Charles Cheesman's Student Debt Reduction Scholarship

My name is Olivia and like many of us in the POC community I had to grow up quickly. I am a second-generation U.S. citizen as my grandmother immigrated to the U.S at the age of 16 with her mother. I had a single mother who worked hard and sacrificed her education to provide for her family. I come from a long line of strong women, who fought for a better life for the generations to come. These women have taught me invaluable lessons. However, there is one lesson I apply in every aspect of my life: you only lose when you give up. I firmly believe it to be true, no matter how many times I stumble or fall in life, I can't lose if I keep getting up. I'd say this lesson applies most to my education. I've had two jobs consistently since I was 17 and sometimes even three at a time during my college career. As a first-gen student working 40+ hours a week typically doesn't leave a whole lot of energy for homework or assignments. I am not afraid to admit that I wanted to quit. I was tired,making money already; what did I need this degree for? I had to remind myself of my goals. I view college as a way to improve yourself and experience perspectives from many different walks of life. You don't get that by staying in the same circle doing the same thing every day, once you are exposed to the outside world you realize it's much bigger than you. My degree allowed me to study abroad in Singapore which is a melting pot of cultures, it took my worldview to another level. My degree in International Relations required a foreign language; I grew up in Texas, everyone thought I was insane for choosing to study Mandarin. I'll tell you when I knew I was on the right path. I was working as a waitress in a Cajun restaurant. One day we got a group of Chinese tourists in my section, as I walked up I could hear them discussing the menu and trying to figure it out, long story short they were very confused. When I opened my mouth and answered their question in Mandarin, you could have heard a pin drop in the short bout of silence . All of a sudden they all smiled and spoke at once very excitedly, I could hear the relief and joy in their voices, and that's when I knew. It was something small, but I could see the impact. That feeling I get when I help someone is what I live for, in pursuit of this I have become a student of people. Through community services such as volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club, soup kitchens, and women's shelters I learn people's stories and struggles which allows me to become a better resource to help. This overall goal to be of service has also driven my career. I currently work for a health and wellness company whose main objective is to get people (specifically those in blue-collar industries) out of pain and give them a higher quality of life. Because this mission aligns with my own I have been empowered to develop and implement initiatives that enable the company to help even more people, for example, a diagnostic system that highlights areas of improvement for current programs. This scholarship would enable me to pay down my debt, giving me the freedom to redirect my time and resources to my ultimate mission of being of service and uplifting my local communities.

I am a first-generation student who came from Ghana to the United States five years ago to join my family and pursue my education. My mother, a single parent supporting three children in college, has sacrificed constantly for us. I am the oldest of the three, and I do not take that responsibility lightly. I always strive to do my best with any task assigned, as I aim to set an example for everyone. By everyone, I mean myself, my younger siblings, my cousins still in Ghana, my grandparents who raised me, and all the relatives and friends who continue to support and pray for my well-being while I am here. I developed an interest in neuroscience after watching a movie about Dr. Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon whose life story resonated with me. His humble beginnings and accomplishments inspired me to pursue neuroscience, a field where I’ve excelled. Now a senior at Binghamton University, I am majoring in neuroscience and following the pre-med track. Through hard work and God’s grace, I’ve made meaningful strides toward fulfilling medical school requirements while pursuing my passion. In the Chapman Lab, I study age and hypertension-induced hippocampal vascular dysfunction and its impact on learning and memory. My work includes behavioral experiments like the Morris water maze to assess spatial memory in rats and manage tasks such as rat tail banding and weighing procedures. I have always cared for people, and I have a special place in my heart for the elderly, whom I view as very wise. Since childhood, I’ve felt deeply connected to their well-being, from crying whenever I saw my grandmother in pain to helping elderly strangers cross the street, even when they might not have needed assistance. Joining the American Red Cross at Binghamton University allowed me to extend this care to more people while accruing volunteering hours. I currently serve as the Health Initiative Coordinator where I organize volunteer efforts at the Johnson Senior Center to provide health and wellness presentations. I enjoy the bingo and Jeopardy games we play afterward and have made great friends there. Recently, I volunteered at an elementary school’s Harvest Dinner, where serving food and sharing in laughter reinforced my desire to bring joy to others through service. This summer, I was blessed to serve as an intern for an internal medicine specialist, where I gained shadowing experience. I learned so much from my doctor and the advice shared by his patients not only enriched my understanding of medicine but also strengthened my relationship with God. I will always be grateful for these moments of wisdom and growth. No matter the financial burdens my family has faced, God has delivered us time and again. My family recently faced the possibility of eviction and is relocating to Long Island. My brother, unable to secure a loan for college, had to drop out, and my sister’s dream of boarding was compromised for similar reasons. My mother suggested transferring to a local community college in my senior year, but I know I cannot give up. I remain motivated to find ways to fund my education and even more so for my MCAT preparation. I am applying for scholarships and pursuing a CNA position to care for people while saving for my future. Funds from the Charles Cheeseman Student Debt Reduction Scholarship will ease my family’s financial burden, keep me in school for my last semester, and keep me focused on MCAT preparation. I know the road ahead won’t be easy, but I’m determined to continue moving forward with faith that things will eventually fall into place.

