For DonorsFor Applicants
user profile avatar

Miguel Ramos

1,135

Bold Points

1x

Finalist

1x

Winner

Bio

As a Mexican American with a full-time job, I aim to break into the cybersecurity field to ensure the well-being of my parents and little brother who supported me since day one.

Education

University of Colorado Denver Online

Bachelor's degree program
2021 - 2026
  • Majors:
    • Computer Science

kipp northeast denver leadership academy

High School
2017 - 2021
  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Cybersecurity analyst

    • Dream career goals:

    • Server

      Outback
      2021 – Present3 years
    • unload trailers

      ups
      2020 – Present4 years
    • waiter

      las fajitas
      2020 – Present4 years
    • cashier

      wendys
      2020 – Present4 years

    Sports

    Football

    Varsity
    2019 – 20212 years

    Basketball

    Junior Varsity
    2017 – 20181 year

    Wrestling

    Varsity
    2019 – Present5 years

    Arts

    • independent

      Visual Arts
      spring and fall art and choir assembly
      2017 – Present

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      5k-10k pumpkin pie marathon — give out pie
      2017 – 2020
    • Volunteering

      light parade — tree
      2018 – 2020

    Future Interests

    Entrepreneurship

    WCEJ Thornton Foundation Low-Income Scholarship
    Winner
    To date, one of my highest achievements was winning the Colorado state football 5A championship in 2021 for the Far Northeast Warriors. As a young Mexican American still in my senior year, my family was greatly impacted financially by covid. I had to work 30 hours at UPS to help make ends meet for my family. Deeply upset that I couldn’t finish my senior football, I convinced myself that it was still a possibility despite all the obstacles I had to overcome. To start my day, I would wake up at 7:30 to prepare myself for my six AP classes through Zoom, which I would finish by 4:00 pm. From there, I would go straight to football practice, which would end at 6:30 pm. Then, I would make my way to UPS until 11:00 pm and finish off the night with homework that was due the next day. I would repeat this schedule Monday through Thursday because Friday would be my game night. Saturday would be me working construction with my dad to help pay the bills that I owe. Despite all these responsibilities, I still had to catch up conditionally in football since everyone has been practicing all summer of last year. After continuously having a strenuous schedule, I wanted to give up. But I remember one night when I was struggling to sleep, I told myself if it’s possible then it’s doable. That same morning my will was enlightened once again. Day after day, week after week, I was doing my absolute best in school and football. As the football season was starting to come to an end, we qualified for the playoffs. Although we always make it to the playoffs, we never came close to the championship. But this year felt different. Knowing it was my last year, I put my absolute soul in my starting position as a defensive end through every play. Slowly but surely winning our playoff games, we finally made it to the championship. Our team, the underdogs, were faced with immense pressure and expectations from our community since we never won a championship for football before. But at the end of the day, hard work overcomes talent as we beat the team 34-6. What this experience taught me about myself, if I'm determined for something, I will complete my goal. Not only did I have restless nights, huge amounts of guilt, and no time for social events, my goal became a reality. I was able to finish off my season and complete the dream of many people of winning a state championship for football. Also, it illuminated how effective I am with time management since I was still able to graduate with a 4.0+ GPA by juggling my hectic schedule. What I hope to achieve in the future is having the same determination to finish my cybersecurity degree. I know cybersecurity is not easy since it's competitive and complex, but that shouldn’t stop me from completing the degree. I want to prove a Mexican American can obtain these high corporate jobs by improving my skills, especially with undocumented parents. The one thing I know about myself is, I will make time for my goals.