I remember my dad telling me to take a break on an especially long day. The look on my face must have said it all. The scorching sun was taking its toll on me. As I sat down under the shade, I asked my mom if she ever got tired. “¿Tú crees que no?� (Do you think we don’t?) was her response. “Well why don’t you and my dad ever take a break?� I asked. She let out a quick breath. “No tenemos esa opción,� (We don’t have that option) she hurriedly replied as she returned to her ladder.

Those words have been engraved in my mind since that summer, six years ago. The last summer I worked picking cherries. The word that especially resonated with me was opción. I promised myself that I would work tremendously hard in school so that unlike my parents and all those families who worked tirelessly, I would have options.

Four years after that summer, I graduated as one of the class valedictorians from Wahluke High School in Mattawa, Washington, as a proud Gates Millennium Scholar.

What ran through my mind as I stood in front of the podium the day of graduation was that I had reached the two goals I had set for myself upon entering high school.

I’m currently attending the University of Washington in Seattle, where I am a sophomore. I am enrolled in the Honors Program and I plan to major in Communication with a minor in Spanish and I’m considering adding a Business major to that list of endeavors. My ultimate career goal would be to have my face appear in the television screen when viewers tune in to watch the daily news on Univision, the leading Spanish-language media company in America. I am passionate to serve as a voice for the Latino population by speaking out about the pressing issues that concern a population that is often placed in the back burner when it comes to our nation’s priorities.

I feel that my experiences growing up as a Latina in a predominantly Mexican community have allowed me to realize how much the Latino population is in need of educated members who are willing to step up and be catalysts for change. That is one of the reasons that I find it imperative to promote the importance of higher education in my community whenever I have the chance. Education and knowledge truly are the basis for bringing about any kind of change in today’s society.
As a scholar, as a cancer survivor and as a Latina, life has truly blessed me with many amazing opportunities and I plan to take advantage of the rest that are sure to come!