My name is Emiliano, and I’m currently pursuing my MBA at the University of Oregon. I’m a first-generation college graduate and now a first-generation graduate student. Growing up in a low-income, minority household shaped my values around hard work, family, and community. Every opportunity I’ve had to get an education has meant something bigger than just getting a degree. It has been about opening doors for myself and others like me who are trying to do something more with their lives. My first language is Spanish. It’s the language I speak at home, the language I grew up hearing, and the language that connects me to my culture and family. Being bilingual has always been a big part of my identity, but it hasn’t always been easy. In school, I had to learn how to navigate everything in English while still keeping up with everything in Spanish at home. I remember being the one who translated things for my parents, filled out documents, and explained school-related stuff that they couldn’t understand. That role taught me responsibility early on, but it also came with pressure. It wasn’t just about learning English. It was about helping my whole family adjust and thrive in a world that wasn’t built with us in mind. One of the biggest challenges of being bilingual is constantly switching between languages and feeling like you’re never completely fluent in either. There were times when I didn’t feel confident speaking up in class or participating fully because I was second-guessing my words. There were also times when people underestimated my intelligence just because I had an accent or didn’t speak the perfect English they expected. That kind of judgment sticks with you. Despite the challenges, there are a lot of benefits to being bilingual. Speaking Spanish has allowed me to connect with people on a deeper level, especially in my community. I’ve been able to volunteer, mentor, and help others not just because I understand where they’re coming from, but because I can literally speak their language. It’s helped me become more culturally aware, more empathetic, and more adaptable. These are all skills I plan to carry with me as I move forward in my career. After graduation, I plan to use my MBA to help create opportunities for others, especially those from immigrant and working-class communities. Whether it’s through entrepreneurship, consulting, or building programs that promote economic empowerment, my goal is to give back. I want to use what I’ve learned to help families like mine not just get by, but build real stability and growth. Being bilingual isn’t just a skill. It’s a strength. It’s taught me how to navigate two worlds, how to communicate across cultures, and how to lead with empathy. I’m proud of where I come from and the language I speak, and I know it’s going to keep opening doors in ways I haven’t even imagined yet.

The American dream is what all migrants tell each other before they come to the US. For me, the American Dream is the belief that through hard work, persistence, and the right opportunities, anyone can build a better life for themselves and their families. It means being able to chase your goals without being limited by where you started in life. I’ve always seen the American Dream as something that should be within reach for everyone, but I’ve also learned that getting there is a lot harder for people who come from low-income backgrounds and underrepresented communities like mine. Growing up in a minority household with limited financial resources, I learned the importance of working hard from a young age. There were no shortcuts for us. Paying for school, supporting family, and planning for the future has always required extra effort. While some students can rely on financial aid or family savings, I’ve had to rely on private scholarships, side jobs, and long-working hours to make ends meet. Still I’ve never let that stop me. Instead it’s made me more focused and determined to succeed because I know how much is at stake. For me, the American Dream is also about using your journey to help others. During college, I mentored students who were going through similar struggles with school and life. I made time to answer their questions about college applications, shared resources for scholarships, and encouraged them to keep going even when things got tough. Helping someone find their path and believe in their future has been one of the most rewarding parts of my journey. It reminded me that the American Dream isn’t just about individual success. It’s about lifting others up along the way. Now, as a graduate student working toward my MBA, my goals are bigger than ever. I want to use what I’ve learned to create something that gives back to the community. Whether that’s through business, mentorship, or building programs that support underserved students, I want to be part of creating real change. The American Dream, to me, is not just about personal gain. It’s about creating a life where I can succeed and help others do the same. This scholarship would support more than just my education. It would support the future I’m trying to build—not just for myself, but for the people I hope to serve and inspire. I believe that with enough support, students from backgrounds like mine can redefine what success looks like and prove that the American Dream is still possible.

