An old lady sitting in a hammock drinking margaritas enjoying my retirement.

Being a mother!!! Being a mother is the ultimate form of leadership, as you are constantly being watched and analyzed by a future strong, independent, impressionable young lady that will become a leader someday. In my life, I have been a single mother of a remarkable young lady—a daughter of field workers and an experienced entry-level employee. As a medical assistant for over twenty years, I have learned how to guide and teach others. I was promoted to service learning coordinator and was responsible for training staff members on using the Meditech EHR system. A successful training program was developed with the help of an RN supervisor. Developing the program and training staff on how to use it assisted in educating me on the different learning styles. As a leader in this process, it was imperative that I learn how my colleagues learned to make training a successful endeavor. I eventually moved on to another organization as an EHR trainer for a different program. I was tasked with learning a new program in three months and being ready to train or retrain staff when I arrived on site. Encouraging the staff members when I arrived by allowing them to teach me what they were doing assisted in developing trust and support. Showing enthusiasm when presenting changes and working side by side with them, and training at the shoulder helped encourage them to try the changes and succeed. There is a quote my husband told me one day and I live by that every day. "If you are not prepared to serve, you are not qualified to lead" I feel it is necessary to work with colleagues in the trenches and deal with the stress they have with them. It is the job of a leader to motivate and support their team. I like to be transparent in planning changes in workflows and policies to ensure that my team's trust in me does not fade. I will work with my team, ask for feedback, and consider their ideas as they do the job daily. My ultimate achievement is encouraging women to further their education and strive to be the leaders they never thought they could be. I would like to be the example of someone who, later in life, decided she wanted to be a CEO and accomplished her goal. I want to make sure to stay true to the hard work it will take but also of all the benefits that come with that. I have skills and knowledge, but they do not belong to me; my duty is to share them with whoever would like to learn.

"Future, Family, Fun" is the motto I have tried to live by most of my days. Hello, my name is Norma Montoya, and I am an undergraduate student at West Coast University. My focus is Healthcare Administration. I plan on continuing to my Master's. I believe there is a balance between home, work, and school. Currently, I work full-time as an EHR Trainer at an FQHC clinic. I also have a family at home, I have a significant other and a 16-year-old stepchild, with two other stepkids and a wonderful daughter of my own. In addition to all of that, I attend school full time. Time management is crucial in my life as I like having a partner and kids around. Currently, my GPA is 3.88, and I am very proud of that because, unlike other people with natural abilities in school, I have to work hard for my grades. I live in Alaska and love to explore the outdoors, hiking, kayaking, snow machining, and four-wheeling to see untouched areas of the state. The balance for me is found in using my planner to schedule my time for school work and an area separate from the rest of my daily life. I have a room and have declared my office, and when I am there, my family knows that the focus is on school work. It is essential to take a break from school work to get a better perspective on writing papers, for example. I take my break just in time to cook dinner for my family, conversate about our day, and plan for the weekend. I plan to complete my homework by Friday of the week to have the weekend for my family to explore our beautiful state. Sometimes I have to work on school on Saturday morning but not usually more than that. The other essential item is family support to encourage me when I struggle with my assignments. Time management was complex for me, and I am still learning how to improve it every term. This scholarship will help me greatly in paying for some of my expenses for school. Thank you very much for your consideration.

CLEAR YOUR MIND!! Some of the things that I do to clear my mind are the following: * Listen to Audio Books-Strangely enough I have listened to The Art of War several times. Every time I listen I pick up something new from it. * Listen to Affirmations- The App I use is called motivational quotes and it contains mindfulness reminders. I write a new quote on my whiteboard in my cubicle and at home daily. * Go for Walks- I live in Alaska and have phenomenal views. * Praying- There is a higher power that I ask for relief from stress. I am Christian and believe that if I do good in life good things will come to me. * Sit Outside- Listening to the breeze blow through the trees is so relaxing and the wildlife walking by is incredible. * Lean on my family- I have an amazing daughter that I raised on my own and she is a productive member of society and keeps me grounded. Remembering that life is short and to live life like every day was my last. ( I learned this from my mother's passing).

