We are proud to announce the winner of our Scholarship, Daisy Rodriguez!
Read her winning Essay below. Congratulations, Daisy!
My mom used to always tell me that obstacles in life are just a way the universe is making you grow and I never understood that until I grew to be older. Looking back, every obstacle no matter how small or big has taught me the most important lessons in life today and I’d like to say the very first obstacle started when I was just in the womb. A 15 years old, having a baby was the last thing anyone expected from my mom. However, younger moms don’t ever love their kids less and my mom proved that. According to the CDC, compared to children born to older mothers, children born to teen moms are more likely to drop out of high school, enter the foster care system and become teen parents. All things that today do not apply to my life. I was able to graduate high school with a 4.3 GPA and have lived in a loving home where my mom has been an example to me on how to break stereotypes. Before I was even a human walking this earth, I had preconceived notions about who I would grow up to be and how I would be raised. Everyday since then has been an obstacle to break stereotypes and prove people wrong. I graduated high school with a 4.3 GPA and am the first ever to go to university in my family. All things that statistics didn’t exactly predict. To continue, I am the child of immigrant parents and 1st generation American in my mom’s family. Over and over you see depicted on television stereotypes of latinos such as women simply being wives and caring for children, latinos are illegal, etc. All stereotypes that I want to prove do not reflect my community as a whole. By continuing my education, I am able to not only follow my dreams, but beat the statistics. For myself, going to college and receiving this scholarship will help me succeed in breaking the stereotypes. I want to be an example for my sisters and people in my community that where there is a will there’s a way. For my mom, receiving this scholarship would help her support my dream of going to a university. As a single mom, she has always supported my dreams no matter how big. She continues to financially support my dreams and a scholarship would help us pay for a portion of my dream. To us, this scholarship is one more opportunity to support the life I have always dreamed of. And for me, it’s one more thing I know my dad is proud of up in heaven. My parents have always taught me to be okay with people not always knowing your side of the story and that you never have to prove anything to anyone, but it sure does feel good to prove stereotypes wrong.
