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Maria Zavala Mota

2,795

Bold Points

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Finalist

Bio

My name is Maria I am an undergraduate student at CSU Sacramento, double majoring in Business Marketing and Real Estate Finance with a minor in History. I was born in a rural town in Mexico where the highest education offered was primary school and my parents did not want that for their children. I have embraced the educational opportunities provided by my parents sacrifices when we migrated to California in the year 2000. I am a first-generation student I work for a small company called D2 productions where I am learning the basics of business administration and marketing. My main goal after receiving my bachelor's degree is to go and study at Boston University to get my Master's degree in Business Law and Marketing.

Education

California State University-Sacramento

Bachelor's degree program
2020 - 2023
  • Majors:
    • Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations
    • History and Political Science
    • Finance and Financial Management Services
    • Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other

Canada College

Associate's degree program
2014 - 2020
  • Majors:
    • History
    • Business/Managerial Economics
    • Business Administration, Management and Operations

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Master's degree program

  • Graduate schools of interest:

  • Transfer schools of interest:

  • Majors of interest:

    • Business/Corporate Communications
    • History and Political Science
    • Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other
  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Marketing and Advertising

    • Dream career goals:

      creative director

    • Student Assistant

      Sacramento State
      2021 – 2021
    • Receptionist

      Rosewood Sand Hill
      2018 – 20202 years
    • Sales Associate

      Macys
      2014 – 20206 years

    Sports

    Basketball

    Junior Varsity
    2008 – 2008

    Research

    • Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other

      2020 – Present

    Arts

    • Art History
      2017 – 2020

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      CSU Sacramento — Volunteer
      2022 – Present
    • Volunteering