Single Mother? Yes, Yes I am. That is the greatest accomplishment of my life. Having lived through domestic violence and not having the option to return home to my parents, or so I thought. It was pride mostly that denied me from returning to my parent's home. I didn't want to look like I had failed at what I so wanted. I was 15 when I got married, much to the despair of my parents. I kept running away so they finally agreed to let me marry. I married a young man who was in a band and so handsome and smooth. We had a rough start from the very beginning and only kept going to see if things would eventually get better. We were married five years before our daughter was born. I felt it was the most natural thing to do then. It was so hard to be a young mother, although I know some women are mothers way before the age of twenty. Nothing prepares you for the sacrifice that you are willing to give for your child. It is amazing how that little person takes over your complete life and nothing else matters. As a couple who literally grew up together, we started growing apart. We tried to make it work, as neither of us came from a split family. I went to a trade school to try and better my earning potential as we now had a child to provide for. Although I never stopped working even when I was pregnant I worked up to three jobs at the same time. As our daughter got older my then-husband started using drugs. Methamphetamines were his choice of drug. He eventually did the unthinkable, he molested the most prize life to us and violated her trust completely. I immediately became a single mother. I supported my daughter through the process of putting her father in prison for many many years. We lived through harassment from his family not only to me but also her. That was again another time my daughter was hurt and I had to take action. We moved away to Colorado where my parents had recently moved. She was upset with me for taking her from the beach and sand and her friends, she was little she did not understand what was going on. I got her some therapy and pushed on. Still being resilient and strong for her and her only support system now, except for my mother. We moved to a very small town, and if you know anything about small towns is that everyone knows everyone. Again my daughter was faced with being the odd man out. I struggled to keep her motivated in school and to concentrate on a pass time. I attempted to return to school and worked on my prerequisites for nursing. I got into nursing school and attended the first semester but stopped due to my daughter entering high school and needing to be available for her at a critical time in her youth. I set aside my goals for her and didn't think twice about it. My life had been about nothing else but her until now. Still a single mother and with no desire to find a partner to help with the obstacles that I was enduring on my own. I thought I was doing good and then....... My mother was then diagnosed with cancer of the liver, it was terminal and she would not be recuperating. She died two months after her diagnosis and I was again left alone and with a high school teenager to continue to guide and educate and raise. I picked myself up from the bottom again and continued to move forward. My daughter was accepted to the University Of New Mexico in Albuquerque, she moved there after her senior year in high school and was so excited to be doing something on her own, all on her own. Again I was left alone now with no one to care for. I picked myself up from where I was and continued on. The most satisfying thing in my life has been to see my daughter developed into a very independent young woman that is successful in life and will continue to be. She is a certified medical assistant and continuing her education in healthcare administration. She is my Mona Lisa!! Thank you for your consideration Norma

'"Mojada"--"Wet Back" is a term I became very familiar with. I grew up in California on the central coast during the '90s. At this time there was a lot of prejudice in the area where I grew up. I came to the United States at the age of 5 years old across the Rio Grande. The sacrifice my parents made to provide for us was clear the moment all the name-calling started in elementary school. My parents' response, ignore them, they don't know what they are talking about. This statement made clear that the world is not kind. The experience that I had as a child made me want to be a better human, not just a good person but an overall good human. It helped to build my empathy for others and the challenges they face. My soft spot is immigrants, of course, the struggle my parents experienced being in a new country and not knowing the language encouraged me to become a community interpreter. I like to help others that are having a hard time communicating, it reminds me of my parents. All the struggles I experienced with my parents have made me want to be involved in the community with migrants and their families. I learned that my heart is shaped by my culture by my people, and I would do my all to help them be successful. At some point, someone had to help my parents by interpreting for them or giving them a ride somewhere. Every time I see people that have a need for my help in interpreting or understanding a process, I am happy to oblige. I gained an understanding of the necessity of kindness in the world. Kindness for others and the understanding of the struggle they came from is necessary in the world. Sometimes I feel like people don't know how to be kind, as a member of a small community I understand how important it is to know your neighbor and their families. In the community, I live in currently it is nice to know your kid's friends and their families. You have get-togethers and carnivals and we all go to the same doctor's office. Kindness in a community is important to make it function in harmony. Coming from a place that did not offer the same opportunity for people as The United States it was difficult to understand why kindness was not part of the lifestyle here. I hope to continue to be part of the small community as a clinic manager to help to provide good community care for my fellow immigrants. Thank you for your consideration

