Hello, my name is McKayla-Faith Urista. I'm a senior at Centennial High School who's been admitted into the University of Nevada, Reno, and I plan to start my college journey in the fall of 2026. In order to understand me and my ambitions, it's important you know my story. I was what people call a "rainbow baby." This means that I was born soon after the death of a loved one, my grandpa. When I was born, they said I was able to bring light to the room and banish the sadness that once lingered there before. My mother and father taught me from a young age to value my education. They explained that many people, including them, aren't fortunate enough to have access to a higher education. They told me that if I wanted to achieve great things in life, as they believed I could, then I would have to work hard and aim high. I took this advice sincerely, and as a result, have been able to maintain a 3.8 GPA in high school, participate as a member of the Centennials NHS, and complete over 100 community service hours, helping various causes I'm passionate about. As a result of my upbringing and faith as a Christian woman, I've always felt I had a higher purpose to be of use to the world. I feel a calling to help people. As ambitious as it sounds, I know I will not be satisfied in life unless I feel that I am doing important work to help those in need. My experience volunteering at children's organizations, food pantries, and in environmental education only worked to motivate me further to pursue a career that would have a global impact for those in need. My combined interest in serving others and health has led me to pursue a degree in public health, and soon after, a master's degree in public health. With the education I receive, I plan to work in international humanitarian aid. Specifically, I want to work with refugees, helping them receive access to basic health care, trauma treatment, and ensuring disease control for their communities. I want to do international work, traveling to communities that are most in need of my help. I know that for them, health is a core element in helping their communities thrive. Without access to health care, displaced individuals are at risk for malnutrition, chronic and infectious diseases, and endangered reproductive care, along with many other detrimental risks for their families and communities. I know the work I do after college will be important and leave a positive impact globally. Earning this scholarship would help ensure that I can afford the cost of the education I will need to help those in need and I'd be eternally grateful for the financial aid I receive.

One thing I would like to see improved in my community is stronger support for families who are struggling to afford healthcare. In Nevada, a lot of families struggle to make ends meet with the cost of housing rising and the cost of basic necessities growing as well. On top of that, many families struggle with affording health insurance. In fact, according to a Nevada survey conducted by Healthcare Value Hub, 3 in 5 Nevada citizens experienced healthcare affordability burden, and 4 in 5 worry about affording healthcare in the future. It's difficult to witness good, hard-working people that I know personally work themselves to death in manual labor jobs, and then their job still refuses to cover the most basic health insurance plans. My own mother, uncle, grandma, and many other relatives can't afford their medication even though they've worked their whole lives, and are forced to either deal with their pain in silence or look towards alternative, less effective treatments. I can’t tell you how many GoFundMe’s I've seen with people begging for money to afford basic healthcare. Hard-working Americans should be able to get the treatment they need without selling all their belongings in the process or putting their kids in generational debt. We need a solution for this problem so that less families suffer and have more access to the resources they desperately need. The way I plan to make a difference in my community is by using my career to address the issue of people not being able to afford healthcare. I plan on going to college to major in public health. With this degree, I plan on focusing on solutions that make healthcare more accessible and affordable to everyone. I want to be people's voice by advocating for policy change and potentially expanding preventative care services in Nevada, as well as making medical testing more accessible, as many families delay medical treatments because of cost, which leads to worse outcomes and more time and money spent in the end. I know that the more minds we have focusing on coming up with solutions for healthcare affordability, the better chance of making effective policy changes, coming up with community-based programs, and raising public awareness. People deserve to get the treatment they need without it costing more than their house. People deserve not to suffer in silence after they’ve given their lives to providing and working hard for their families.