      SHS Dream Club
      2012 – 2013

    Future Interests

    Advocacy

    Volunteering

    Philanthropy

    Entrepreneurship

    Bold.org x Forever 21 Scholarship + Giveaway
    @missy.mg19
    Barbie Dream House Scholarship
    My dream barbie house is located in Maui, Hawaii as it will be a Barbie beach house with a great view of the ocean. My dream house consists of a nice spacious living room that is connected to a bowling alley and incredible game room with arcade games from my youth like Pac-Man which is my all time favorite. It will also have a Dave and Busters aesthetic as it will incorporate new and popular games from this generation. Follow the living room and game room you will find the most amazing kitchen ever with a great view of the ocean and includes a hidden walk in pantry and a hidden refrigerator which I have always found to be so cool and both a stove and oven because baking with a beach view is a must. There will also be a personal chef making delicious snacks and food through out the day. Next to the kitchen there will be a glass elevator that leads to the basement which would have been remodeled to include an underground garage and next to the garage there will be a laundry room and if you keep going there will be a small theatre room with an attendant who brings you fresh popcorn and candy. To go back upstairs instead of taking the elevator you could take the spiral staircase that leads to the first floor library room that is also used as an office space since you work from home to be able to afford a nice house. One of the bookcases opens into a secret passage that goes to the second floor where you find an indoor play area with a signature barbie pink slide. On the second floor you would also find the the master bedroom which has an incredible walk in closet where I have all my clothes color coded and in similar styles to those barbie uses and all my shoes neatly organized and also color coded. There will also be nice jewelry and accessories station in the middle of the closet. The master closet also has a very nice spacious and luxurious bathroom with both a shower and bathtub. Two sinks and a full size mirror do check out your outfit or just to do your makeup and skin care routine. Next to the master bedroom there will be four other rooms and four bathrooms as well as a bathroom in the basement and on the first floor. The third and final floor will have a gaming station two more bedrooms and one bathroom and it will also have a kids area where the kids do homework and study. One of the rooms on the third floor will have an aquarium with lots of fish and other sea creatures like turtles. Finally it will have a spacious backyard with an infinite pool that connects to the ocean with another barbie slide. There will also be an area for parties and family gatherings which would be the second house within my property where family who’s coming to Hawaii can use. My dream house looks just like Barbie’s dream house except one of the rooms will be exclusively decorated with Harry Potter things as I am a huge fan. Each room in the house will be unique. Also every floor will have a laundry chute so that everyone’s laundry is not on the floor and it could be washed and cleaned.
    Eduardo Uvaldo Memorial Scholarship
    Everyone has experienced loss in their lives I have lost three of my grandparents and I only have one surviving grandmother who I love very much. When we moved to America in the year 2000 I never got to see my paternal grandparents and unfortunately, we lost them in 2014 and 2018. My maternal grandfather passed away before I was born. Most recently I lost someone who I admired and who was genuinely an angel and too good for this world. In 2021 toward the end of the pandemic, I lost my uncle to suicide. It was a hard blow as he was the life of the party and always gave you the best life advice and genuinely showed his love and affection to all his children and his nieces and nephews. He always listened to our stories and would randomly come up to you be hug you, he would always show his affection and it's something I miss about him every day. My uncle taught me to appreciate every little thing and not give up on my dreams. He would always hug me and tell me he was very proud of me and that if I set my mind to it I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. I manage my grief by thinking of the good times and our last trip to Disneyland two years before he took his life I have all the pictures and he looked so happy. I keep my uncle present every day he changed the way I saw things and exposed me to the harsh realities that are mental health and the hidden struggles people have. I take time out of my day to check in on my loved ones and to make sure that they are doing okay and that they are not struggling like he was. I always want people in my life to feel loved and cared for and that I'm here for them. Although my uncle's death is still pretty recent and I've been too scared to go see his grave because I know I will have a breakdown because he can't be here to give me one of his famous hugs I know that he watches out for us from wherever he may be. My uncle was like a second father to me he made me feel special and always told me I was meant to do something great with my life and would encourage me to fight for my dreams and that when something seems tough to not give up and that there's always a solution to an unsolvable problem. My uncle taught me to believe in myself and never give up. The loss of my uncle left a gigantic hole in our family he was the glue that held this family together he holds a special place in my life and I will continue to honor his legacy and make him present in all future family gatherings. How I manage my grief is by writing my feelings down and do what he advised me to do when he was alive.
    Francis E. Moore Prime Time Ministries Scholarship
    My main educational goal at this time is to graduate from Sacramento State in May and be able to make my parents proud. I was born in Mexico and at the age of six, I was brought to America where I have lived for the past 22 years. An obstacle I've had to overcome was finding a job as an undocumented student. When I was in high school I started to worry about how I was going to pay for college and even if I could attend college and how I was going to survive as an adult who couldn't legally work. During the time I graduated from High School then President Obama released the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA program that has helped so many people like myself afford college and drive a car and work. Thanks to the opportunity, I was able to legally work and earn a living, I have been struggling financially over the years but I am so close to graduating and finishing both my bachelor's degrees. My educational goals consist of me going for my MBA in marketing but it will be a year or two after I graduate with my bachelor's degree. I previously have three associate's degrees from a community college in Business Administration, Economics, and History. My degree from Sacramento State is in