I was born and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As a first-generation student, my family did not really have any idea on how to help send me to seek a higher education. I began working to save for my education when I was 16 years old. It was incredibly difficult, but I managed to maintain a job through my entire undergrad experience and was able to pay for most of school out of pocket or through scholarships. I was still left with some debt of about $14,000 that I am working to pay off as quickly as possible while continuing my education. I earned my Bachelor's degrees in criminal justice with a forensic studies focus and biology with a pre-med focus from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. I currently work as a dermatopathology lab technician at a Colorado based dermatology clinic and as a STEM tutor at my local community college. My job as a lab tech has helped me to realize more about what I enjoy about working in the medical field. I have loved learning that medicine is a collaborative discipline and that every person has an impact on patient care/treatment, even without direct patient contact. As a lab tech, I gross the human specimens that we receive in the clinic and help with the histological processing of the tissue so that it can be viewed microscopically by the practice’s pathologists. This job has allowed me to gain the hands-on experience that I need for my future career goals as a Pathologist’s Assistant. As a STEM tutor, I work with diverse student populations to increase their understanding of course materials. Through my job as a tutor, I get to make a positive impact on students and their learning. I have been lucky enough to help many students find a passion for science, with many of them moving on to complete bachelor’s degrees in fields such as biology, neuroscience, and nursing. These jobs have shown me the different avenues that I can take as a science professional and have motivated me to seek a Master’s in microbiology and cell science with a concentration on medical microbiology and biochemistry from the University of Florida (UF), with hopes of gaining more experience in clinical research and STEM education. I also aim to enter into a Pathologist's Assistant Master's program so I can follow my goals of working in a forensic lab and make a positive impact on my community's health and wellness. All I want to do with my degrees is to be a passionate scientist that inspires others to also pursue their science goals, while helping to serve my patients and community. Graduate school will not be cheap, especially as I have plans to pursue multiple Master’s level degrees, and I still have some outstanding debt from my undergrad degrees. If I was given this scholarship, I would be able to save some money from my loan repayment so I could save for my future. My plan is to pay off my Master’s from UF as I go, so any amount of money that I could use to apply to my existing debt would also help to reduce any need to borrow and keep me from increasing my overall school debt. My overall goal is to pursue a better financial future for myself by putting the extra money into a savings account/emergency fund for any unplanned expenses, paying off existing debt so that I may be officially debt free earlier in my life, and saving for any life experiences that I plan to pursue in the future.

