources of employment are fishing and agriculture, my father could not finish school and my mother could not finish his studies to take care of my brothers and me, however, the perseverance and effort that my parents have taught us through these years, thanks to the work and effort they have a small restaurant where they have been able to support us financially, so in life Effort and perseverance have been key in my personal development. Because those two words have been key throughout all these years, from a very young age my dream was to be a Doctor in the area of microbiology, unfortunately in my town, there are no universities that offer this degree, the only option is to go to the capital of Costa Rica, which is far from my home, plus the cost was very expensive for my family. So I entered another major which is English teaching, at the beginning of the semester I felt that I didn't belong there, I wanted to be learning anatomy or biochemistry, but my mother reminded me of these words, be patient and don't lose hope that things will come to pass, in summary, I studied English for 2 years and then I said I can't continue in this major, my dream is to be a Doctor of Microbiology. I told my parents and they told me we support you if you want to study microbiology go and fight for it. At 20 I started packing my bags and took the first bus to the capital of Costa Rica, I said goodbye to my family and went to fulfill my dreams. So now I find myself in a new country thousands of miles from home, learning a new culture and language, and I feel that in life the word effort and perseverance have helped me to keep going and not give up, that if you want to fulfill your dreams you have to go after that since otherwise they would not arrive, The keytlin that left home at 20 years old would be proud of the Keytlin at 23 years old.