Business Marketing and Financial Real Estate with a History minor. My parents came to America to provide for my sisters and I, and I want to show them that the sacrifices they make were not in vain. I want to show my parents that I have taken advantage of any opportunities that come my way. Not being able to financially support myself due to my immigration status made me feel anxious and it stressed me out a lot because I know that my parents could not continue paying for my future education. After I graduate from Sacramento State I am looking into a career in Real Estate as a Real Estate Investor I know that it will take some time to get to where I want to be but I have already sacrificed so much time and effort for my education I can do it again because my parents taught me to value every opportunity and everything that come my way because back in Mexico we were not always so lucky or blessed. I've learned to overcome adversity and overcome my own mind because I do tend to self-sabotage and give up at times but now it's different I have a future to think about and dreams to follow.
    @normandiealise National Scholarship Month TikTok Scholarship
    Augustus L. Harper Scholarship
    My parent's decision to move to America made me value my parents and maybe I realized that it was their sacrifices that provided me with the life I have today and the opportunities that I have. I feel that I have grown in the past few years. I know now what I want to do with my life I am determined to get into business finance. One day I would like to own a business and hopefully, open many other businesses. My family's sacrifices have made me see the world through different eyes, I grew up seeing my friends asking their parents to buy them expensive things and when I wanted something expensive my parents made me earn it. They taught me the value of working and that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. They taught me to work hard and value everything I have including my education, something I didn't value when I was younger. My name is Maria Zavala, I was born in Mexico and at the age of six, my family decided to move to the US in search of a better life. I never really dreamed about going to college until I was in high school. I wasn’t sure what college was but once I got into high school and discovered all the options I began dreaming of what it would be like to go to a great university and be a college student. I did very well in school until I got to high school. Things took a turn in my high school years, my parents fought a lot and my grades began to suffer and I blamed myself for that. If I wasn’t too distracted by what was going on around me I would have gotten into a good college. My junior and senior years arrived and things weren’t better at home. It got to the point where I didn’t even want to graduate from high school and I began to cut class and began to rebel. When I got my first D in my physics and math classes I realized that I was screwing up my future, my junior and senior year grades were so important and when I saw those grades I was upset and looking for someone to blame but in reality, I only had to blame myself. My parents eventually divorced my senior year of high school and I told them why they hadn’t done that sooner. By the time they divorced, it was too late I wasn’t doing good in school and there was a concern that I wasn’t going to graduate. I did end up graduating and the satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment I got when I received my high school diploma was amazing. I loved it I felt accomplished and that’s when I decided I wanted to continue my education and pursue a career in finance. I also began to worry about how I was going to pay for college, I had no idea what a social security number was or how to get one until then-President Barack Obama introduced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA program that has helped millions of inducements students like myself work and pay for school. To me education is important it's necessary to be able to succeed and help communities grow.
    Jose Prado Memorial Scholarship
    My name is Maria Zavala, I was born in Mexico and at the age of six, my family decided to move to the US in search of a better life. Moving to America was hard for me I loved growing up in the country on my father’s farm but that wasn’t the life my parents wanted for me, they wanted me to be somebody one day and they wanted me to have a career and not get married at a young age as they did. America is not my birthplace but it's where I grew up and I consider myself Mexican-American. I never really dreamed about going to college until I was in high school. I wasn’t sure what college was but once I got into high school and discovered all the options I began dreaming of what it would be like to go to a great university and be a college student. I did very well in school until I got to high school. Things took a turn in my high school years, my parents fought a lot and yelled and soon my father was sleeping on the couch and I began to understand what was going on. My grades began to suffer and I blame myself for that. If I wasn’t too distracted by what was going on around me I would have gotten into a good college. My junior and senior years arrived and things weren’t better at home. It got to the point where I didn’t even want to graduate from high school and I began to cut class and began to rebel. When I got my first D in my physics and math classes I realized that I was screwing up my future, my junior and senior year grades were so important and when I saw those grades I was upset and looking for someone to blame but in reality, I only had to blame myself. My parents eventually divorced my senior year of high school and I told them why they hadn’t done that sooner. By the time they divorced, it was too late I wasn’t doing good in school and there was a concern that I wasn’t going to graduate. I did end up graduating and the satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment I got when I received my high school diploma was amazing. I loved it I felt accomplished and that’s when I decided I wanted to continue my education and pursue a career in Business admin and get into the school of my dreams. My parent's decision to move to America made me value my parents and maybe I realized that it was their sacrifices that provided me with the life I have today and the opportunities that I have. I feel that I have grown in the past few years. I know now what I want to do with my life I am determined to get into business marketing it’s my passion. One day I would like to own a business and hopefully, open many other businesses. My family's sacrifices have made me see the world through different eyes, I grew up seeing my friends asking their parents to buy them expensive things and when I wanted something expensive my parents made me earn it. They taught me the value of working and that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. They taught me to work hard and value everything I have.
    @GrowingWithGabby National Scholarship Month TikTok Scholarship
