Communication with professors will make your college experience so much easier! Professors are there to see you succeed. If you do not ask for help they may not know that you are struggling in the class or they may not know you are going through a rough time in your life. Communication with your professors lets them know what is going on and they are more willing to help or work with you if you communicate. @noemiii.mendoza on Instagram

My parents immigrated to the United States in order to receive a better life and to give me and my siblings a place to call home. My parents came to the United States with an education no higher than middle school. After coming from Mexico my mother was enrolled in school and although she got pregnant at 18 years old with my older sibling she managed to graduate high school, I look up to her for that. My father has always told me and my siblings that the only reason he came to the United States was so that me and my siblings can have a better life than he did and I am forever grateful for him because now I am able to pursue higher education. Children of immigrants are often highly expected to excel in their academics and to be involved in extracurricular activities. My mother and father have always wanted the best for me, like all good parents do. One of the many things that they expect from me is to receive a college education, something that they never had the chance to do. My parents always advise me to not make the same mistakes as they did, to go to college so I can get a good job and not have to struggle in my life. I am proud to be the first in my family to work toward a college degree. I grew up in a working-class household. My parents grew up picking in agriculture fields. It was hard, manual labor and they wanted a better life for their children. I remember seeing my dad leave the house before the sun would rise during the summer because by noon it would be too hot to work so he had to come home. Going in early meant he got to put in more hours by not being out in the hot sun although some days they would stay out because he needed money to provide for me and my siblings. My mother was a stay at home mom while my siblings and I grew up so we only depended on my fathers income during that time. Although I did not have everything I wanted, I had everything I needed. A roof over my head, food on the table,a family who loved me unconditionally and of course all of the school supplies I needed for school. They always made sure to push how important it is to receive higher education.

Higher education is so important to me because without it I would not be getting the opportunities I am getting today. I now get to be a student ambassador for my University and be a role model to high school students that higher education is possible if you are willing to put in the effort. Having this opportunity is something I did not think I would be able to get. Being a first generation student has impacted my academic journey because when I graduated high school, I did not know how to apply to fafsa, fill out college applications or know what career I wanted to pursue. All I knew was that my parents would be proud of me if I decided to pursue higher education. My father told me that the reason he wanted to come to the United States was because he wanted his children to have a better future and the opportunity for an education. I did not want to give up after high school so I decided to meet with admission counselors in order to complete my fafsa and later apply to college. I am a first generation student and obtaining a college degree would be a huge success for me and my family. This would bring me so much joy knowing that I can inspire my siblings to do the same. I am the oldest in my family which means I have to be the best role model to my siblings by graduating college and showing them they can also do it. During my first year in college I worked two jobs, 30 hours a week, on top of going to school full time in order to be able to afford my books and all of the other school essentials. I did not apply to any scholarships last school year and that was a mistake I do not want to repeat again. This scholarship would support me financially by providing me the opportunity to not have to have two jobs this upcoming school year. This year I have a gap of 2,000 dollars and this scholarship would greatly help me pay the gap I have left and take some of that burden off of my shoulder. I want to be able to show my family that going to college is not as hard as everyone says it is. With the right resources and effort it is possible to pursue higher education as a first generation student.