The issue that has shaped my perspective on the world is immigration. immigration is not just a political talking point, but it is a reality that impacts many lives every day. For me, it is a very deeply personal topic since I am the daughter of two immigrants. From a young age, I was aware of the laws, debates, and policies that could either protect or separate my family. When I was in eighth grade, I was in a situation that brought this reality close; I had been the testimony that convinced the judge to let my dad stay and not face deportation. I saw how deportation not only affects the person at risk but also affects their family. Deportation creates constant fear and uncertainty. That experience made me realise that deportation is not just something that you hear about on the news. It made me realise that so many people go through this, and not everyone gets as lucky as to keep their loved ones by their side. In our current political climate, I do believe that many people have forgotten that immigrants who are often painted as threats are also human beings with families, struggles, and dreams. The media often labels immigrants as dangerous, but as the daughter of two hard-working immigrants, I know that this is far from the truth. I understand that my parents sacrifices have allowed me to receive this opportunity to pursue a college education, something that they never had for themselves. Immigration happens for many reasons. It could be to find safety, overcome economic hardship, or find freedom. For my parents, the United States was a land of promise and hope, A country where they could achieve their dreams. They wanted to build careers, raise children, and become a part of this community. But even with the hard work, society, the media often reduce immigrants to stereotypes or just numbers, ignoring the fact that they are also human. It is so easy to talk about these immigration policies from a distance and argue what is best for this country. But it is so much harder when you know someone who is affected, when you have heard their dreams, their hopes, and the sacrifices that they have made. This is why I want to dedicate my life to helping others who are seeking another chance, the chance to live in this country without fear, the chance for children to know that their parents are safe. And the chance for families to stay together. My goal is to become an immigration attorney. I want to fight for families and give them the same opportunity I was given. Keeping families together is how it should be, and when families are torn apart, it creates immense hardship that affects every member in the family. As an attorney, I want to ensure that fewer people have to feel that pain. I was the first person in my family to earn a high school diploma, and I will be the first person to earn a college degree, and in hopes of a law degree. The financial support I receive will make my education journey more accessible and bring me closer to my dream of advocating for immigrants. Immigration is more than just a topic or a debate; it is the story of my family, my purpose, and the reason why I'm so committed to building a career that can help others. When I fight for immigrants, I am fighting for families like mine. Families who deserve the chance to dream, to live, and to stay together.

My name is Maritza Guzman Lopez,I am a 19 years old, first generation, Mexican American from Aberdeen Washington. Growing up as the daughter of immigrants, I have personally seen the sacrifices made by my parents for the opportunity that was given to me. My parents left Mexico with the hope of earning “the American dream”, they settled in Aberdeen to build a better life. Their stories of childhood were stories I heard growing up, the description of their homes, the chores they did before school,the food they ate, and the careers they had once hoped they could have achieved. These stories showed me how privileged I was to have the chance to make my dreams a reality, even though my parents didn't get to live their dreams, they will have the opportunity to see me become a professional with a career like they once wanted. In my family education was not something only I was proud of, it was a collective achievement. Every award, test and recognition I got was something my parents were extremely proud of. All these achievements made me feel like I was making my parents proud, that I was repaying them for the sacrifices they had to endure. These achievements and degrees are for me and my parents. My Hispanic upbringing also showed me how we have a big sense of community. In our town my family was just one of the many immigrant households. We all shared struggles, things that other people would not understand, language barriers, not being able to work because of the lack of status and being scared of deportation. Having these other families in the same situation was comforting. We all understood. Our sense of community allows us to be there for each other, and build everyone up, But being hispanic has also revealed some harsh realities. My parents have struggled for many years to receive their green cards and that is when I noticed that many people have this same issue, retaining status is extremely difficult. People including my parents, work hard jobs and are extremely undervalued, families are ripped apart from just a single court order. This and the experience of almost having my family torn apart made me be inspired to help others who are having the same struggles. I want to thank my dads attorney for helping me by fighting for my dad to earn his status. She is a big reason why I want to become an immigration attorney. I want to be the reason why kids get to see their parents after their court hearings. My parents sacrifices have taught me that fairness is not something that is given but it is something that you need to fight for. Pursuing higher education is how I plan on honoring my parents sacrifices, I carry my cultures lessons, built of the sacrifices of my parents backs, knowing how hard their jobs are on their bodies and knowing to seize my opportunity and make them proud.Their strength,resilience and love for me and my siblings is what motivates me to keep going, earn that degree. I would be grateful if I was granted this scholarship. I want to pursue a degree, a better life, one that my parents and others who don't have this opportunity can admire.