    Curtis Holloway Memorial Scholarship
    The person that has supported me the most throughout my academic career is my father. He has financially helped me out and i am and will forever be grateful to have my father. My father always gives me some great advice and even though l get on his nerves all the time I know that I will forever be in debt with my father. Every thing I do is for my parents. As a first generation Latina I want to make my parents proud. I want to walk that stage next year with my degrees and show them that all their support has come to this.
    Mental Health Importance Scholarship
    I believe mental health is very important to maintain. There are a lot of mental health diseases that exist and not easily treated. I recently lost my uncle last year to depression and even then my relatives and family in Mexico don’t believe in mental health or mental illnesses/ disorders because it’s not something physical or something that can be treated. I have personally felt what it’s like to be depressed and not have the energy to do anything. To focus on my mental health I not only take social media breaks, I exercise, and I read. I am an avid reader. I read all sorts of books from biographies to fiction books and it helps me focus on other things than to worry about what’s going on in my life. I also spend time with my sister and my puppy whose growing every day and has build a strong bond with me.
    Dog Owner Scholarship
    I currently have a Dog whose a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. He’s a very special puppy in my life he came to my life when he was two months old. He is very special to me he partially filled the void in my heart that my cat left when he disappeared. He makes me laugh with his antics, makes me happy I love him so much.
    Ms. Susy’s Disney Character Scholarship
    My favorite Disney character is Venellope Von Schweetz from Wreck it Ralph. She’s a Disney princess but doesn’t act like a typical Disney princess. Venellope is the most realistic character in Disney because she always voices her opinions never keeps anything to herself and tells you what you don’t want to hear.
    Bold Study Strategies Scholarship
    One college studying strategy i use is changing my surroundings if i can’t concentrate in one place i move around looking for another place where i can concentrate and get my work done. I also prioritize my work and get together with friends or classmates to get the work done on time and make sure everyone understands the assignment. Another study tip i have taken advantage of is taking notes i have been doing this since high school and they do help my note taking style was Cornell style notes and those definitely help. I also do the readings and make sure i highlight and reread the section if i don’t understand it. Most importantly i ask questions and make sure that I fully understand the assignments,
    Bold Nature Matters Scholarship
    Growing up one thing I loved doing was spending time outdoors. I loved to sit outside in a bench looking at the beautiful sky whether it was raining or not or laying down while being out with friends looking at the clouds describing the shapes they looked like. I love nature because not only is it beautiful and majestic but its also essential for life. It produces fresh air, stimulates the senses, and its a place that provides tranquility and serenity. In high school, my school had a Japanese tea garden where i loved to be at because it was just so peaceful and it made getting work done easy and being surrounded by nature helped me concentrate on my work. I love planting roses and have tried to grow basic fruits as a way to help the environment.
    Maida Brkanovic Memorial Scholarship
    My parents sacrifIced a lot, but my father has suffered the most. He grew up on a farm and only had a second grade education. His family was so poor that they depended on manual labor to survive. My father has lived in America for more than twenty years and he was not able to travel to Mexico when his father passed away in 2014 nor when his mother passed away in 2018. My mother on the other hand had a better upbringing, she studied for her GED and received it in 2006. She hadn’t seen her mother in over 20 years, only her siblings who are US citizens. That dream to see my grandmother came true in 2019 when my mom was able to hug my grandmother. My parents have always taught me to be true to myself and follow my dreams. If I see an opportunity, I take it and demonstrate to myself and my peers that I’m strong and if I set my mind to it, I can accomplish anything. I dream of one day being able to study abroad in France or Rome as Roman history has been one of my favorite subjects in school. I have never been out of the country and when I wanted to travel for school with my Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) the president took that way. In 2012, President Obama presented the DACA program to help dreamers like myself, DACA was a huge blessing. When I was a senior in high school, I did not know what I was going to do, how I was going to pay for college, if I would get to study abroad like I had dreamed, or where I was going to live for that matter. Going to college was a dream that I lost sight of when I was denied a college experience but now, I feel more prepared and I know that this journey is just beginning for me. DACA, like my parents, gave me a future, gave me hope, and has brought many blessings to my family and me. My mother had always encouraged me to study and get good grades and the fact that I did not get into any schools was very disappointing to her. I felt I had no options but then I talked to the transfer coordinator at my high school and she told me that it was never too late to consider community college. I applied to College of San Mateo first because I loved the campus but it was so much farther from home than I expected and I did not have a car nor a driver’s license at that time. I soon gave up making the commute all the way to CSM and decided to move to Canada College. At Canada, I was placed into Academic probation twice but I was able to overcome it and keep getting stronger each year. I am now where I want to be despite everything else. I thought that college would be a better experience because I applied to colleges that were far away. I dreamed of getting accepted to Pacific University in Oregon but that changed to San Jose State or Sacramento State. When all college admissions started coming, I was devastated when I did not get accepted into any of the schools I applied to in high school but that soon changed in Spring 2020 when I was accepted to 5 CSU’s. Now that I think about it, I am glad it was that way as I was not financially ready to be on my own. I have worked more than three jobs at a time and go to school full time. I pay for my own textbooks and bills. Sometimes I have been so stressed that I have had trouble sleeping or concentrating and it has taken its toll on me. I want to be able to follow my dreams and complete my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Finance and Marketing while minoring in History. At Canada, I have applied and received three Associates Degrees, one in Business, another in History, and finally one in Economics. I want to continue being a full-time student and be considered as a candidate to obtain this scholarship and keep working as hard and diligently as I have done to finish my career. My dream is to attend Boston University for my master’s degree, graduate from Sacramento State and guide my sisters in their college journey so that they don’t go through with what I have gone through.
