2021 Recipients: Please click on one of the following names to read their inspirational story!

• Ana Cortes
  • 

    I am from the beautiful land of Morelia Michoacán, Mexico. I am the oldest daughter to two hard-working parents. At a young age, my parents decided to make a life-changing decision, in which the word admiration becomes an understatement. Coming to this country with little to nothing, and bringing our family to the United States, in hopes of pursuing our “American Dream” will be the most sincere sacrifice I one day hope to repay. With resilience, dignity, and hard work, both my parents provided for us despite the social adversities and cultural barriers. Their determination is very humbling and has fueled my drive to seek higher education. My plan is to major in sociology and become a social worker. I have grown a passion for helping others through life experiences and community involvement. Coming from a minority group, I understood the challenges and obstacles many families must face. Watching my parents work endless hours in hard labor jobs to sustain our family, ultimately motivated me to seek sociology and help as a resource for families in similar circumstances. By closely working with these families, I will serve my community in hopes to inspire future generations.

• Angel Zamores
  • 

    I am very fortunate to come from a hardworking migrant family. I was born in Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco Mexico along with my older brother and my twin sister. When I was around seven my family decided to migrate to Southern California for a chance at a brighter future. We settled in Camarillo, California for about seven years and decided to migrate once more to Southern Oregon due to the fact that my dad found a more stable job in Medford, Oregon. Being the youngest of my family, I’m inspired by my hard-working parents who are farm laborers and are always providing the needs of their children. I also look up to my older brother because he has set the standard not only for me but also for my sister to graduate from college.

    Growing up in a low-income family I would always worry about my future. “Would I be able to have a stable occupation when I’m older?” “Will I be able to attend college as a migrant student?” These were some of the thoughts that came to mind. Luckily enough, I am able to attend a 4-year university (Southern Oregon University) to continue my education in Accounting, thanks to the resources that are available like the Southern Oregon Latino Scholarship Fund.

    After graduation, I plan on finding a stable job in an accounting department and be a role model to young migrant Latinos that achieving higher education is possible despite the lack of resources available to them.

• Elizabeth Cortes Cortes
  • 

    I come from a Michoacán-based Mexican family. As we know, Mexico is an extremely corrupt country where organized crime governs. Due to these dangerous circumstances, my parents migrated to Oregon in search of that American dream. These hardships have nurtured a passion in me for assisting others and having a positive impact in the world. I enjoy making people happy and I believe it is important to treat everyone with dignity and kindness. I am fascinated by the medical field because I care about others and I feel the best way to show I care is by understanding people’s bodies and being able to determine what remedies can cure their aches and pains. I was able to acquire my biliteracy seal and I’d like to expand my knowledge on the skill of translating. I’m hoping this is something I can accomplish at OSU. My ultimate goal is to graduate college and inspire my family as well as those around me to be successful in life and be gracious towards others. I am astounded to reflect on the fact that my parents left their whole lives in Mexico in order for me to be able to sit here and write these letters. Everything I do, my grades, recognitions, etc. will always be a reflection of what my parents passed on to me. A hard-working mindset.

• Fatima Flores
  • 

    I was born in Villanueva, Zacatecas. However, I was raised here in Southern Oregon. My family immigrated to the United states in pursuit of a better life. I grew up living alongside my grandparents, uncles, my mom and siblings. I have no recollection of my father growing up due to him never in the picture. Nonetheless, I had my grandpa and my uncles. They have been there for me when my father should have been. Till this day, they continue to show me a vast amount of support. My grandma is one of my role models. She is an important figure in my life, she has shown me the joys of life and endless love. Without my family, I wouldn’t be where I am today. During difficult times, if we did not have one another we would be a mess. Fortunately, I was always able to count on them during the good and bad times. We came here for a better future and to have the opportunities that our parents weren’t able to have. Therefore, I do my best to ensure that I can accomplish my goals. I will forever be grateful for the family that I have.

• Fatima Rios-Nungaray
  • 

    "Un viaje de mil millas, comienza con un solo paso" I am a proud daughter of immigrants. My parents came to the United States seeking "El Sueño Americano." And since the day they started their journey they have not stopped striving to obtain it. The sacrifices my parents have made for me to be where I am and who I am today are my motivation to succeed. The greatest gift I have been blessed with is my parents. It is impossible to explain the great admiration, respect, and love I have for my parents. My dad risks his life every day to give my family and me, a better life than he had growing up. He has had to endure so much hardship since an early age, yet he is the sweetest and kind-hearted person I know. He inspires me to be the best version of myself. My mom is the strongest person I know; she left her family to travel to an unknown place to start her own family. My parents have shown me that sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the better good of those that you love.