Who runs the world!!? Girls!!! For so long women have been looked upon as secondary to men. Especially in a professional role. For so long women have been underpaid for the same work a man would do. Society has come a long way from that, but we are nowhere from being done. As a woman trying to increase my earning potential and live a comfortable life as many men do. I feel society has done a great disservice to women by making it an uneven playing field. Women need to make sure they are performing at the same level that men are and do it gracefully and with class. Our morals have to stand on their own and we need to show the world that we are as good as any man doing the same job. Are there jobs women probably would not do as well as men? Sure, I for one will not ever be able to lift something extremely heavy over and over in a day. That is not the job I am talking about. I am talking about all the white-collar jobs that women are very effective at and get no credit for doing. Many people feel that women are too emotional and can not lead due to their emotions. I completely disagree with this, women are mothers and wives those two professions alone make them qualified to lead. Women learn to manage the emotions of kids and partners to have a functional life. Society can be more effective in empowering women by giving the most qualified person the job that is at hand. I don't feel women should be getting a break because they are women. As a woman, I would like to know that I earned my position because I am the most qualified, not because an organization is trying to fill a quota. As women become more present in the professional world, they should be part of the hiring process. There is no other person that would be pickier about choosing a woman for a position, than a woman who has already gone through the struggle of getting there. That female staff member will make sure to advocate for a female applicant if she sees that they are the most qualified. Unfortunately, I do not see this happening very soon. Until that time women need to encourage each other and help each other be successful. Be a mentor for an up-and-coming young woman, be a good example so other women want to follow in your footsteps. Women are phenomenal and if they would be willing to see the potential in each other we are unstoppable. Thank you for your consideration Phenomenal Woman, Norma Montoya

Here I am!! Now that I have your attention (hopefully) I would like to introduce myself. My name is Norma Montoya and I am a daughter of immigrants from Mexico. My parents came here to the United States in 1983, I was five years old. They made the trip over the Rio Grande on the border of Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, TX. Just to give you a little insight in how challenging that was there was seven of us total. Five kids and both my parents. My parents came here to provide a better life for us. They worked in the fields for up to 16 hours a day. In the summer we would all work up to 16 hours a day with our parents. You see there was no babysitter for us, just us. My parents eventually, after a lot of paperwork and tons of money that kept us living under the poverty level for sure, became legal residents of this country. As did we. They eventually moved out of the fields and into better jobs and were able to purchase their very own home. My parents always pushed for us to have an education, to finish high school, go to college. They taught us how to work for what we wanted, and work hard. They taught us resilience and how to progress against prejudice and racism. "Failure is not an option, just growth" This is the quote my mother would always say and still rings in my head, daily. My parents never had office jobs they always did manual labor of some kind, but they never looked down upon that work. They continued to give 110% in everything they did. My mother was very charitable even though she did not have much to begin with. She gave away her groceries if she saw someone in need on the way home from the store, and go without some comforts until the next time she got paid. My mother was my hero. She went through a lot to provide us with a roof over our heads and food in our belly's. She was loving and stern at the same time if that makes any sense. She was the strongest person, woman, human that I have ever known. She taught me perseverance will always prevail. While my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she was still handing out lessons. She didn't cry or lose her nerve, and ask why this was happening to her. She accepted her time was up with grace and poise. A very impactful moment was when I asked her not to die, she responded in Spanish "Los focos se mueren, yo voy a partir" (Lighbulbs die, I am departing) My mother was very faithful in her beliefs and departed this world in peace and with a smile on her face surrounded by her family. The lessons I have learned from my mother? Wow, how could I ever name them all. I guess a way to give a glimpse of her impact is to describe my life a bit. I became a single mother when my daughter was about 8 years old, she is now 22. I raised her with no help but the one of my mother. I attended a trade school and became a medical assistant which is how I provided for my child. I started nursing school and had to stop when she entered high school, so that I could be available for her during a critical time in her life. I worked hard and overcame tons of obstacles to raise my daughter to be a good person. I received a community interpreter certification to increase my income potential. My daughter is now a medical assistant and continuing her education in Psychology. She is a well rounded young woman that also works hard and has aspirations to be successful in her venture. I am planning to return to school to receive my Bachelor's of Science in Healthcare Administration. I will be a non traditional student and will work hard for my degree. I will obtain it. I will succeed. The perseverance and determination my mother showed throughout her life made me strong and positive about life. Her strength lives in me and is now passed on to my daughter as well. We will succeed against all adversity. One of the things that interested me the most about this scholarship is that you are offering this in the name of your father. On Monday of this week my daughter and I had a conversation about starting a scholarship in my mothers name once I was done with school and paid off my loans. I would love to follow in your example and honor my mother by giving someone the opportunity to succeed with a little help and no strings attached. Thank you for offering this scholarship and giving people like me the opportunity to succeed. Thank you for the example of paying it forward in this way. "Failure is not an option, Just growth." Thank you for your consideration Norma Montoya

