Iliana Arie Scholarship

Commencing at eighteen months, I’ve had eighteen facial reconstruction surgeries. Various surgeons refused to treat me as an infant. Subsequently, my mom joined the military, in search of a doctor who would. My Mom shielded me from the pain and tribulations from raising my brothers and I alone. Her extent of raising us to be strong, independent, productive members of society knows no bound. As I amassed numerous surgical scars, she pushed me to develop self-love and self-confidence, and it worked. This will later help me persevere through my own trials and tribulations. Some of these consisted of running for leadership positions, working full time while studying full time, and juggling the task of being a caretaker for my brothers. Every corner, there was a new obstacle for my Mom, but she always surpassed the hurdle with a little helper, me. As the eldest child, I realized early on that my responsibilities were endless - cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, all while caring for my brothers; but I never complained. I admired my Mom for working long hours to provide for my brothers and I. Seeing her work hard and persevere, I aspired to do the same. Instead, I focused on my academic success and volunteerism. Due to my academic excellence, I was invited to an all-expense study abroad in Barcelona last May. Arriving at the airport, many of the students have left the country, much less been on an airplane. This is when I unofficially became one of the designated leaders of the group of thirty students. Some people suffered from motion sickness, so I was ready with anti-nausea medication. On outings, others forgot their umbrella as the rain began to pour, I was prepared with a backup umbrella. It is in my nature to be a caretaker by helping others. Hence, my commitment to help those in my community. One of my upcoming goals is to join one of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo committees, whether this is helping raise funds for the student's art auction or helping service the Tejano day. My Mom has instilled in me to give back to my community, whether donating gifts for children during the Christmas season or having bags, readily available in my car, of mini bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and soap to give to homeless individuals. One of my ultimate goals is to give back to my community by creating an annual, recurring scholarship to help low-income students pay their way through their higher education.

Losing my mother at a young age was not easy. Neither was it watching my dad try to pick up all the pieces by himself. However, I could not let him do it on his own- my older brother and I had made the decision to step up. In addition to supplemental chores, we excelled at school to increase our scholarship opportunities to decrease financial strain on our father and were so blessed to have graduated Katy High school with honors and serving in our community though National Honor Society. Volunteering at Katy Christian Ministries regularly was always an amazing experience for me, and getting to know people in my community only grew my love towards them! Taking care of my younger brother was another opportunity I have been blessed with to help make our new family dynamic more cohesive while also allowing my dad to spend on other needs, rather than on after school care. I have loved watching my little brother grow into a young man who loves and cares for everyone around him in such a gentle way. I carry these memories with me the same way I cherish the memories I have of my sweet mother. Losing her so early in life has also taught me to love the people I have around me well and not take a single moment for granted by acting on every opportunity so that I do not look back in regret. With that said, I took a couple work opportunities that have helped me to stay afloat and help my dad financially, since he already does so much for me. I have worked as both a Resident Assistant for two years and a pharmacy technician while keeping a college semester GPA above 3.25. A lesson I have learned is to work diligently in an honest manner, and it will pay off no matter how difficult it may seem in the small and mundane tasks. Like Iliana, I enjoy many activities but primarily staying physically active. From my track days in high school until now as a senior- I have loved playing volleyball and soccer and recently pickleball! I found that it is a way to bring communities of people together - which is what I want to do with my career in public health. I want ro bring families and friends together by maintaining a holistic lifestyle through physical activity, healthy eating habits and caring for people's mental health.

On every college application, I say I have three parents. A mother, a father, and a stepmother. But that's not what it felt like as I was growing up. I didn't have an abundance of parental support, I had a 50% lack of it. While my dad married the woman who broke my family apart, my mom was left in ruins. I can't even blame a "homewrecker" for what happened to my childhood, the foundation of a home simply cannot be sustained when the man who helped build it never gave it his heart. If my father couldn't give my mother his heart, then how would he give it to the creation of their love? I stayed up countless nights, frustrated with my dad for how he left my mom and I. While him and his new life was filled with lavish houses, trips by airplanes, and other luxuries, my mom and I lived in a trailer park, and child support checks ended up supporting the both of us, even if it was the bare minimum. I always believed he could help us, though. On Christmas Eve in Chicago, my mom was driving me from our bad side to the pretty parts where my father lived. The ice on the roads was far too thick, and our beat-up car began to slide across the slippery grounds. She hit the brakes, a mistake we didn't realize, and we crashed into a mailbox, before ending up in a ditch. I wouldn't say that was the Christmas spirit. I was scared, my baby brother in the backseat, who would be dead had the car hit the mailbox at a slightly different angle, which would shatter all of the glass near his head. I begged my mom to call Dad, but she shook her head angrily. She knew what I would have to learn the hard way, over and over again. He didn't care unless he had to. And so, my life went on. I lived with my mom. We saw the lesser savory part of the world, always aware that things could be better, and our fate lied in the hands of a man who simply didn't realize this fact. On paper I may have three parents, but in my heart, I know only one who would go to the ends of the Earth for me, my mom, because she already has. For all of the jobs she worked, the pain she endured, the sleepless nights she wept, I have seen it. I want to take care of her when I'm older, by making sure she never has to sit at the kitchen table around midnight, surrounded by unpaid bills and utilities. It screws me over on my applications when my dad makes so much money that I can not qualify for aid, when in truth, I need it. Through scholarships which aim to help people like me, I see the good in the world, and I want to give back to it. I plan on funding scholarships when I'm older, visiting Title I schools and telling them my story and giving their schools donations. In a world where money changes so much, I want to use its power for good. When charity helps me, I will not be embarrassed about it. I simply want to pay it forward by helping little kids who were just like me.