2022 Recipients: Please click on one of the following names to read their inspirational story!

• Ashley Ledesma
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    My name is Ashley Ledesma, I was born and raised in Southern Oregon. I am a daughter of immigrant parents and will be a first generation college student. My parents left their home states in Zacatecas and Jalisco Mexico at the age of 18 so that their future children could live the “american dream”. I grew up alongside both loving hardworking parents and my five other siblings. They opened up a path for a long bright future for me and that opportunity is what allows me to strive for better.

    I look forward to obtaining a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and eventually my masters. Working with children has always been a passion of mine. The reason I want to become a teacher is because I have had many teachers impact my life greatly by creating a safe environment for me and I want to do the same with my future students. I am currently enrolled in education courses that are offered at my high school. In those classes I have learned what it takes to be a teacher by creating lesson plans and working with children in classrooms. Most importantly developing communication and collaboration skills to use in classrooms.
• Danise Mena
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    I am Danise Mena, the 17-year old daughter of two hardworking immigrant parents that left their hometown in Juchipila, Zacatecas, Mexico, to build a life full of opportunities in the United States. As a Latina living in a predominantly white community, I never understood the true value of my ethnicity until now, partly because I was blinded by shame; however, with my parent’s constant support, I quickly fell in love with the art of learning.

    Being the first sibling out of six to pursue a college education made me realize that I had to shift the traditional way Latinx culture views familial traditions. This includes working after high school, marrying, and starting a family. I am breaking down cultural expectations in my community and paving a new path into what opportunities higher education can provide. Even though I do not come from a family that is decorated with college degrees, I do come from a humble and resilient family that understands the concept of hard work. Hard work that I will continue doing but in a different setting, specifically at the University of Oregon, where I will major in business administration on the pre-law track.

• Diego Garcia
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    Nayarit, Mexico is the origin of my father and the home country of his lineage. To seek an opportunity for his future family, my father immigrated to the United States in the 1990s, leaving his parents and home. My father made a dangerous and crucial decision to journey to the bordering country for his new family, which would be filled with sacrifices and difficulties. In immigrating to the U.S, my father met my mother in Southern Oregon. Together, my parents made a new family with me being the second oldest of six. My parents sought success in their new home and family.

    Unfortunately, my family began to consistently encounter financial and educational struggles. No individual in my family, deviating from my immediate to my extended, has had the opportunity or ability to attend college or even graduate high school. However, as a first generation college student, I intend to use my unique educational opportunity for the future of my family and alleviate their burden.

    I intend to attend Southern Oregon University. In those four years, I will play soccer and receive a degree in Kinesiology and pursue graduate studies. In the following four years, I wish to study chiropractic medicine and become a Doctor of Chiropractic. I am choosing this career path because I want to give back to those that have sacrificed for me. Through my career as a chiropractor, I wish to improve, aid, or augment the health - both the physical and mental - of the surrounding populace, especially my family. I want to make my family proud and use the opportunity bestowed upon me to dissipate our long-lasting financial burden.

• Elisa Cano
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    My father came here at the age of 16, and worked harder than anyone else I’ve ever met and he continues to do so even 26 years later. Showing his two daughters the true meaning of hard work, and what it means to be Latino in the United States. My mother grew up with two immigrant parents who lived the true struggle of working to support their family. My mother wasn't able to graduate from high school, because she had to help support her family. She taught us the value of being strong Latinas that need to stand up for themselves, and advocate for oneself.

    I intend to major in Nursing and minor in Spanish. My decision to minor in Spanish is, because of the amount of Latinx people that don’t visit hospitals due to the fact of a language barrier. I want people to be able to come into a hospital, and feel heard. We should all be comfortable speaking about health concerns with any medical professional. I plan on changing the stigma around visiting doctors, and asking for medical opinions in our community, and allowing people to feel safe and comfortable doing so.

• Eric Alonzo Zamora
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    Being the youngest of seven siblings, I am in essence the last of an empire. I have four sisters and three brothers -- a family of ten. In the Latinx community, this is great, it's normal to have a big family. However, it has not been easy for us. We have gone through pain, struggle, and adversity being a low-income Latino family in a rural area. Growing up, my father would preach the idea of the American dream -- having that perfect life where dinner on the table or paying bills is not an issue. However, this wasn't the case for us; I started my first job at the age of twelve; my father would give it his all -- blood, sweat, and tears. I wanted to do the same to understand my father's sacrifice. The scorching heat, the thousands of blisters, and the muscle aches are imprinted in my mind forever. This was the first time I truly understood the reality for hundreds of Latinx community members, the first time I realized that I wanted better for myself. Pursuing a post-secondary education is something that I am extremely grateful for, which is why I will continue in life.

