When I was a young child I didn’t think I was different than any other kids until I started school. It became clear to me that my family was unique because I only spoke Spanish at home, we didn’t go out to eat, and my mom was not interested in taking me to other children’s birthday parties. As I grew older the stark differences between me and my peers became more evident and I at times struggled heavily with these differences while sometimes the differences were joyful. I am now an adult with three children who I hope to shelter from some of the difficulties I faced growing up. Speaking Spanish at home is a blessing. That’s what I say now. When I was younger though, I would get upset because my family couldn’t help me with my homework assignments specifically language arts, science, and history. This in turn would give me anxiety about going to school because I would inevitably be made fun of for “not being smart” or for being pulled aside by my teacher for extra help. I just wanted my parents to be able to help me. Things were exacerbated when my brother was diagnosed with autism and one of the issues presented was his extreme difficulty in navigating two languages when he could barely navigate one. My mom was and still is a firm believer in eating what she cooks at home. Again, I appreciate this now because I love her cooking but when I was a child I wanted to go out for the school pizza night or experience a new cuisine. This wasn’t something we could do even if my mom wanted to because we were indigent. It took me well into the later years of elementary school to realize that because my mom tried to shelter me from that reality. Was my mom being anti social in not taking me to birthday parties? No. She didn’t speak English, didn’t have money for presents, and was uncomfortable around different cultures from her own. Did I think she was antisocial? Yes. I was a kid and didn’t understand any of this because I was simply told “no we can’t go” and that was the end of the conversation. I love my parents. I love that I was taught to respect them and that they tried to shelter me from our reality although at the time I really thought my parents disliked me. The shift in my perspective has opened my eyes to how I see the world. I now try to see things from the perspective of others and try hard to empathize instead of criticize. Some of my children’s friends are in similar situations that I was in when I was a child so I try to include them in activities that are inclusive to foster friendships and connections. This scholarship will assist me in finishing my degree debt free so I can continue my work in helping others in my community, primarily disadvantaged youth.

If it weren’t for my faith in the Lord through troubled times in my life, I would not be here to write to you today. Being a child of Hispanic immigrant parents who separated when I was just three years old made life difficult in ways only others in my position would understand. My father and mother are not Christian but were raised in the Catholic traditional household growing up. They did not raise me on a firm foundation grounded in Christ but through God’s will I became a follower in high school. Ten years after I graduated high school I would be baptized and be born again in the Lord. Two years after I was baptized, I became paralyzed from the neck down due to a multiple sclerosis exacerbation. My faith alone kept me hopeful that I would fulfill God’s plan how he wanted me to. My medical team was afraid I would become depressed and suicidal due to a suicide attempt when I was a child. It took me two years to regain full function of my legs and arms. My handwriting is now better than my teenage sons scribble and I’m proud of it. Thankfully I use computers, tablets, and cellphones for my job on a daily basis. God leads me everyday in my personal and work life. I work in a way to honor him by not cutting corners, remaining ethical, and having a soft heart towards coworkers and customers who are not always the kindest. If I am going to share my story about what God has done for me and why it is so important to have a relationship with him, I should model that relationship to others. This has opened doors for me to share stories of the Bible that relate to others and being relational when speaking of my faith. My next season in life is calling me to the career field of Human Resources where I will be in a position to guide management and employees through both exciting and difficult times. My hope is that in building relationships with my team people will be more open to asking me how I remain hopeful in life during difficult times where I can then share my faith. With this scholarship I will be able to purchase textbooks for my last two semesters and move onto the next season in life without incurring debt for my family.

Serving my community is something I do because I have been the recipient of servitude from strangers before. I know what it’s like to come from a broken home and to struggle with food insecurity. I do what I can to help coworkers, citizens, youth, and church members with meaningful acts of servitude. Helping someone fill out a job application online, unloading food from delivery trucks at food pantries, or volunteering to provide childcare for foster children are all examples of everyday actions that help others that I am involved in. In this juncture of my life I am unable to provide financial assistance to others but I can use my qualifications, physical labor, and time to help others. My diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was issued in summer of 2012 but the symptoms started a year earlier. Fighting this disease while working full time, raising three boys, and trying to reach my goals has been frustrating and rewarding. I have learned how to see the beauty in life even when I’m unable to move my body. Understanding that life as we know it can change in an instant has given me a new perspective on life and a new appreciation for the small things. Having the ability to walk, swallow, and have the dexterity to use a calculator are all things I once took for granted. I work full-time for an aviation authority where I coordinate public events to engage kids in the field of aviation. Many kids in our community are unaware of opportunities that exist for aviation mechanics, pilots, and other related fields available to them through scholarships and grants. My job is to connect kids to these opportunities and encourage them to pursue educational tracks in aviation. Scholarships help me self pay for books, tuition, and lab fees. Currently my employer reimburses me for tuition only so I have to pay for everything upfront and wait for reimbursement after grades have posted. I pay for much of my educational expenses with a credit card therefore I pay interest that is not reimbursable. Scholarships would assist in the costs not reimbursed by my employer. I have considered student loans however I am afraid that if I am ever permanently disabled or out of work, these loans would carry forward in the event of a bankruptcy filing. I would like to work in Human Resources where I can assist employers in creating balanced work environments for employees that benefit the employer and employees alike. I enjoy helping others in finding the help that is needed or providing the help myself. Thank you for reading my essay.

