A Chance for Success

My name is Daniela Muñoz. I was born and raised in El Salvador until the age of 10 when I was brought to the United States. Since I got here my mom has struggled through different jobs in order to pay for all her of responsibilities. Aside from having to raise me and my younger brother, she also had to send money to El Salvador in order to take care of my other sibling and grandmother. At age 15 I decided to get a job so that I could manage to get some things for myself and help my mother.

Going to college after high school was never in my mind due to the lack of money and due to my status. Yet with the push of great people I met along my journey, I saw the potential I had never before seen in myself. In 2016 I graduated high school with a scholarship and that's how I managed to pay for my first two semesters but now I really want to continue my education and the lack of money is again my struggle. I live on my own now making it harder for me to save up enough money for my next year in college. I work full time and go to school full-time, which is not easy but I know is going to be worth it. 

In addition to my work and school, I enjoy organizing for my community and making people aware of the difficulties young undocumented students have to face in order to get an education. I never saw myself asking people for money but now I've come to the conclusion that I'm willing to push myself out my comfort zone in order to keep getting an education. The money that I would be getting will be used to pay for my tuition and books. I am a psychology major and I would love to help people in the future by becoming a high school counselor. When I was in high school I needed a lot of support and I was lucky enough to find great people willing to help me. That is the reason why I want to continue my education and become a high school counselor because I know teenagers need a lot of support especially now that there is so much hate and shaming going through our society. My goal is to continue my education and help my family and those in need of support because I know how hard it is to feel like you have no purpose in a system where you are labeled as a criminal when all you are doing is trying to make a better life for yourself and your family. The money I get will be going to my teachers account and then transfer to me. Thank you