• Jasmin Hernandez Aguilera
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    I am the first-born child of my parents. Although I was born in the US, I’ll never forget where my family comes from. In Mexico, my parents were never in the best financial state, so they were unable to carry on with their education after Elementary. In 1999, my parents made the life-changing decision of immigrating to the US as undocumented immigrants to give my siblings and me a better life. Seeing all the sacrifices that my parents made, inspires me to give it my all. It’s important that I don’t let these sacrifices go for granted, so I aim to go to college where I’ll major in Biology and start my journey to becoming my dream career of an Obstetrician. Everything I do is to be able to help my family in the US and in Mexico become financially stable. Seeing how much my parents have helped others inspires me to do the same. In fact, this is why I have been able to gather about 600 hours of community service. My parents’ “Sueño Americano” is to be able to provide for their families in any shape or form, but now this has become my American dream.

• Johan Ayala Macias
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    My name is Johan Ayala, and I was born and raised in Malin, Oregon. I was raised by a single mother, who immigrated to the United States with the hope of achieving her "American Dream." Unselfishly, she gave up her own academic ambitions to work and give my sister and I a better life with more opportunities. Without a doubt, she is my biggest inspiration in life. Working long hours in the fields and coming home to be both a father and mother to two children is extremely difficult. However, she makes it appear easy. My biggest goal in life is to repay my mother for all of the sacrifices that she has made for me. I believe the only way I can do this is by doing what makes me happy and achieving my “American Dream.” As of right now, I plan to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science with the hopes of being a software engineer at a big tech company. Although my career path is not set in stone, I know two things for certain: I want to use my title to inspire the young LatinX community, and I want to help my mother financially while doing so.

• Juan Omar Vega
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    Humility and individual accountability were always ingrained in me by my Mexican family. With Spanish being the only language used at home growing up and English being spoken at school and in most other social contexts, I learned the significance of expressing myself in two languages early on. This ability taught me the value of embracing my Latino origins and inspired me to represent my heritage with pride. My multilingual skills and Latino background have always empowered me as a student and beyond, allowing me to express myself freely in my native language. Additionally, my culture has elevated me to become the leader I am today by showing me to never give in to fear. I aim to respect my Hispanic ancestry by giving back to the communities I serve while pursuing my academic career in college.

• Michelle Ruedas Chavarria
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    My parents made the life changing decision to leave their families and move to the States in order to chase the American Dream for our family. The sacrifice to leave everything they had behind and pursue a new life with little to nothing is something I will never be able to repay. Growing up I remember my parents struggling financially. Seeing both of my parents work 13 hour shifts in the hot sun where a swarm of bugs follows you throughout the day and coming home and never complaining was admirable. Their hard work and grit has fueled my motivation to pursue a higher level of education. I plan to attend Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR and major in Biology in order to become a dental hygienist. I want to repay my parents for coming to the U.S with nothing and giving me everything. But most importantly I want to remain humble through all my successes like my parents have through theirs. And through this all I want to be a role model to my Latino community and show no obstacle is bigger than their dreams.

• Patricia Veronica Curiel
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    My name is Patricia Curiel, and I was raised in Central Point, Oregon. I am the youngest daughter of two hard working, Jalisciense immigrant parents. Despite life’s hardships, my parents have taught me that success comes from hard work and dedication. Their perseverance against every obstacle imaginable has motivated me to become a very persistent and passionate person who strives to produce the best work possible. Although I live in the U.S, I am proud of my Mexican heritage and culture. From visits to Mexico, to becoming a dancer in Ballet Folklorico, I have never forgotten my roots. Growing up in a fluent Spanish household while coexisting in an English-centric society, I learned that being bilingual is a privilege and useful in my community. My appreciation for my culture has inspired me to utilize my skills, which I will use to help break language barriers in my future career. I plan on majoring in chemistry, as well as pursuing a minor in Spanish. In addition, I intend to take pre-optometry courses to apply to an optometry school after graduation. During my studies, I plan on being an advocate and example for the underrepresented BIPOC community within the science field.

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