I have helped my community through volunteer work with at risk youth, Medicaid funded nursing homes, clean-up efforts in low-income housing areas, and with providing homeless networking assistance. What drives me to serve others is my background as I was raised by immigrants who only spoke Spanish with low-incomes and no emergency savings accounts to help us when we found ourselves in financial crisis. My mother and father separated when I was a toddler, forcing my mother to work multiple jobs while finding programming to assist her with childcare for my brother and I. I appreciate her dedication to raising us and was able to see that not all youth are afforded the same support from their parents and/or guardians. I also grew up realizing that not all families had two incomes, a stable living arrangement, or sober families. I find that assisting parents and guardians in finding free or low cost childcare is essential in a household being able to have two income streams. Financial stability along with mental health stability is important for a family foundation. From this basic foundation families can be assisted in obtaining housing, career training, and more. Assisting homeless adults in connecting with resources for mental health counseling, food pantries, and basic services provides some of the tools needed to bridge the gap into a stable home environment. Having stable home with stable job allows people to grow spiritually, focus on family or personal goals, and give back to the community as well. Every year that a person of working age is not contributing to social security taxes results in less money being earned at retirement age which contributes to a perpetual cycle of poverty that can be passed down to the next generation. I would like to help people break that cycle of poverty. My goal is to assist as many people from age zero to death in obtaining healthcare, food, financial stability, housing, career placement and/or training, nursing home placement, and anything else that maybe needed. Helping people doesn’t stop when they are financially stable because every stage of life has its challenges. We are called to serve one another and that is what I am doing and will continue to do. With a college education in human services I will be able to continue my work in serving the community in better ways than I am now. Thank you for reading my essay.

It is a big deal for my family to be here and to have children who have been able to prosper on their own in a foreign country. We have learned a new language, learned new traditions, and new laws, and made new friends. The most challenging part has been to go through school with virtually no help at home because mom and dad did not learn most of what we are being taught here in the United States. Now I have the opportunity to go further with my education and be the first one in my family to graduate with a degree! That is the icing on the cake! We have officially lived the American Dream. That sounds great but there are so many layers beneath that. Financial obstacles, health obstacles, obstacles from being a victim of a crime, and so forth. Should we let obstacles define us? No! We are a family that seeks solutions and resolve in everything we do and I will not take my family’s sacrifice for granted. I am asking for this scholarship so that I may pay for my courses, registration, books, and fees without accumulating debt. I do not qualify for assistance because I have a job. My job pays my day-to-day bills but does not pay enough to establish savings more than an emergency fund for these bills. I need a degree so that I may advance to the next level in my career in airport administration. Unfortunately, even though I have more experience than most applicants, I lack the educational requirements for the next tier in my job advancement. This is causing me to lose opportunities to better myself, and my family situation, and with inflation I am falling further behind. I am living paycheck to paycheck and without job advancement, I am afraid I will lose my home. My employer will partially reimburse me for coursework completed, so once I can initiate learning and complete courses I will be able to self-sustain my own educational goals. I need the initial investment to get started for the first two semesters along with books, fees, and registration. I appreciate the time you spent reading my essay and the admiration you have for our culture, our history, and most of all the future of our people here in America. This scholarship would catapult me into another realm of abilities that would benefit not only me but my family and my Hispanic community.

Traditional students graduate high school, go to college, complete their educational goals within a 2-8 year timeframe and move into their desired career field. This is the exact opposite of what defines my education history because I graduated high school with honors and scholarships but went down a different path due to being the victim of a violent crime while I was enrolled as a freshman at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL. The result of the violent crime resulted in the birth of my oldest child who I love dearly and will do anything to improve the quality of our life and the community in which we live. Another obstacle placed in our lives that barred me physically and financially for a long time from achieving the ability to receive a higher education degree was the diagnosis and subsequent symptoms of multiple sclerosis while being a single mother. While most traditional students would have family to lean into during difficult times such as a medical diagnosis or when being the victim of a crime, I did not. Little did I know at the time that the person who inflicted harm upon me could also file to obtain child custody. From 2008 until now I have had to co-parent my child amicably with the person who battered me when I was first entering college. I have learned through therapy, prayer, and time to let it go but it does not change the fact that my educational goals have been severely impacted. This scholarship will help me enroll and complete my associate's degree so that I may apply for higher-paying jobs that I currently do not qualify for based solely on educational requirements. Although I possess a great deal of institutional and hands-on experience, it is not enough to advance me to the next level in my career field. With the high cost of courses, inflation in everyday items, and the rising cost of my healthcare I will not be able to complete my educational goal without scholarship awards. I believe that higher education will also help me cater to the youth in my 4-H club that I mentor who are looking into different career paths and have questions right now about college that I cannot answer because I lack the experience necessary. I thank you for reading my essay about my non-traditional educational path and how obtaining an associate's degree or higher would advance me in my career field to better my family and my community. Your help would be a blessing.