Being a first-generation, Mexican-American college student is something I am extremely proud of because I know that the opportunity I have today did not come easily for my family. My mom was born and raised in Zacatecas, Mexico, and lived there until she was 17 years old, when she decided to come to the United States. At 24, she became a mother and raised me as a single mom for four years before meeting my stepdad. A year later, my younger brother was born, and our family began building the life we have today. Growing up, my parents worked incredibly hard to provide for us. There were times when both of them worked two jobs just to make sure my brother and I had what we needed. We were not a wealthy family, and there were definitely times when money was tight, but my parents always did their best to give us a stable and loving home. Looking back, I realize how much they sacrificed for us. Even after 21 years, they are still working hard and trying to save as much as they can so that one day they can finally slow down and enjoy the life they worked so hard for. Watching my parents work their entire lives has shaped the way I look at my education. I know that I have opportunities that they did not have, and I do not take that for granted. My parents did not have the same educational opportunities or benefits that I have, and seeing how hard they have had to work motivates me to make the most of the opportunities in front of me. I am passionate about becoming a college graduate because I want my degree to represent more than just an accomplishment for myself. I want it to represent everything my parents sacrificed to give me and my brother a better life. I want my mom to be able to look at me on graduation day and know that all of those long days, difficult moments, and sacrifices were worth something. As a Mexican-American woman pursuing Marine Science, I also want to create representation for people who may not always see themselves represented in STEM. I want younger students, especially other first-generation students, to know that they can pursue careers that may feel out of reach. You do not have to come from a wealthy family or have everything figured out from the beginning to belong in college or STEM. My parents came to this country and worked hard to build a future for their children. Now I want to use the opportunities they helped create for me to build a future of my own while making them proud. Becoming a first-generation college graduate would be one of the biggest ways I could honor where my family came from, everything they have sacrificed, and everything I hope to accomplish. 🇲🇽🤍

To me, being a woman in STEM means having the courage to be curious, ask questions, and take up space in fields where women have not always been equally represented. My interest in STEM comes from my love for the ocean and my desire to understand the world around me. As a Marine Science student, I am constantly reminded that there is still so much we do not know about our oceans, and that curiosity is what pushes science forward. What excites me most about STEM is that there is never really a point where you know everything. There is always another question to ask, another problem to solve, or something new to discover. That mindset is one of the reasons I chose to pursue Marine Science. I want to understand marine ecosystems, how they are changing, and how we can use science and technology to protect them. I am especially interested in combining Marine Science with data and technology because I believe having the ability to analyze information can help us better understand environmental changes and make more informed decisions. My journey as a college student has also shown me how important representation and encouragement can be. As a first-generation college student, I have had moments where I questioned whether I was doing enough or whether I truly belonged in the spaces I was entering. STEM can sometimes feel intimidating, especially when you are surrounded by people who seem like they already know exactly what they are doing. I have learned, however, that not knowing something does not mean you don’t belong. It means you have an opportunity to learn. That is the kind of mindset I want to bring into my future career and my community. I want to encourage other women and students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue STEM without feeling like they have to be perfect to belong. I want them to know that being curious, asking questions, making mistakes, and learning from them are all part of becoming a scientist. Receiving this scholarship would mean more than financial support for my education. It would be an opportunity to be part of a community of women who are curious, ambitious, and passionate about making a difference. I would be proud to learn from other women in STEM while also sharing my own experiences and encouraging others along the way. My ultimate goal is to use my education to contribute to marine science and ocean conservation while helping make STEM feel more welcoming and accessible. I want to build a career that combines my love for the ocean, science, and technology, but I also want my journey to inspire someone else to believe that they belong in STEM too. I may not know exactly where my career will take me yet, but I know I want to keep asking questions, keep learning, and keep moving forward.

Mental health is important to me as a student because I’ve learned that you can’t always see what someone is going through just by looking at them. Someone can be showing up to class, going to work, turning in assignments, and still be struggling internally. As students, there can be so much pressure to succeed academically while also balancing work, family, finances, relationships, and our personal lives. Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to keep everything together that we forget it is okay to admit when we are struggling. For me, mental health is about understanding that taking care of yourself is not a weakness or an excuse. It is something that allows you to keep moving forward. I think students can easily feel guilty for taking a break or prioritizing themselves, especially when they have goals they are working toward. I’ve had to learn that resting does not mean I’m falling behind. Sometimes stepping back, asking for help, or simply giving yourself time to breathe is exactly what you need to come back stronger. I try to advocate for mental health in my community by being someone people feel comfortable talking to. If a friend, classmate, or someone in my community is having a difficult time, I try to listen without immediately judging or telling them how they should feel. Sometimes people don’t need someone to solve their problems—they just need someone to remind them that they aren’t alone. I also try to check in on the people around me, even when they seem like they are doing okay, because you never really know what someone may be carrying behind the scenes. As a student, I also believe in encouraging people to use the resources available to them. College can be overwhelming, and there are resources on campus that students may not know about or may feel embarrassed to use. I want to help normalize asking for support, whether that means talking to a counselor, reaching out to a professor, speaking with a trusted friend, or using student support programs. Asking for help should be viewed as a form of strength, not something to be ashamed of. I also think mental health advocacy starts with creating an environment where people feel seen and heard. I try to be empathetic toward others because I know everyone has different circumstances, responsibilities, and struggles. I may not always understand exactly what someone is experiencing, but I can still choose to listen and be there for them. Ultimately, mental health matters to me because students are more than their grades, jobs, or accomplishments. We are people first. I want to be part of a community where students feel comfortable being honest about how they are doing and know that struggling does not make them less capable of achieving their goals. Sometimes a simple “Are you okay?” or “I’m here if you need me” can mean more than we realize.

The ocean has always felt like more than just a place to me. It is something that I genuinely care about and feel connected to. Growing up, I was always fascinated by marine life and the deep ocean, but as I’ve gotten older and started studying Marine Science, I’ve realized just how much the ocean affects everything around us. The ocean provides food, regulates our climate, supports countless communities, and is home to an incredible amount of life that we are still discovering. Knowing that so much of it remains unexplored makes me even more passionate about protecting it. What motivates me the most is knowing how vulnerable the ocean is to human activity. Pollution, climate change, overfishing, habitat destruction, and rising ocean temperatures are not just environmental issues, they directly affect animals, ecosystems, and the people who depend on them. It honestly makes me sad to think about how much marine life is being affected by problems that we have the ability to prevent or reduce. I believe protecting the ocean means protecting the future, and I want to be part of the generation that takes that responsibility seriously. My goal is to use my degree in Marine Science to turn my passion into action. I want to build a career where I can combine marine science with technology and data to better understand what is happening in our oceans. I’m especially interested in using data analysis to identify environmental patterns, monitor changes in marine ecosystems, and help scientists and organizations make better decisions about conservation. I don’t just want to learn about the problems, I want to have the skills to help find solutions. I also hope to use my education to make science feel more accessible to people who may not see themselves represented in STEM. As a first-generation college student, I understand how intimidating it can feel to pursue a career that you don’t always see people like yourself represented in. I want to show other students, especially young women and students from underrepresented backgrounds, that they belong in STEM and that their voices can make a difference. Ultimately, I want my degree to give me the knowledge, skills, and confidence to advocate for the ocean in a meaningful way. Whether that means working with researchers, conservation organizations, government agencies, or communities, I want my work to contribute to healthier marine ecosystems and a better understanding of our oceans. The ocean has so much left to teach us, and I want to spend my career learning from it while also doing everything I can to protect it.