Thinking about my future and seeing the many options I have I can only be thankful for the opportunity to continue my education. I want to strive and get a degree and an education that I value not just for myself but for my parents as well. My family did not get the opportunity to have an education, my dad would always tells me how lucky I am to be able to go to school and learn. He had goals and aspirations that he wanted to achieve but because of his situation, he couldn’t. Both of my parents have instilled in me how valuable an education is which motivated me to keep on dreaming. Knowing what I wanted to do for my professional career has been so difficult yet it came to me so easily. I wanted to become a law attorney, specifically an attorney that focuses on immigration. I have always been interested in spreading justice and helping people that I know are good people. I have such admiration for these lawyers, especially the lawyer who inspired me to become one. She helped my dad out. My dad's lawyer helped him stay in the United States and get permission to work legally here. Even though some people don’t agree with the immigration laws and the regulations, I am glad that I still have my dad here with me, supporting me, helping me and just giving me his unconditional love. I want to be a lawyer who gives other families that exact chance, the chance that I was given. Having your whole family together is a blessing, when families get torn apart it’s such a huge change and hardship that affects everyone in the family. Earning a law degree takes so much time and unfortunately a lot of money, I am asking you for the chance to make my education journey a little more accessible and easier to handle. I know I will still have hardships and that earning a degree is no easy task but any help that I may be able to receive will be so appreciated not only by me but my whole family. I will be the first person in my family to earn a high school diploma, a college degree, and hopefully a JD degree. Any financial support I may receive will be very much appreciated and helpful to make this dream a reality.

I may have not won a big trophy or a certificate that may be impressive to others. In my point of view, I earned the most valuable prize there is and that is my dad. We all go through events in our lives that can be difficult and we have to keep going to grow and become better versions of ourselves. My dad immigrated to the United States when he was young in hopes for his children to have a better life and to have the chance of an education that he never had. When I was about 7 years old, My dad was in line for deportation, his lawyer bought him some time and from then on for many years, he was coming in and out of courts fighting for the chance to be here with me and my siblings, he wanted the american dream for us. You may wonder why I call this my biggest achievement, many years of battling for his residency went by and by the time I was in 8th grade and about 13 years old, My dad had one of the biggest court hearings coming up which was going to determine if he would receive his green card or be denied and have to leave me and the rest of our family. His immigration lawyer suggested that he should bring me to this court hearing and I would testify on my dad's behalf and tell the judge why I need to have my dad present. Speaking in front of a judge may have been one of the scariest moments of my life not because I had to talk in front of him but because of the chance that I would not see my dad again. I remember looking at my dad from the stand and getting emotional but he smiled at me and I remembered that I had to stay strong and tell the judge everything I wanted him to take into consideration. After I finished and the whole court hearing was over, the judge signaled me to come and speak to him, he told me that my testimony was what made his decision. My dad and lawyer were ecstatic and honestly, I was in so much shock, I could not believe that little 8th-grade me had that much power to influence the decision of a judge. Throughout the 18 years I have lived I still believe that to be one of my biggest achievements, this event of going to court, and accompanying my dad to his meetings with his lawyer over the years made me realize that I wanted to become an immigration attorney, I admired the attorney that helped me and my family stay together. I want to be able to give the same opportunity I received thanks to this attorney to other families that may be in the same boat I was in. My dad has sacrificed so much to give me the chance to achieve my dreams, in a way I won’t only be achieving my dreams but achieving his dreams as well. I will be the first person in my family to earn a high school diploma, a college degree, and hopefully a JD degree. Any financial support I may receive will be very much appreciated and helpful to make this dream a reality. Thank you, Maritza Guzman