I grew up in the projects. Some may not know what that is, others may have predisposed opinions when hearing me say that. The projects is what we call assisted living. My parents aren’t the wealthiest, in fact, we may be the poorest. My father immigrated from his home country and my mother is hard of hearing. Growing up under such circumstances has made me realize how important money is and how financial literacy can liberate someone. While money may not buy you happiness, it can definitely get you more opportunities and change your life for the better, depending on how one uses it. I have just completed a financial literacy course through my high school. Not only did I ace the test but I learned so much valuable information that my parents could not have taught me. From taxes to Roth IRAs, I learned how we should not be slaves to money but control it and make it work in our favor. Because I grew up with little money, I never really cared for budgeting or investing. I knew that money went towards what we needed and, sometimes, what we wanted when money allowed. But, now that I have taken a course on the ins and outs of money, I plan to use this information I learned to help my parents out of the situation that they are drowning in. I plan to spend my money wisely and invest it in products that will make it grow overtime instead of stuffing it away in a savings account. My parents never learned what I learned. They never had the opportunities that I have at my disposal. Education working hand in hand with financial literacy can free us from the shackles of poverty. This cycle does not have to continue. The cycle of poverty can be broken by ingenuity, determination and education. My parents believe that there is no way out. That because we’ve been like this for so long, there is nothing we can do to get out of it. It is an inevitability. This can’t be farther from the truth. There is a way. Financial education is the way. I know that this information has changed my life and can also change the life of my family and get us out of the environment we are in. It is my sincere hope that this scholarship can aid in my strive to liberate my family and I.

My father came from Mexico back in the 1980s. It wasn't optional. He was enticed by his older brother who promised a better life for him in America. My father didn't want to go, he was just a fragile teenage boy. But, how was he going to say no to his older brother? How could he let him down? And so, he said yes. Life in the Americas proved difficult for a teenage boy with just his clothes. My dad was struggling, especially with the culture shock. But, he survived and before he knew it, he built a family. Growing up with my Mexican heritage helped me realize the importance of family and hard work. My father was always at work. He was one of those dad's who left early in the morning and came home late at night. He needed to, there were bills that constantly had to be paid. I saw this and adopted the lifestyle myself. If my dad was out working hard for our family, I should be doing the same. I worked tirelessly hard at school, managing to average a 4.1 GPA throughout my high school years. But, nothing triumphed over my family. My Mexican family always held monthly gatherings. We would be in the backyard, cranking up the corridos and enjoying each other's company. We knew how to party, that was for sure. The smell of carne asada filled my nose and the warmth of love coated my heart. While growing up with an immigrant family taught me hard work and the value of family, it has also shown me the financial hardships that those who are less fortunate go through. My dad was a hard worker, I won't deny that, but there were many times where our fridge was empty. There were many times where I looked around at my peers and yearned to be able to afford what they had. There were many times where the sound of gunshots filled the night air. I fought these circumstances and realized that it was up to me to create a better life for my Mexican family. This is why specialized scholarships like these are pertinent to my future. I know that no one in my family will ever be able to afford an advanced education. It is up to me to seek out these opportunities and keep my family afloat.

I never joined a sport my freshman year. I was plagued with the fear of failure and embarrassment. I was too scared to put myself out there and do something I’m not used to doing. I was scared to do something that requires discipline. But, I erased all of those ideas that bore no fruits in my life. I joined soccer my sophomore year. Looking back, I have learned incredible things that go beyond my footwork skills. My final year of soccer was cut short. I had an injury on the pitch. I was defending the ball when my ankle got caught and rolled over it, turning inward. It was immensely painful. A pain that I have never felt before. I didn’t cry. Maybe I was frozen in a state of shock. I tried to go on with my life, resting at home and not going to the hospital. But, I realized that staying home and healing on my own was not doing anything so I went to the hospital on my senior night. This decision was incredibly difficult. It was one that kept me away from one of the most special moments of my life. I was told that I had a sprain. That I would need to be on crutches for the next 2 weeks and off of my foot. It was an extremely difficult pill to swallow. That meant that I was no longer going to be able to play the sport I love. Those days of coming to practice with my spirits high and coming home with a satisfaction in my heart would no longer be a part of my life. This event helped me come to terms with the fact that life moves on. I now know that this experience taught me how to appreciate the abilities that were given to me that not everyone has. I was injured for two weeks but there are millions of people out there who have to deal with an impairment on a daily basis. To be able to look back and reflect on that was something so powerful and so life changing. Everyone talks about the physical aspect of an injury but no one talks about the mental challenges and battles that come with it. You learn healing at a profound level. That is the lesson I learned as a student-athlete, a lesson that will follow me off the pitch.

