The moment I walked into my first graduate classroom again after many years, I felt something I had not felt in a long time: purpose rising. Returning to school is not simply an academic decision for me. It is a calling, a responsibility, and the next step in fulfilling the mission God has placed in my heart to serve children, families, and communities through literacy, leadership, and faith. It is a step in the right direction. It is time to become the educational leader I need to be to advocate for students, families, and the community to take their education to the highest level. With over twenty years of experience in education, coaching, and literacy development, I have seen firsthand how deeply learning—and the lack of it—can shape someone’s life. My work with parents, teachers, and multilingual learners has shown me that strong, research-based instruction can change the trajectory of a child’s future. For that reason, I am pursuing advanced studies so that I can expand my impact, lead more effectively, and continue developing educational programs that uplift families and empower children to read, think critically, and thrive in school and beyond. Going back to school has required sacrifice, perseverance, and a renewed sense of discipline. As a wife, mother, ministry leader, and educator, my time is often stretched thin. Yet the desire to grow, to serve with excellence, and to model lifelong learning for my own children has kept me focused on this academic path. Earning this scholarship would relieve a significant financial burden, allowing me to dedicate more time to my studies, my ministry work, and the literacy initiatives I lead in the community. This scholarship represents more than financial support. It represents a partnership in a mission to make high-quality education accessible to all students, especially those who come from bilingual, underserved, or marginalized backgrounds. With the knowledge and skills I gain, I plan to continue developing programs like Love & Literacy, offering training, tools, and guidance that help families build strong early literacy foundations at home. I am returning to school because I believe in the transformative power of education. I believe in the calling God has placed over my life to teach, to mentor, and to lead. I believe that with the support of this scholarship, I can continue creating meaningful, lasting change for the children and families I serve. Thank you for considering my application and for supporting students who are committed to learning, service, and positive community impact.

Giving back has always been at the center of my personal and professional life. I believe that education is one of the most powerful ways to serve others, and I have dedicated more than twenty years to teaching, mentoring, and developing programs that empower students, families, and communities. Currently, I give back in multiple ways: as an educator, as a community leader, and as a servant guided by my faith. Through my organization, Teaching Multilingual, LLC, I have created bilingual literacy resources such as the Phonetic Mat/Tapete Fonético to help young children master foundational reading skills. These tools are used by teachers and parents to give students, especially bilingual learners, the confidence to succeed. I also lead Love and Literacy initiatives, offering workshops for parents and families that connect academic learning with character development. These programs ensure that education is not limited to the classroom but becomes a shared experience within the community. Beyond my professional work, I volunteer at the Women Empowerment Center, where I lead Bible studies and literacy activities. Working with women who are rebuilding their lives reminds me daily that education is not only about skills but also about restoring dignity, confidence, and hope. I also mentor teachers and provide coaching to help them grow in their practice. In each of these roles, I give back by offering my time, knowledge, and encouragement to help others believe in their potential. Looking toward the future, my vision is to make an even greater impact as a professor of education. My goal is to prepare pre-service teachers to enter classrooms with both the instructional skills and the compassion needed to teach effectively in diverse settings. By teaching and mentoring future educators, I can multiply my impact. Every teacher I prepare has the potential to influence hundreds of students throughout their career. By equipping them with tools for literacy, innovation, and leadership, I can help ensure that future generations of children receive the education and encouragement they deserve. I also plan to continue conducting applied research that strengthens bilingual and special education. My doctoral studies in Leadership and Innovation are preparing me to design and evaluate programs that address real challenges in schools. For example, I am working with the Tejano Center School for Success in Houston on an applied research project focused on literacy and leadership. I hope that my research will not only inform my own teaching but also provide practical solutions for schools and communities across the country. My dream is to create a legacy of service through education. By combining leadership, innovation, and faith, I plan to continue building programs and partnerships that bring families, schools, and communities together. With the support of this scholarship, I can complete my doctoral degree and step fully into my role as a professor, researcher, and mentor. In giving back, I have learned that impact begins with small acts of service and grows when we share our gifts with others. In the future, I want to expand that impact, ensuring that my life’s work continues to empower students, uplift families, and strengthen communities.

Reflecting on my life journey, I see a path shaped by service, resilience, and a deep belief in the transformative power of education. For over twenty years, I served in the public school system as a bilingual teacher, literacy coach, and mentor, witnessing firsthand both the challenges and the triumphs of students who learn in two languages. I created powerful bilingual education tools, including the Phonetic Mat/Tapete Fonético, to help children master the foundational literacy skills they need to become confident readers. My professional experiences, paired with my faith and dedication to community, have led me to pursue a doctoral degree in Leadership and Innovation in Education at this stage in my life. I am determined to continue growing, not for myself alone, but to strengthen the next generation of teachers and the students they will serve. My journey has been marked by perseverance and purpose. As a young adult, I dedicated time to missionary service in Venezuela, where I worked with children and young adults, teaching and guiding them through faith and education. That experience confirmed for me that education is not just about academic skills; it is about empowering individuals to believe in their worth and potential. Returning to the United States, I pursued higher education, earning two master’s degrees, one in Bilingual Education and another in Curriculum & Instruction with a focus on Reading. These degrees gave me the tools to address the real needs I saw daily in classrooms. Yet, the more I accomplished, the clearer it became that my journey was not finished. My personal values are rooted in faith, family, and service. These values push me to use my skills to uplift others, especially underserved populations. In recent years, I have been privileged to serve at the Women Empowerment Center, leading Bible studies and literacy activities with women who are rebuilding their lives. These moments remind me that education is not limited to the walls of a classroom—it is a force for personal and community transformation. I have also led Love & Literacy initiatives to connect parents, teachers, and children in meaningful educational experiences that strengthen families and communities. Looking forward, my aspiration is to become a professor of education, preparing pre-service teachers to enter the classroom with not only instructional strategies but also with the heart of service and innovation. I want to equip them to see every child, especially multilingual learners and students with special needs, as capable and worthy of success. By guiding future teachers, I can multiply my impact, ensuring that thousands of children benefit from strong, compassionate, and innovative educators. My doctoral studies in Leadership and Innovation are preparing me to take this next step by equipping me with the knowledge, research skills, and leadership strategies to serve effectively in higher education. This scholarship would ease the financial burden of pursuing my doctoral degree and allow me to focus more fully on research, teaching, and community service. My applied research project, planned in collaboration with the Tejano Center School for Success in Houston, will directly address literacy and leadership practices in bilingual education. With scholarship support, I can complete this work with excellence and graduate prepared to serve both my community and the field of education. My life has been a journey of faith, perseverance, and service. Each stage has prepared me for this moment, where I am ready to use my experiences, education, and passion to serve pre-service teachers and, through them, generations of students. With your support, I will continue to grow as a leader, an innovator, and above all, a servant of my community through education.