I am proud of being a Hispanic first-generation college student. My journey through education has been both challenging and rewarding. Growing up, I have watched my parents make personal sacrifices which provided me with opportunities they never had. They instilled in me values such as hard work and being persistent; surely these are qualities that I lived by in doing my own thing. I would like to become a neonatal nurse with special emphasis on infant care whose parents are addicted. To me, this is not more than a career, but some sort of personal mission driven by experiences and a passion to touch vulnerable lives. As a student at high school, I always volunteered in serving at a local hospital. It was there that I realized the impact compassionate care would have on a patient's life. Each family struggled emotionally and physically, being torn asunder by their pain, something which reminded me to reflect on my family's struggle with addiction. My father, who over many years has struggled with alcoholism, stands as a sober reminder of the support and intervention that families need when in the grip of substance abuse. This personal experience has driven me to help break the cycle of addiction and allow infants and their families to receive the much-needed care during critical times in their lives. Throughout my academic pursuit, I have always strived to ensure a high GPA while balancing part-time jobs to keep myself afloat. Currently, I attend school for my nursing degree, where I have excelled in my studies and further honed my patient care and advocacy skills. I actively serve through community initiatives, most of them consisting of organizing health fairs with a concentration on mental health and addiction awareness. This has allowed me to work directly with my community to work towards breaking down some of that stigma and bring more awareness to these essential issues. The Charles Cheesman Student Debt Reduction Scholarship would significantly help alleviate the burden of financial stressors associated with my education. Tuition and living expenses are increasingly on the rise, and student debt seems insurmountable. This scholarship would allow me to devote more time to my studies and less to concerns about finances. I could then take more clinical opportunities that better enhance my training and experience. Additionally, it would allow me to save and invest in my future. I want to use that money to help alleviate my student loans so that I can graduate with less debt and a clearer trajectory toward financial independence. It will be a personal relief, allowing me the ability to continue giving back to my community through service and mentorship. All in all, I am deeply committed to becoming a neonatal nurse and giving healing care to infants and families suffering from addiction. The Charles Cheesman Student Debt Reduction Scholarship would support my pursuit in making my dreams come true without having any financial burdens weigh me down. It is my desire to inspire others, and this scholarship would mean the opportunity for me to do so, while being sure that my focus is on pursuing excellence in my nursing career.

Born and raised in North Philadelphia, I have witnessed generational curses, murders, drug usage, homelessness, criminal violence, and gun violence. It is normalized that seeing such traumatic events is a part of life. Not fully comprehending or suppressing traumatic events only lets rumination occur. I experienced traumatic childhood experiences, such as molestation, being raised in a domestic violence household, and having an incarcerated father. Each one of those things greatly impacted who I am today. As a sexual assault survivor, I know loneliness, shame, and silence feels. I learned the power, worth, and autonomy of my body. Being raised in a domestic violence household, I realized that violence is not an expression of love. Having an incarcerated father taught me how to become responsible, dependable, and self-sufficient to support my mother and brother. All of those things shaped me into the person that I am today. Facing adversities impacted my decisions in education and career goals. My mindset in undergraduate school was: I am fortunate to thrive beyond my obstacles, and I want to assist others in succeeding too. That mindset is continuous in my drive to succeed. In May 2022, I graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Africology and African American studies. After graduating, I decided to explore new opportunities and career paths opened by my new degree. Concluding numerous interviews, I received an offer for a position as a Crisis Advocate at Women Organized Against Rape. My role is to provide support to victims/survivors of sexual assault. I provide check-in calls, medical/ forensic exam accompaniment, group services, and follow-ups. My role is to assist victims/ survivors in getting to the next step of individual trauma counseling. I have grown to love my work and invested in joining the next phase of the victims'/survivors' journey, which is healing and therapy. In August 2023, I am beginning a graduate program to obtain a Master of Science in Community & Trauma Counseling with a concentration in Trauma, Addictions, and Recovery Concentration. There is a demand for more individuals like myself who are willing to be committed, compassionate, and understanding to make a change. I have hope for my community and those who have experienced traumatic and life-changing events like myself. There is redemption in their stories, and their trauma does not have to be the conclusion of their journey. As I embark on my educational journey, I am taking steps toward my career aspirations to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). I want to become an LPC to provide mental health services to individuals, families, and groups in treating trauma, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional problems and disorders. As an LPC, I would give client-centered services rather than primarily illness-centered ones. Ultimately the goal would be to have healthy and sustainable individuals by addressing their mental health and trauma. I would step toward financial security by obtaining Charles Cheesman's Student Debt Reduction Scholarship. As I embark on my graduate school journey, I will work as a full-time student and Crisis Advocate. With the scholarship, I could use saved money to satisfy a financial need: books, supplies, or tuition. Also, with the saved money, I advance financially in my savings, checking, and investing accounts. Ultimately, it would support me in becoming financially secure.