I grew up Christian. It plagued me for a while. My life was a constant battle of what I should and shouldn’t do. At an early age, my life was regimented. There were high expectations that I needed to achieve. And I did. But that only created resentment in my life. I resented myself for simply abiding. I resented my parents for being so strict on me. I resented Christianity for being so rigid. And I resented God because I thought this is what he wanted. This feeling of resentment carried on throughout my teenage years until my brother told me something that changed the trajectory of my relationship with God. “But isn’t that what God wanted from us? For us to abide by his rules in order for us to gain salvation?” I asked my brother. “Christianity at its core is the relationship with God that you have, not all of the deeds you do.” He replied. I was so entrapped by the notion that I’ve always held about Christianity that I never took time to see it from a different lens. But what he said was true, not everyone who does good deeds gets to enter the kingdom of God. It is those who are truly devoted to Him deep down in their hearts. My faith was able to help me realize this. It helped me overcome the obstacle I was facing in my spiritual journey. It was difficult for me. I always wanted to be a “perfect Christian” and when I didn’t feel that spark with God, I left Him. I stopped talking to Him. Stopped reading the Bible. Stopped going to church. But now, I know that my faith and love for God is always going to be there. Whether I purposefully forget to pray before I go to bed or if I accidentally get mad and yell at my mom, it doesn't matter if I am actively trying to change and actively seeking God in order to become the best version of myself. Many faith-led people struggle with this. They find a block in the road of their spiritual journey and immediately fold. They don’t know how to power through and so they give up because they think that this journey is about actions. It is not. It is about your heart. It is about your faith. This very notion of faith changed my life.

Growing up first generation and low income is not for the weak. From a young age, my life has looked so different from those of my peers. I never really understood why it was me who had to live through these circumstances. But, because I grew up first generation and from a low income background, the importance of education has been evident to me from the very beginning of my academic career. I grew up in the projects where gunshots were the soundtrack of the night. Along with this, there were many nights where I had to eat cereal for dinner because food was running low. I also found myself without internet to do my work on more than one occasion. What students used as excuses was my reality. I knew that my way out of these circumstances was through my education. I worked hard from the very beginning of school because no one at home had the means of helping me. As I entered high school, this strive for better was exacerbated. I enrolled in my first ever AP classes where I competed against affluent peers who have been doing this since their elementary years. In my Junior year of high school, this hard work paid off when I was admitted into New Jersey SEEDS, a college preparatory program for low income, high achieving students. I knew this program was going to be my path to a high-rank college where I will get my degree and make my plan a reality. This degree will help me elevate my education so I can in turn help my parents get out of the cycle that they thought they would never be able to get out of. I am passionate about helping those who know what it is like not knowing if you were going to be financially secure. For those who felt ashamed telling others about their family's living situation. Along with this passion for change, I have a deep love for learning; I spend my free time researching the young mind. I work at a daycare which helps me see my research first hand. I know that my circumstances were less than desirable but I also know that what happens to me does not matter, it is what I do with what happens to me. After the hurricane you have to find the resources to build your house back up. This is why a degree is extremely important to me and will help me pursue my passion while also liberating my family and I from this vicious cycle.

I was never an athletically gifted child. In fact, my days consisted of sitting on the couch, watching YouTube, and eating a bag of chips along with a large chocolate chip cookie. I never really cared for physical exertion, my health or athleticism. I let the moments stagger by, letting the pleasure exuded by the added sugars cloud my logical thinking. That was until my doctor told me the alarming truth at my annual physical check up. "You're on the brink of obesity at such a young age. You need to cut down on eating unhealthy foods and begin an exercise program." My doctor's words were like a hand slapping me in the face. He was right though. My lifestyle was taking me nowhere. My relationship with food was like a whirlpool dragging me in with nowhere to go, no way to escape. It was time for me to make a dire change. After my doctor shared that alarming insight with me, I changed my eating habits and enrolled in soccer. I don't know why out of all sports I chose soccer. Something gravitated me to the sport. From time to time, my family would watch Lionel and Cristiano on television and something about the moves and sportsmanship fascinated me completely. I fell in love with it and, looking back, would not have chosen any other sport. Not only has soccer helped me reach my physical goals, it helped me fight overthinking, it helped me find discipline and it proved to me that I was able to do whatever I set my mind to. Soccer ignited a love of fitness in my life. I began to go on weekly runs and worked out 5 days a week, losing 30 pounds in 1 year. It was liberating. Outside of the gym, I pushed myself to do my school work to the best of my ability. I began to get closer to my faith and stopped making excuses. I began to push myself to do things that made me uncomfortable like public speaking because I knew that one action can change the course of my life. Because soccer solidified such a mindset in me, I'm looking to study psychology in college. This will help me delve into the mental aspects of sports and how they can motivate people to become the best version of themselves. I’m looking to empower other people to fight impulsive behavior and find who they truly are. Soccer has blessed me with more than just a good foot. It has blessed me with friendships that will continue outside of high school, a drive that has no ending, a set career goal and a fire in my heart to continue becoming the best version of myself, physically, mentally and academically.