I have always viewed my upbringing as something special. Growing up, my parents made an emphasis on focusing on what they viewed as some of the most important values in our lives: Jesus, home, and culture. My father is a pastor and taught us of the importance of having a relationship with God even when nobody is watching. Both he and my mother grew up in Mexico and after they got married, they moved to Colorado to work in ministry where they helped plant a Hispanic Church home for those who lived in our area. We only spoke Spanish at home. My dad spoke some English, but my mom didn’t learn it until I was about ten. Now, both of my parents are fluent which I am extremely proud of as I have seen their hard work and courage after moving to a country they had never been to before. My father has gone on to become the Senior Pastor of our whole church, including the English- speaking church. My mom stayed home with us when we were little and made sure that we could speak, read, and write in Spanish so that we could stay connected to our culture and family. When I was fourteen, I started working at a café where my ability to speak two languages became something that allowed me to thrive. Many locals in my community are Hispanic, and it has been an honor to help customers feel comfortable ordering in their native language. Their thankfulness constantly reminded me how meaningful communication is. This past semester, I have had the privilege of being an intern at the local elementary school where I have often found myself working with Hispanic children who speak limited English. Being able to translate and connect with them has made me realize the importance of having diversity in education. Having educators from different backgrounds matters because students deserve to feel understood by the people who teach them. My experience has given me empathy for those who feel misunderstood and I hope to continue using my background to help every child feel seen and valued. As a first-generation student, my decision to pursue higher education is something I take seriously because I want to make the most of the opportunities my family has worked hard to give me and of the talents God has given me. There is a quote that says, “If I'm the closest thing to a Bible that they read, let the words they read be what you wrote.”(Josiah Queen) With my internship at the elementary school, this quote has constantly remained ingrained in my head. Even in secular settings like public schools, I can be the light for students who have never heard and might never hear of who God is. I believe that every part of my life has led to my decision to pursue a career in education and I truly think that what has most influenced this decision was my upbringing in the church. I grew up in a church where I was surrounded by people who dedicated their time and energy pouring love to the children of the community so that we could learn and have fun. My childhood was filled with sports camps, Sunday school, and Vacation Bible School. These are all activities run by volunteers, many who shaped the way I view community service. While many of the volunteers were elderly men and women who had spare time on their hands, most were teenagers who gave up their summers to show love to children, some who had never experienced this kind of care before. My favorite event as a kid, was Vacation Bible School and now as a volunteer, it continues to be my favorite service activity. I have served with kids of all ages, from four-year olds to third graders and I have loved every second of it. These experiences sparked my passion for working with children and influenced my decision to pursue a degree in elementary education so that I can contribute to shaping the lives of future generations. My cumulative experiences have led me to not only choose elementary education but also to choose education for multilingual students. I will be pursuing an endorsement in cultural and linguistically diverse education as well as a minor in American Sign Language. While college does come with expenses, support like this scholarship helps ease some of those costs—whether it’s textbooks, fees, or materials for my classes. Having that extra support allows me to focus more on my goals and less on the small financial pressures that add up over time.

I have always viewed my upbringing as something special. Growing up, we only spoke Spanish at home. My dad spoke some English, but my mom didn’t learn it until I was about ten. Now, both of my parents are fluent which I am extremely proud of as I have seen their hard work and courage after moving to a country they had never been to before. My mom stayed home with us when we were little and made sure that we could speak, read, and write in Spanish so that we could stay connected to our culture and family. When I was fourteen, I started working at a café where my ability to speak two languages became something that allowed me to thrive. Many locals in my community are Hispanic, and it has been an honor to help customers feel comfortable ordering in their native language. Their thankfulness constantly reminded me how meaningful communication is. This past semester, I have had the privilege of being an intern at the Granby Elementary School where I have often found myself working with Hispanic children who speak limited English. Being able to translate and connect with them has made me realize the importance of having diversity in education. Having educators from different backgrounds matters because students deserve to feel understood by the people who teach them. My experience has given me empathy for those who feel misunderstood and I hope to continue using my background to help every child feel seen and valued. As a first-generation student, my decision to pursue higher education is something I take seriously because I want to make the most of the opportunities my family has worked hard to give me and of the talents God has given me. My decision to pursue education wasn’t a last minute decision. I believe that every experience I have had has led to this decision, including working at my local elementary school, babysitting, and my upbringing in the church. I grew up in a church where I was surrounded by people who dedicated their time and energy pouring love to the children of the community so that we could learn and have fun. My childhood was filled with camps, Sunday school, and Vacation Bible School. These are all activities run by volunteers, many who shaped the way I view community service. While many of the volunteers were elderly men and women who had spare time on their hands, most were teenagers who gave up their summers to show love to children, some who had never experienced this kind of care before. This has led to my countless hours of volunteering at my church where I have served with kids of all ages, from four-year olds to third graders and I have loved every second of it. I truly believe that these experiences have sparked my passion for working with children and influenced my decision to pursue a degree in elementary education so that I can contribute to shaping the lives of future generations.