My name is Heidi Cervantes, and I am currently a full-time Research Scientist for the Department of Molecular Pathobiology at New York University (NYU). Before starting my current employment, I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Forensic Science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN in 2021. During my time there, I worked as a Research Technician for the Purdue University Center for Cancer Research (PCCR) for all four years where I worked on developing and performing multidisciplinary therapeutic cancer studies in mice. Working here allowed me to gain significant hands-on experience and insight into the complex topics of the coursework I was pursuing. Before the start of my junior year, I also started working for the Purdue Davidson School of Chemical Engineering as a Science Communication Assistant where I disseminated school related scientific news through photography, writing, video, and other multimedia assets. Upon graduating, I started my employment at NYU working in an academic research laboratory. Here, I research Slit3, a protein necessary for regulating the function of brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis and its subsequent effects of ameliorating obesity-induced diabetes. I'm very proud of the work that I am doing as it has the ability to positively impact the 11.3% of US population that suffers from diabetes. Although I love my job and its potential to make a real impact in the scientific community, I don't want to stop here. I plan on pursuing a master’s degree in Recombinant DNA Technology through the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Sciences concurrently with my employment. Working for NYU allows me to obtain my master’s degree debt free as I continue working full time. Although pursuing this degree in two years while working full time is ambitious, I’m confident in my ability to do so as it brings me closer to my dream job working for the US Government through biological research where I will be able to make a difference in how our government works by influencing policy related to environmental and biological issues. Being debt free while pursuing higher education I will allow me to make this dream my reality. Working two jobs while being a full-time first-generation student was very challenging and required a lot of self-discipline, but doing so allowed me to pay off one of high interest private loans. However, even after paying off one of my loans, I’m still left with $40,000 of debt, both privately and federally held, which I continue to chip away at to combat compound interest. After rent, student loan repayment is my largest expense which prevents me from saving more money than I would like. Growing up in the lower class as an only child with a single mom, money was never a guarantee and was a constant stressor in my mom’s life. As an adult, I hope to actively pursue a better financial future for myself. It’s increasingly vital in today’s economy to have an emergency savings in case of unplanned expenses, by paying down my student loan debt, I would be able to save more rigorously to ensure I’m protected in the event I need it. I would also be able to reallocate that money to put more towards the rest of my student loans so that I can live a debt free future faster. Being debt free opens numerous doors and relieves a substantial amount of stress allowing myself the opportunity to start the next phase of my life and start planning for what is truly important.

As an African American female physician assistant student, this scholarship would help me to continue my studies. Personally, diversity in medicine is important as a future healthcare provider because each patient is unique. The recognition of our differences including race, class, gender, and religious beliefs provides a holistic approach to patient care. Diversity brings new ideas and varying perspectives, which in turn, creates opportunities for challenges to be approached from new angles. I am currently a second-year Physician Assistant (PA) student on my journey to becoming a primary care family medicine provider in low-income communities. The role of the PA is a collaborative and supportive role. PA's help aid in bridging gaps in medicine by increasing access to healthcare for populations most in need. In order to bridge these gaps in providing care, a health care provider must be active and aware of the challenges patients face based on their demographics and community. This allows for a provider-to-patient relationship while creating opportunities to help educate the community on how to stay healthy. As an African American female and first-generation college student, representation through diversity and equality in medicine are topics that I am truly passionate about. Working in healthcare through the COVID-19 pandemic has taught me how to be able to relate and understand patient needs and enabled me to better provide an array of services to better help them, and I’m grateful to be a part of aiding in the solution. My passion has been to meet the needs of patients since COVID-19 cases started to rise. It is important that patients continue to have access to and remain compliant on the use of their maintenance drugs for chronic diseases during social distancing. I have seen that prescription delivery options have helped patients stay compliant so that they wouldn’t have to leave the comfort of their homes. Additionally through my telemedicine doctor visits online training in PA school I have gained an appreciation for 24/7 helplines for our patients to call in with clinical questions to help indicate telltale signs of what warrants an emergency room visit. Our PA problem has also been effective in our curricula by learning the importance of communication with our patients to help reduce healthcare disparities within our communities by starting to address certain stigmas. In doing so we can help our patients be more informed about COVID-19. During this pandemic, I have reflected on my own family members, especially the elderly who are immunocompromised and have a hard time getting around. Despite troubling times, it has been nice to know that there have been services implemented and dedicated to making life a little bit easier. For example, my paternal grandmother who lives in Virginia has a hard time traveling by herself due to health issues, the realization that her healthcare providers and local pharmacy make sure that she has a consistent full supply of medication without her having to leave the comfort of her home has been a huge relief. My grandmother has been battling cancer for over 20 years and she is one of the reasons I chose this journey as a PA student. Working in healthcare during this time allows us to be able to provide our patients with options when it seemed as though options were nonexistent due to social distancing. Upon graduation of PA school, I believe I can bring the importance of community service outreach to help better the quality of life of patients by knowing the importance of creating options and alternatives during troubling situations.

