Receiving this scholarship would be incredibly meaningful to me because it would significantly reduce the financial barriers regarding my college education, allowing me to fully immerse myself in my studies and personal development. This support would mean a great deal to my family and I providing us with the opportunity to explore the various options available to further my education and ultimately help me reach my dream of becoming a registered nurse. In the future, I plan to pay this generosity forward through my career in nursing. I am passionate about providing compassionate care and support to those in need, and I believe that becoming a nurse will enable me to make a tangible difference in people's lives. I aspire to create my very own healthcare facilities in underserved communities where access to quality healthcare is limited, ensuring that everyone receives the care they deserve without the financial burden. Additionally, I hope to mentor aspiring nurses, sharing my knowledge and experiences to help them succeed in their careers. Although I have not lost a loved one, or faced discrimination regarding my race or religion, nor have I had a significant health issue, one life changing moment for me where I had to overcome adversity was when my family decided to move during the Covid-19 outbreak. I was living in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood before the move, and I had lived there all my life. I had many friends who I considered family and I was just about to enter the 8th grade. I begged my parents to allow me to stay for one more year just so that I would be able to graduate middle school with my friends, but we unfortunately ended up moving to then a predominantly white town. This experience was particularly challenging because I had to adapt to a new environment while coping with the isolation of remote learning. Making friends and connecting with teachers was extremely difficult. I felt so alone and out of place for a long period of time. However, I decided to take action by participating in remote school activities and joining online clubs. The friends I had made through that experience are also friends that I now consider family to this day. This whole experience taught me resilience, adaptability, and the importance of maintaining confidence in who you are. These skills have shaped me into a stronger individual and will continue to guide me in my future endeavors.

Unlike many, I was fortunate to learn the essentials of financial and credit literacy at home, setting the foundation of my financial journey, but my financial education was not taught by an expert but by a person who fell victim to the system, in other words, my father. My father spent most of his life working tirelessly for companies that paid him just enough to get by. He was caught in a system that seemed designed to keep him there, working long hours for little reward. It wasn’t until later in his life that he realized he had fallen victim to this system. Determined to break the cycle, he made a promise to himself that my brother and I would not make the same mistake. He instilled in us the importance of financial literacy and the knowledge to navigate a system that continues to trap him to this day. In the years that followed, my father made sure to teach my brother and I what he had learned the hard way, which was to be the gameplayer, not the pawn. He would constantly remind us to think outside the box, to dream bigger and better, to not just want to be a teacher, but to want to be a superintendent of an entire school district, to not just want to be a chef, but to be an owner of a multi-million dollar restaurant chain company. He also made sure that we knew how to budget, save, how not to spend more than you make, and how to manage credit wisely. We had conversations everyday all throughout my four years of high school discussing strategies and financial goals that would help my brother and I in our near future. It had become clear to me that my father had developed a lingering fear that when we grew up, we would struggle financially as much as he and my mother do, even now. That fear then had resulted in my fathers dedication to our financial education which has not only shaped our understanding of money but also instilled in us a sense of responsibility and independence. I plan to use what I've learned from my dad to better my future by applying the concept "be the gameplayer, not the pawn" to every single one of my decisions from here on out. With college right around the corner, I had been planning on majoring in kinesiology to become an athletic trainer, but I came to the realization that nursing would be a better fit for me because of the variety of specialties and the vast opportunities for growth in a nurses career, such as various leadership roles and even pursuing advanced education to get degrees such as Doctor of Nursing Practice or Master of Science in Nursing. With my nursing degree, I plan to start up my own nursing facility to care for patients inside the facility, but to also offer home healthcare for patients of all ages, all over the United States for a much lower cost. I will always remember to keep in mind the families who have also fallen victim to the system and whose loved ones need care, but oftentimes families simply can't afford it. I believe it will be a wonderful way to ensure individuals receive the support they need no matter the circumstances. My father's experiences and teachings have given me a unique perspective on the importance of financial education. I understand the struggles that come with financial instability and I am committed to applying my knowledge of finance to my goals and my future nursing career.

A person's name is the greatest connection to their own identity and individuality. When it comes to having the responsibility of naming a human being, it can definitely be stressful. That was exactly the case for my parents when it came to naming me. To make it easily on my parents they agreed on trying to come up with a “normal” name to avoid any sort of conflict such as potential bullying when I got older. As a result they came up with the name, Stephanie. My parents loved it, but my grandfather in the other hand, absolutely hated it. He hated the idea of his first granddaughter having the name Stephanie. He believed it was too basic. For that reason, he came with the name, Siara. According to FirstCryParenting.com, the name Siara is of Hindu origin meaning “unique”. But, to my family and I, it is actually a mix of some of my family members’ first letter of their first name. The first letter of my name, “S” stands for my older sister, Stacey. Since I was a child I had always looked up to her and to this day I thrive to be just as good as her, not only a sister, but as an independent and incredible woman. The second letter, “I”, stands for my mother, Ingrid. I love my mom more than anyone I know. She is my rock, my guardian angel, and my best friend. She is the most beautiful and loving person I know and I don’t know what I would do without her. The two “A’s” in my name stand for my great grandmother on my mom’s side of the family, Ana Teresa Bonilla. She was the mother of my grandpa. Unfortunately, I never got to meet both of them. The both passed years before I was born and my family doesn’t bring them up that much, therefore I don’t necessarily have any information on them. The “R” in my name stands for my father, Rommel. There is never a day that I am not grateful to have a dad like mine. He is the most selfless, dedicated, and compassionate person I know. I consider myself extremely lucky to have a father like him. My name is my identity, what people call me by, what I respond to, and it’s what I understand about myself. The name Siara holds a great amount of value to my family and to myself. It’s a representation of deep personal, cultural, familial, and historical connections. It’s a remembrance of those we lost and a celebration for those who are still with us. And In my opinion, Siara is the most important word in the world.