• Jimena Valencia
  • 

    My name is Jimena Valencia, and I was born in Chicago, Illinois, although I spent most of my upbringing living in Aguascalientes, Mexico. I consider myself to be a person who is polite, outgoing, innovative, and intellectual.

    My ambition is to obtain a bachelor's degree in Communications and Marketing since I have always been fascinated by the impact by the way marketing teams utilize various platforms to promote a company or a business. One of my aspirations is to be able to travel around the world, as I love going on adventures and gaining exposure to new cultures.

    
    
    
    
    
• Karina Cervantes-Palomares
  • 

    Both my parents immigrated from Mexico when they were really young which means that my siblings and I grew up in America. Thankfully my parents never forgot their roots and made their Hispanic culture a part of our lives. The food, the music, the dance, the respect, the language, but most importantly, the love. I never tried to be ashamed of my Hispanic culture for it was something that I loved, it was a part of me. I instead tried to use it to my advantage. I realized that being bilingual meant that I could help students that were struggling with speaking or understanding English. Of course, it was only ever here and there or only to one student at a time but it didn’t matter because it still made me happy to help in any way that I could.

    This year I was able to take part in the Cultural Ambassador program at school and it gave me the opportunity to expand that help to a group of students on a whole subject. That grew my love for helping others even more. So, I decided that I was going to go to college to become an early childhood teacher. The majority of the people that live in my city are Spanish speaking and a lot of the time people from Mexico move into this area for the job opportunity. Which means that their kids come with them and enter these schools not really knowing any English most of the time. In becoming a teacher I'll be able to help in making their school experience easier by having someone that they can communicate with in their own language, relate to or even confide in. So that they won't feel lost, scared or like they have to forget their culture to fit in because they’re in a new environment.

• Karla Hernandez-Maya
  • 

    I am the oldest granddaughter in my family. The pressure to be a good role model has existed since the day I was able to form my own thoughts. When I was younger this pressure gave me stress and anxiety, but I learned to turn that distress into eustress. I enjoyed having my siblings and cousins come to me for help and advice, so much that I realized my calling in life is to teach and help others. I want to keep encouraging younger generations to believe and help them grow to their full potential.

    I also used my position as the eldest granddaughter as motivation to keep chasing my dreams. My objective is not to show my cousins and siblings that they need to be perfect--it is to encourage them to follow their dreams. I want to be an elementary teacher, so I know the value of my education. I work hard academically to earn good grades and receive scholarships that will help with my higher education.

    When life becomes hard I like to use the same phrase my parents would repeat to me--it is okay to make mistakes, we just have to keep going, because “Si se puede.”

• Maria Huizar Muneton
  • 

    I was born in Zacatecas, Mexico where my mom struggled as a single parent to provide food for both of us. When I was four years old, she decided to immigrate to the United States so we could live a better life. Here, my mom met my dad and they had my brother. I am thankful that I came here at a young age, as it allowed me to adapt to a completely new country.

    I come from a one income household, so my family often struggles financially. At the age of 15, I started working on fields of garlic and hemp to help out my family. Obtaining a college degree will allow me to help out my parents even more financially.

    Whenever I go to doctor visits with my parents, there are never enough translators available. When I shadowed at the hospital for a health occupations course, I noticed that there were only a few nurses that spoke Spanish. This presents a problem for my Latinx community because there is not enough representation. My goal is to bring diversity to the healthcare industry, so I can provide a sense of comfort to patients--an opportunity not provided to my parents.

• Sagwa Lozano-Castillo
  • 

    As I walk towards my goals and future ambitions, I never fail to look back at what I have and where I’ve come from. I look back and see a strong woman, a mother of three, working diligently at home and at work to support her family. A steady, yet graying man, heavily burnt by the Sun, teaching his sons and daughter morals and life lessons. Their personal narratives, and the struggles faced before and after crossing the border lights a blazing fire within me. The name I’ve inherited from them serves as a constant reminder that I’m not just working hard for myself, but I’m also carrying their struggles, dreams, and integrity with me.

    As a blank slate, my future is currently an endless array of possibilities, but there is one thing I’m certain of. I want to be a source of inspiration for Latinx individuals. I plan to do this by studying business and increasing diversity and redefining the stereotypes of women in the workplace. Communication is such an important aspect of business. However, in many instances that point gets lost or blurred due to a lack of cultural and linguistic representation. By being both a woman and a Latina, I can offer my unique perspective and act as a catalyst that brings together both my community and future profession. In doing this I hope to minimize the imparity and incite a sense of empowerment for younger latinx who also wish to make a change on behalf of our community.

All Rights Reserved. Copyright © www.solsf.org, 2011