Once upon a time, in a kingdom where children’s voices were whispers too faint to hear, there lived a teacher named Faby. She carried a lantern of love, a crown of leadership, and a book of stories written in every language. In this kingdom, many children felt unseen. Some struggled to read the words on the page, while others found it difficult to speak them aloud. Some children’s thoughts were bright as stars but hidden behind clouds of doubt. In this kingdom, silence grew heavier each day, and many began to believe their presence did not matter. Faby knew that her purpose was not simply to teach lessons from a book, but to awaken the light inside each child so they could see themselves clearly. She lifted her lantern and gathered the children around her. With warmth in her voice, she said, “Your light is inside you, waiting to shine. No one else can bring it forth but you.” She opened her book of stories, and together the children began to sound out words, one syllable at a time. As their voices filled the air, Faby encouraged them to paint pictures of their dreams, to write their thoughts, and to speak their truths. But the task was not easy. The kingdom had long relied on old methods that worked for only a few. Many paths to learning were blocked, and children often stumbled. Here Faby’s crown of leadership gave her strength. She refused to let tradition silence the voices of those who learned differently. With the spark of innovation, she began creating new paths where none had existed. She invented tools to help the children match letters to sounds, games that turned rhymes into songs, and bridges that connected pictures to words. She reshaped obstacles into stepping stones so that each child could find a way forward. As time passed, something extraordinary happened. Each time a child read a new word, asked a brave question, or shared a story, their light grew brighter. What had once been a silent kingdom began to glow with voices, laughter, and confidence. The children no longer felt invisible. They realized they were radiant, unique, and capable of shaping their own journeys. Faby watched with joy as the children discovered their presence. She knew that her mission as a teacher was not to keep them dependent on her lantern, but to help them uncover the brilliance of their own light. Leadership had shown her the way, and innovation had given her the tools, but it was the children’s courage that transformed the kingdom. And so, the once quiet land became a place of voices and visions, of dreams and determination. Faby, the teacher, fulfilled her calling: to bring each student to the sense of their own presence. She walked beside them until the day came when they no longer needed her lantern, for their light shone brightly enough to guide the world.

If I could create a class that every student from kindergarten through twelfth grade would be required to take, I would propose a course on intrapersonal and soft skills. While traditional subjects like math, science, and reading are critical for academic development, students also need to learn how to understand themselves, communicate effectively, build relationships, and develop leadership skills. These are the skills that carry into adulthood, shaping not only professional success but also the ability to thrive in family, community, and civic life. The focus of this course would be teaching students intrapersonal awareness, the ability to understand their strengths, weaknesses, values, and emotions, and combining that with soft skills that support teamwork, conflict resolution, and leadership. Students would learn how to set goals, manage stress, and develop resilience. They would also practice empathy, listening, collaboration, and public speaking. These skills are not always explicitly taught in schools, yet they are essential for both career readiness and personal growth. The impact of such a class would be profound. Employers consistently rank communication, teamwork, and leadership as top qualities they look for in job candidates, yet many graduates enter the workforce unprepared in these areas. More importantly, these skills influence how people relate to one another in everyday life. A student who learns how to manage emotions, resolve disagreements peacefully, and speak with confidence is better equipped to navigate challenges both in school and beyond. This class would be designed to grow with students across grade levels. Younger children could practice self-awareness through identifying feelings, using kind words, and learning how to share. Middle school students could engage in group projects that encourage collaboration, problem-solving, and reflection on personal values. High school students could participate in debates, leadership simulations, and service projects that require them to apply communication and leadership skills in real-world contexts. At each level, the goal would be to empower students to not only succeed academically, but to also become effective leaders, teammates, and community members. As a doctoral candidate in Leadership and Innovation with over twenty years of experience in education, I have seen firsthand how the lack of soft skills can limit students’ potential. While academic achievement is important, I have worked with students who excel on paper yet struggle to connect with others, advocate for themselves, or take initiative. Conversely, I have witnessed students who may not be at the top of their class academically but thrive because of their ability to lead, collaborate, and persevere. These examples reinforce my belief that intrapersonal and soft skills deserve as much attention as academic subjects. A required course in this area would not only prepare students for college and careers but would also shape them into thoughtful, resilient individuals who can lead with empathy and confidence. By learning how to communicate effectively, relate to others, and manage themselves, students would be better prepared to contribute positively to their communities and workplaces. In short, success for me is about preparing students to thrive in every dimension of life, not just in academics. A course on intrapersonal and soft skills would bridge that gap, ensuring that every child graduates with the tools they need to lead, to serve, and to succeed.