I have always viewed my upbringing as something special. Growing up, my parents made an emphasis on focusing on what they viewed as some of the most important values in our lives: Jesus, home, and culture. My father is a pastor and taught us of the importance of having a relationship with God even when nobody is watching. Both he and my mother grew up in Mexico and after they got married, they moved to Colorado to work in ministry where they helped plant a Hispanic Church home for those who lived in our area. We only spoke Spanish at home. My dad spoke some English, but my mom didn’t learn it until I was about ten. Now, both of my parents are fluent which I am extremely proud of as I have seen their hard work and courage after moving to a country they had never been to before. My father has gone on to become the Senior Pastor of our whole church, including the English speaking church. My mom stayed home with us when we were little and made sure that we could speak, read, and write in Spanish so that we could stay connected to our culture and family. When I was fourteen, I started working at a café where my ability to speak two languages became something that allowed me to thrive. Many locals in my community are Hispanic, and it has been an honor to help customers feel comfortable ordering in their native language. Their thankfulness constantly reminded me how meaningful communication is. This past semester, I have had the privilege of being an intern at the local elementary school where I have often found myself working with Hispanic children who speak limited English. Being able to translate and connect with them has made me realize the importance of having diversity in education. Having educators from different backgrounds matters because students deserve to feel understood by the people who teach them. My experience has given me empathy for those who feel misunderstood and I hope to continue using my background to help every child feel seen and valued. As a first-generation student, my decision to pursue higher education is something I take seriously because I want to make the most of the opportunities my family has worked hard to give me and of the talents God has given me. There is a quote that says, “If I'm the closest thing to a Bible that they read, let the words they read be what you wrote.”(Josiah Queen) With my internship at the elementary school, this quote has constantly remained ingrained in my head. Even in secular settings like public schools, I can be the light for students who have never heard and might never hear of who God is. While college does come with expenses, support like this scholarship helps ease some of those costs—whether it’s textbooks, fees, or materials for my classes. Having that extra support allows me to focus more on my goals and less on the small financial pressures that add up over time.

I grew up in the church where I was surrounded by people who dedicated their time and energy pouring love to the children of the community so that we could learn and have fun. My childhood was filled with camps, Sunday school, and Vacation Bible School. These are all activities run by volunteers, many who shaped the way I view community service. While many of the volunteers were elderly men and women who had spare time on their hands, most were teenagers who gave up their summers to show love to children, some who had never experienced this kind of care before. My favorite event as a kid, was Vacation Bible School and now as a volunteer, it continues to be my favorite service activity. I have served with kids of all ages, from four-year olds to third graders and I have loved every second of it. I truly believe that these experiences have sparked my passion for working with children and influenced my decision to pursue a degree in elementary education so that I can contribute to shape the lives of future generations. The person who has most inspired me to give back is my mom. She is the reason that I serve with such eagerness and joy no matter the area that I am serving in. Growing up, my house was always the home for the kids who didn’t want to go home after school. My mom was the mom who made extra goodies for these kids because she knew they wouldn’t always have the best lunch. My mom was the one who happily became the second mom for any kid who ever needed it. She has shown me what it means to serve with love. She has shown me that service isn’t just about logging hours, or proving your worth, but about loving those who need it most. My mom has not only inspired me but also supported me every time I have volunteered to serve. She would drive me places when I needed it, pack me an extra lunch if I was going to be gone all day or has even gone with me when I needed an extra hand where I was volunteering. Almost every aspect of community service that I have served in, has involved children. I have always felt a strong passion for the tiny humans of our world and have always loved to show them every bit of love I felt growing up. I have been able to show the kids the love that they need even if it has only been for a couple of hours occasionally. I hope to one day be just like my mom and be the safety household for my kids and their friends so that I can be an inspiration to my sons and daughters just like my mom is to me.