    Bold Optimist Scholarship
    My parents have always taught me to be true to myself and follow my dreams. If I see an opportunity, I take it and demonstrate to myself and my peers that I’m strong and if I set my mind to it, I can accomplish anything. I dream of one day being able to study abroad in France or Rome as Roman history has been one of my favorite subjects in school. I have never been out of the country and when I wanted to travel for school with my Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) the president took that way. I have worked more than three jobs at a time and go to school full time. I pay for my own textbooks and bills. Sometimes I have been so stressed that I have had trouble sleeping or concentrating and it has taken its toll on me. I want to be able to follow my dreams and complete my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Finance and Marketing while minoring in History. At Canada, I have applied and received three Associates Degrees, one in Business, another in History, and finally one in Economics. I want to continue being a full-time student and be considered as a candidate to obtain this scholarship and keep working as hard and diligently as I have done to finish my career. My dream is to attend Boston University for my master’s degree, graduate from Sacramento State and guide my sisters in their college journey so that they don’t go through with what I have gone through.
    Imagine Dragons Origins Scholarship
    I grew up in America and in my heart, I feel like an American although I was born in a different country. I was born in a small town named Patzcuaro in the State of Michoacan, Mexico. My mother pushed my father for us to come to the US because she saw that my sister and I did not have much of a future there. She did not want me growing up following in my cousin’s footsteps or getting married at 16 like she did. The decision to come to America was a tough one. We would have to say goodbye to our family and friends. My parents saw how hard they were struggling and so they decided it was time to leave and try our luck in America. My dad left and traveled to America a few months before my mother, sister and I traveled to join him and it was a tough time as my father had never really been apart from us for so long. After crossing the border my family and I settled in Southern California to be near family. Mexico is my home; It’s where I was born but America is also my home; it’s where I grew up and where I have lived for the last twenty-one years. I came to the United States two weeks before my birthday. My earliest memory was meeting my aunt and uncle at Tijuana. All I remember from the journey was that it was long and hot and my baby sister and I were crying because we missed our mom. My mom couldn’t make the journey with us because she had to travel with a Coyote. In my mind I was worried I was never going to see my mom again. I had never seen my aunt or uncle before because they lived in America and hardly came to Mexico to visit. All I remember hearing were my mom’s words telling me that it was all going to be okay and we will be with my dad soon. Since my uncles had two daughters my sister and my age and me and my cousin had the same name it was easy to get us through the border. I also remember that we stopped a few miles from the border so that my aunt could change our clothes and make me look similar to my cousin. My aunt and uncle decided to make it easier and safer by putting us to sleep so we couldn’t give them away and everytime I woke up I would be given water that would put me back to sleep. We didn’t last long in Riverside, my cousin’s didn’t really like me and they often were verbally and physically abusive towards me because I couldn't understand them when they spoke to me in English. They often called me names and would just find ways to hurt and humiliate me and if one saw me start to cry the other cousin would join in until i cried. My cousin’s sometimes would try to teach me a few words but they would use punishments like pulling my hair, pushing me, hitting me, even going as far as biting me if I got or pronounced the word wrong. We ended up moving to Orange county where we lived until we moved to the bay in 2006. I remember when I started elementary school, it was a new place for me. My parents brought me to America at such a young age that my brain was able to absorb all this new knowledge and be able to learn the language at my pace without anyone hurting me. more shy and I rarely talked to anyone after that. Soon after the bullying began again but this time around it hurt more as these were my peers, people that I was trying to get to know and wanted them to like me and make me feel like I was included and one of them. That never really happened at every school. I felt more and more like an outcast, people would make fun of me for my hairstyles, my clothing with spanish words on them, and the fact that I had an accent or mispronounced words. It didn’t help that I went to many different schools growing up because we moved around a lot until we finally settled in Northern California. By the time I was in fifth grade I had attended about six or seven different schools. In 2012, President Obama presented the DACA program to help dreamers like myself. When I was a senior in high school, I did not know what I was going to do, how I was going to pay for college, if I would get to study abroad like I had dreamed, or where I was going to live for that matter. Going to college was a dream that I lost sight of when I was denied a college experience but now, I feel more prepared and I know that this journey is just beginning for me. DACA, like my parents, gave me a future, gave me hope, and has brought many blessings to my family and me. I have worked more than three jobs at a time and go to school full time. I pay for my own textbooks and bills. I want to be able to follow my dreams and complete my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Finance and Marketing while minoring in History. At Canada, I have applied and received three Associates Degrees, one in Business, another in History, and finally one in Economics. I want to continue being a full-time student and be considered as a candidate to obtain this scholarship and keep working as hard and diligently as I have done to finish my career. My dream is to attend Boston University for my master’s degree, graduate from Sacramento State and guide my sisters in their college journey so that they don’t go through with what I have gone through.