Good journalism is more important than ever. From coverage of COVID-19 to police brutality and protests, journalism shapes the way we understand the world and work on solutions to impactful problems. However, while accurate and empathetic coverage of racial injustice is critical right now, historically, Hispanic workers comprised an estimated 12% of the media industry’s workforce. Building a better, more diverse free press in our country will require widespread support and reform. I have been an athlete for as long as I can remember. I played different sports in my youth, but softball has always been my passion. The discipline and the mental strength this sport has given me is what is taking me to my childhood dream of playing at the next level. I will be attending Texas A & M San Antonio in the fall of 2023 and playing softball. I plan to major in Communications Journalism Media track and minor in Criminal Justice. Growing up as a student-athlete, being a student in the classroom came first on my list of priorities, my parents and teachers motivated and guided me to accomplish my academic goals of graduating at the top of my class. I have met my first set of academic goals by being ranked number 33 out of 564 students with a GPA of 103.74. I achieved my goal of graduating high school within the top 5% of my class. My next academic goal is to graduate college in 2027 with my Bachelor's degree in Communications. With this degree, I want to become a sports reporter for any news network that will have me and work my way up to ESPN to become the next Robin Roberts. I want to be a sports journalist because I am a sports fanatic and want to remain in this environment. I think what I find fascinating the most is the ability to captivate an audience by writing stories; investigating, researching, and interviewing that will highlight a team's or an athlete’s season is what inspires my interests most when it comes to wanting to be a sports journalist. As a sports enthusiast, sports journalism will allow me to remain and work in an industry I love. I feel that being in the ever-changing nature of the profession, a sports journalist never knows what to expect from one day to the next. The ability to travel and meet new people from all walks of life who you would not have otherwise had the chance to meet. Is that even work? I feel that doing something I love will give me meaning and purpose, positively keeping a path to a successful career in sports journalism. My sports nature and innate competitiveness will give me an edge to begin my career in sports journalism. I am prepared to work hard and stand out in a marketplace where editors and producers might be willing to take a chance on a young sports journalist like me. This scholarship will give me the opportunity to less-burden my parents and myself with student loans.

I am a student-athlete from Edinburg, TX verbally committed to playing softball at Texas A&M San Antonio. My short-term goal is to attend a four-year university and obtain my Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Business Administration and continue my education and eventually become an attorney. I believe I'd make a great commercial lawyer. My ultimate dream is a career in sports management as professional athlete legal counsel and sports agent.

My father is a first-generation Federal Law Enforcement Officer (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) and college graduate. He put himself through college without any scholarships and that is something I am and always will be very proud of. It takes an exceptional, selfless person to put their life on the line for people who don’t respect the badge nowadays. Every single day I fear for my father knowing that there are people out there who are putting targets on their backs because of the badge on their chest. It is terrifying to know that there is a possibility that he won't come home when his shifts are over. Growing up, my dad has always been my best friend. He played catch with me, and even volunteered to coach in all the activities that I was involved in. He helped me practice before games and took me for ice cream when the games didn’t go well. He gave me pep talks when I was feeling down and always reminded me that a bad day didn’t mean a bad life, he taught me and my team-mates that losing was part of life and it was a matter of how we bounced back the next game and the attitude that we displayed. He is one of the most loving, wholehearted people I know. He always strived for me and my peers to be positive role models to the younger students as we got older and to try to give back to the community not financially but by volunteering our time for various events. Little did I know at the time but now that I am older I realize that volunteering our time would keep us occupied and off the streets and reduce the chances of us getting into trouble. My father as a law enforcement officer has always instilled in me, my family, and my peers that respecting our law enforcement officers is tremendously important especially in the world that we live in today. Many citizens have no respect for our law enforcement and then situations escalate and further put everyone involved at risk of being badly hurt and could even escalate to death. My father also constantly volunteers in various church groups and retreats in which they help other members of the community from all walks of life both good and bad to seek a spiritual life. My dad has recently sponsored two of his high school classmates who took a road in life that led them to be incarcerated yet as a God-fearing individual and Federal Law Enforcement Officer he took the time to invite them to a church retreat and made a big impact on their lives that they have even recently gotten closer to the church and recently gotten employed. My father has also reached out to other law enforcement officers from the city, state, and federal levels and invited them into these church retreats. The results have been tremendously positive as they have been able to find a new brotherhood of spiritual brothers whom they can reach daily for guidance. I hope to one day continue in my father’s footsteps. This scholarship will help me in continuing the tradition that my father has started and motivate me to seek a bachelor's degree like my father's but take it even further and pursue getting into law school. My ultimate goal is to graduate from law school so that I too can help individuals who took a wrong turn in the road and help steer them back into law-abiding citizens just like my father has done.