My name is Edward Trejo, and I'm 24 years old and from El Paso, Texas. Being from one of the country's largest border cities and having one of the greatest Hispanic populations. My father is originally from Juarez, Mexico, and my mother is from Georgia State. I adore reading literature from many sources, such as books, journals, and so on. I also have a strong interest in science, notably biochemistry, and knowing how life works fascinates me. I have unique problems, such as my unilateral deafness on my left side from birth and my tiny red blood cell size. Loud noises and vigorous activities have physically tested me since the time I became aware of myself. However, it hasn't kept me down from my long walks and short sprints daily. I continue to live my life as fully as possible without letting disabilities keep me down. In my educational pursuits, I first started in a 4-year program of Pre-engineering in high school, followed by one year of Electrical Engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso. I switched from engineering, however, to biochemistry my major instead. Coming this Spring 2023, rather quite soon, I will be graduating with a BS in Cellular and Molecular Biochemistry with Honors. My education however is not done yet, as I have been accepted into a doctorate program in Pharmacy starting in Fall 2023. I'm quite excited to start my career as a Pharmacist and likely afterward to join academic research, once I'm satisfied with clinical experience. Over the course of my life, I want to eventually become a top authority in the field of pharmaceuticals, leading to cheaper and more effective drug therapies and treatments as the field advances. For my local community, I participated in volunteer work with the University early on, during my freshman year as I knew what I wanted to do with my life after witnessing the effects of narcotic abuse here. Being the major port of entry for illegal drugs and the lasting effects they cause on users and their families is heartbreaking. Free local checkups and local food drives have been the two main activities I have participated in. Once I get my license, I fully intend to give back in the form of hosting sessions for public drug information and collaborating with practicing mds. My major accomplishments are certainly more personal however I believe it has merit. As I mentioned earlier, I am graduating with honors (>3.5 GPA) and worked in my last two semesters in one of my professors' labs studying giardia lamblia and the development of non-toxic and non-resistant drug combinations for both uses in humans and animals. The paper is still under review and going through revisions at the current time. Graduate school will not be cheap, and I have outstanding debts already with federal loans. In the case, I can save some money from repayment I would do a few things. I would save for the future: Putting the extra money into a savings account/emergency fund for any foreseeable accidents. Additionally, I would plan for long-term goals like purchasing a house or plan for ahead in retirement. Paying off other debt faster is a more likely option to be debt-free as soon as possible to save on interest payments. Lastly, I would like to use the money to do some activities with my family such as a small trip or donate it locally here. Thank you for reading my short biography and I hope that you and your family have continued great health!