I am a mother first. I was attending community college after having been put through a long process of going to court for domestic violence against my ex-husband. I attended for two years and then my daughter entered high school. It was the first year of nursing school, and I dropped out of school. I needed to be there for my daughter during a very critical time in her life. It was important to me. Having been a victim of domestic violence herself, I had a very hard choice to make. I chose her, as I had before when she disclosed to me that her father had molested her. I chose to go to work and be available for her sports, choir concerts, and of course all the high school dances. There is no regret in my decision to stop going to school to be available for my daughter. There has never been a question about it. My employer is the local hospital as I am a certified medical assistant. They were flexible with my hours and supported my family time. They also gave me the opportunity to become a certified medical interpreter to help increase my income potential. I enjoy my job and helping people. There are so many new things I learn from others almost on a daily basis. The relationship I have with my daughter is one of loyalty and love, lots and lots of love. Providing for us got tough at times as I wished I was able to give her more. We lived very humble and with simple accommodations. She graduated high school with an amazing GPA of 4.2 and chose to attend the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Every time we went on a school tour she would lose her eyes on a MacBook, I saved and gave one to her for her high school graduation so that she had a computer to take to UNM. One of the reasons she chose that school was to stay close to me so that I would not be sad to have her gone. In her freshmen year of college, I had to do an experimental treatment for a genetic cancer marker. I didn't tell her about it until she came home for the fall break. She immediately wanted to stay home. I encourage her to finish out her freshmen year and after that, she came home to help me out at home. We struggled sometimes with our meals or how we would stay warm in the frigid cold of winter. But we pushed through. I reminded her that all the struggles we had gone through would only make us stronger. My daughter is now 22 years old and is extremely supportive of me returning to school to finish what I started many years ago. She has followed in my footsteps and is a medical assistant herself and continuing her education to be a psychologist. My employer has not changed for eight years now, in my current position, there has been much growth and development. My dream is to manage a clinic that provides amazing care to the community and that has a high retention rate for employees. I feel that if we make our job enjoyable we will have more productive and efficient I feel I have a lot to offer in knowledge and experience that would make me successful in my profession. Being a mother is the most gratifying event of my life, being a single mother is the most rewarding. I am proud to be the mother of a strong, independent, caring, hard-working young woman. She makes me proud every day.