Education is important because it creates the advantage to a better life, in which for many people is not always available. For people like me, advancing in education is always a risk, and less of an opportunity because I have many people in my life who depend on me doing well. There were many times where I felt that college wasn't important, or needed, or useful, and it wasn't until I graduated that I fully felt that I chose the best route for myself in pursuing a degree. From being the first in my family to graduate, I have seen my younger cousins and family members have a shift in their mindset to also wanting to pursue a college degree. That feeling is better than all, seeing other people want to change their life because I did. Currently I am pursuing a graduate degree from the University of Oregon in accounting and finance. I have first hand seen how many people in my community are affected every year with their finances, with their taxes, because of how little information they know. I know that if I could be be someone important to help people in my community, in my race, that otherwise won't be able to help themselves than I know that ill be able to pay it forward. Eventually other people will start to go to college, and help their community, and that is my goal. education has brought value to me because it has gave hope to my parents, to my siblings, and to my community of immigrants that I reside by. People like me are always last, never wanted, and in our own shell just wishing to work and get through life. I knew that I had something to prove and education, a college degree, graduated early, proved that I could. A masters degree will go a long ways for me, but I know I won't stop there. A PHD program is what awaits for me, and after that I hope to become a professor to show my community that education is where we reside. I learned to use my hardworking skills in labor and use them as an advantage in education, and that has paid off more than anything else. Education, whether its highschool, college, or a masters degree, continues to excel in helping people gain an advantage in their life that would otherwise be difficult without. As a first generation high school graduate, college graduate, and currently first in my family to attend a masters program, education elevates your knowledge and your comfort in the world.

My name is Emiliano Ruelas Sosa, and I am undocumented. I recently graduated from Willamette University with a bachelors in Economics and business, and am currently working to pay for my tuition at the University of Oregon, where i’ll be in their MBA program. I am a first generation highschool graduate and college graduate, but my true hardship has always been being undocumented. Highschool became difficult for me when I was wanting to apply to college, and realized I didnt have a social security, which almost every important document required. This led me to stumble down a path of depression, and my stress grew so large that I began to have visions of giving up. All I could think about is how poor I am, I cant legally work, and now my bridge to a better future was closed. Through faith, and self determination I worked around legal systems and went to college. In college I had to work numerous jobs to pay for my tuition, oftentimes working two jobs while having a full schedule. Through my determination, I strived to be more engaged in my community, and joined numerous clubs and organizations to gain volunteering hours. Being undocumented has also given me the challenge of not having a driver’s license, in which I have had to either rely on city transportation to get to where I need to or simply just walk. This was also one of the main reasons why I chose to go to a university that was close to my home, for that transportation would not be as big of a problem as it was in high school. From being undocumented, I have learned that hard work and having faith are the necessities I need to accomplish my goals. My family is the reason I can go through all my hardships, because they are in the same problem as me and although sometimes I dont see them all day because we are all working, and we are tired by the time we get home, we still share the same happy thoughts knowing that all of our efforts will be worth it one day. From the obstacles we have overcome as a family and myself individually, I plan to use my education to give back to my family, and my community. I want to go into the financial field of business, managing businesses and expanding my knowledge in finance and accounting, where I can help my community in tax preparation and tax consulting on my free time. Hispanic people are the most likely to not receive a refund every year from taxes due to them not knowing how to properly file but are high taxpayers in the US. With the proper knowledge, I can help Hispanics in my community file their taxes while giving them proper tax advice so that they can see where their taxes are contributing to, and make sure they are receiving the most they can back. Aside from helping my community, I want to help my family and myself. No one in my entire family has ever graduated with a master's degree, and I plan to use that accordingly. Although I don't want to chase the money, out of fear that it will drain me from time spent with my family and friends, I do want to acquire the knowledge I can to land me in a position of a high-paying job. With a high-paying job, I can achieve my dream of owning a house, helping my parents with their mortgage, and getting my family out of poverty like they deserve to.