I have always aspired to be a judge growing up because I loved to see how much a change these leaders make in a community. I come from Brooklyn, NY where crime is at an all-time high and I have always strived to go a separate route. There are many hardships that I've faced on a daily basis to defer me from greatness. Some were the lack of resources at my school and others were the excessive amount of gang and gun violence I had to work through. I feel that seeing the outcome of the individuals in my community has often left me discouraged with no hope. One day, it dawned upon me that mental illness is a huge factor in the failure of my community and I have to do something about it. Especially since I've watched my mother combat depression growing up. I will eventually become a Forensic Psychiatrist in the future regardless of how long it may take me. Luckily, I have always been a strong individual and I never let anything come in the way of my success. I was determined enough to manage to receive an Associate's Degree at age 17 before my high school diploma. While juggling between high school and college classes, I also made time to give back to my community. During the start of Covid-19 up until my graduation, I was dedicated to tutoring children who needed the extra help but couldn't afford it. I would help children with their homework and broke down difficult topics. I assisted my local NYPD Community Center by handing out masks to people in my community and informed them on how to stay Covid-Free. In addition to that, I helped out at the pantry that my grandmother's church hosted in order to give back essentials during a great time of need. Since I knew paying for college was going to be a determining factor in my success, I did everything in my power to save my mother from expenses. Unfortunately, after receiving all the scholarships that I could have possibly received, I still ended up in debt of about $25,000. Due to this, I have decided that I will have to defer from my education and transfer to a SUNY school so that I can lessen any future debt. With the money I save by paying down my student loans, I will save as much as I can in order to invest in medical school. Hopefully, by then I will find some way to pay it off but if not, I will work as hard as I can to take borrow the least amount of money. I have discovered a program that SUNY offers for pre-med students like myself. I hope to be admitted so that I can have the highest chance of someday getting into med school and pursuing my career. As, of right now, I am very proud of all I have accomplished at the age of 18 and I am sure there is more to come.

My name is Roland Davis and I am attending The University of Texas at Austin studying Finance with a certification in Computer Science. I am involved in several organizations on campus ranging from the University Chess Team, Heman Sweatt Center for Black Males, founded an investing group, co-founded an NFT project, and am currently en route to joining a fraternity. I try to keep myself occupied around campus but things will start to slow down soon when I begin my Spring 2022 internship at a tech startup here in Austin. I'm a first-generation student and an only child, so everything that I've endured and found out in the last 3-4ish years about college, internships, resumes, interview processes, etc, has been on my own accord. I wouldn't have even been able to attend college at all if I hadn't received scholarships in high school, so I've paved the way for myself and am thankful that I've made it this far. I set a goal my freshmen year in college to graduate with a 3.80+ GPA and as I ease into my senior year with a ~3.71, I'm gonna do the best I can to finish near my goal. And with that academic goal, I've also made goals to be more extroverted to an extent/social, construct better study habits (has improved greatly since high school), and just try to let a good number of people see and experience who I am as a person in, arguably, the most interactive time of my life. I aspire to live a life that no one in my family has built for themselves yet and hope to make my parents and most importantly, myself, proud of everything that comes with that. I plan to graduate with my degree next year, work in banking, start aggressively investing, and start to financially stabilize myself at a young age. This scholarship would help me start reaching my financial goals while I am still in school, which is something I never thought would be possible. Being presented with a scholarship of this magnitude would allow me to start paying my loans off immediately and pay off a huge portion before I graduate next year. I know how interest works on loans, how people are still paying them off in their mid to late years of life, how it sometimes takes years before people even start touching their principal balance, etc. I've always hated loans with a passion and every time I think of them my mind always wanders back to the times I had with my dad my freshman year in high school. I would always ask him how I was going to pay for college, and loans were his solution always. This constantly frustrated me and forced me to fund my schooling myself by either saving or acquiring scholarships, and that's exactly what I pushed myself to do. If I were presented with this scholarship and able to save a bit of my money, I would definitely just use it to stock up on food/pay rent a lot faster monthly, help my family, and invest whatever is remaining. Being a finance major, I've gradually let personal finance, investing, and financial literacy, in general, consume my life -- all for the best of course. This scholarship would allow me to prioritize and fixate attention on the things in life that matter to me the most: family, health, and finances. I think everyone deserves to have those three areas stable in their life and this aid would be the first step in touching these areas for me in a major way.