Just a brown girl from across the border. This is something I heard a lot when I was growing up. I was brought to this country at the age of five years old. Not knowing the language I was going to be thrown into learning and interpreting. My parents came to this country to better their lives and ours by working hard and earning what they owned. Just a quick shot into the future, my parents never became wealthy and owned their own business or anything. But they did make an honest living and eventually owned their home and property. As a child in the mid 80's I didn't understand why people looked at us funny, why they called us names, we didn't know them and they knew nothing about us. All people saw was a brown family who came here to take their jobs and resources. None of that ever happened. Although my family was one of seven people, five kids and my mother and father, we never received assistance from the government. Not healthcare or food stamps. We were here illegally and did not have the right to ask for assistance based on that. None the less my parents worked in the fields in California, picking raspberries, strawberries, lettuce, and even kiwi. We lived in a clandestine ranch under the protection of eucalyptus trees. There was other families there as well all living in makeshift "homes". My parents rented a travel trailer that was parked there, not more than 28 feet long. We all lived in it nice and cozy. We attended school just like all the other kids in the area while our parents worked 12-16 hours a day. In the summer my parents would take us to work with them and we worked along them to help make ends meet. When I turned 14 I swore to my parents that, "this was not the life I wanted and I would not ever live from this kind of hard labor" My father at the time said to me " Good, then we have done our job" I didn't understand what he meant by that until I became an adult. My parents struggled to gain our legal status in this country but finally were successful. I am now a medical assistant and a medical interpreter, with the aspiration to complete my Bachelor's of science in Healthcare Administration. I became a certified interpreter to help the people who come here in the same situation my parents did. I find it very rewarding and get much satisfaction from helping people. I live in a rural community and my interest is to make our community a safe friendly place for all with no prejudice. Not a bad plan for " Just a brown girl from across the border" I am thankful for the many opportunities I have had in this country to better my life and I am optimistic about sharing my knowledge and experiences with others.

Crossing the Rio Grande at the age of five 37years ago started my new life here in the united states. My parents both with an education of less than 8th grade came hoping for a better life for us. None of us speaking English at all and being enrolled in school as soon as we arrived was a bit traumatizing. It was hard to be not only the new kids in school but also not knowing what was being said to or about us was unsettling. My parents both came to work in the fields of the Central Coast of California. They worked six days a week for 12-16 hours a day and had little time for us. We dedicated much time to school and sports to stay out of trouble. As we worked our way through the elementary school to middle school. We dealt with a ton of racist remarks and harassment from people. None the less we prevailed and continued to advance in school and graduated high school. I went on to a trade school and became a Medical Assistant and involved myself in the healthcare industry. I enjoy helping people and being part of something good and positive in the world. My experiences as a child and the struggle we had taught me that I wanted to make sure my child knew her culture and how important that is. What an important part of us that is, I am also a certified interpreter and I enjoy helping people like my parents who came here for a better life. I thrive around people who are honestly just trying to be the best they can. As an interpreter I have learned that the struggle has not ended. There will still be newcomers who need a hand up and I am happy to be the person to offer that. With my Bachelor's Of Science In Healthcare Administration I plan to make sure everyone who works with me understands humankind and how we should be both, Human and Kind.

Crossing the Rio Grande at the age of five 37years ago started my new life here in the united states. My parents both with an education of less than 8th grade came hoping for a better life for us. None of us speaking English at all and being enrolled in school as soon as we arrived was a bit traumatizing. It was hard to be not only the new kids in school but also not knowing what was being said to or about us was unsettling. My parents both came to work in the fields of the Central Coast of California. They worked six days a week for 12-16 hours a day and had little time for us. We dedicated much time to school and sports to stay out of trouble. As we worked our way through the elementary school to middle school. We dealt with a ton of racist remarks and harassment from people. None the less we prevailed and continued to advance in school and graduated high school. I went on to a trade school and became a Medical Assistant and involved myself in the healthcare industry. I enjoy helping people and being part of something good and positive in the world. My experiences as a child and the struggle we had taught me that I wanted to make sure my child knew her culture and how important that is. What an important part of us that is, I am also a certified interpreter and I enjoy helping people like my parents who came here for a better life. I thrive around people who are honestly just trying to be the best they can. As an interpreter I have learned that the struggle has not ended. There will still be newcomers who need a hand up and I am happy to be the person to offer that. With my Bachelor's Of Science In Healthcare Administration I plan to make sure everyone who works with me understands humankind and how we should be both, Human and Kind.

Meet " The Cuddles" She is internationally known in two continents. She has been seen in the Middle East ( via facebook messenger only), and North America. Cuddles most definately lives up to her name. She crawls in bed with her mama when her papa gets up in the morning. When i say she crawls in bed i mean she goes under the blankets and pokes her head out. Just like a human would. When she had surgery her papa would carry her from her pad to the pillow to the bed so she wouldn't hurt herself.