As a first-generation student from such a poverty-stricken, tent lined, smog covered, and underrepresented area of Los Angeles, I never imagined that one day I would be applying to graduate school at places like Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, let alone hold a college degree in my hand from one of the top public universities in the United States.  But here I am with a Bachelor’s in hand and with 6 letters of acceptance to top programs in Education and Higher Education Administration. As of the beginning of March, I have been accepted into Boston University, Harvard, Teachers College - Columbia University, University of Maryland, and the University of Southern California. I graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in June 2019 with a Bachelor’s in Chicana/o Studies and will be committing to a graduate program by April 15, 2020.

My family and I have fought through a fire that took my father from self-employed to chauffeur, and a series of trials that left us temporarily homeless and struggling to crawl our way back up to stability. Like my parents, I have been working from a young age and believed I would continue only working to survive, to make ends meet. While we are in a better situation now survival is still the case in some respects and this opportunity to attend grad school is a way to help change that for myself and my family. With the opportunity to attend grad school I will be working toward a dream and a goal.  A goal to pay it forward by helping to create more accessible spaces in education for other students who come from places such as the one I come from. For students who have fought through tooth and nail to succeed in education but have been thrown hurdle over hurdle before they can get there.

 I am not known to reach out for monetary assistance but as I have come to learn the hard way, it truly does take a village, a community of people to help an individual succeed. My research speaks about the importance of mentorship and community. It cements the fact that my place in academia, my lived experiences, and my art are not mutually exclusive-that they are the foundation for being an advocate for myself and other students. Below are some images from projects based off of assignments, personal projects that put theory into conversation with art, and some more presentations and involvements that all have added to a larger research topic of creating accessible spaces in academia and developing embodied ways of learning in which students do not need to compartmentalize themselves to succeed in their paths through their academic, professional, and personal lives. 

So, I am reaching out to you, my community of friends, family and the new community of generous people who are able to donate $1, $20, $100 or more if you are able to. This is me reaching out a hand to grasp for help to make this dream happen. Thank you so much for your time and your help. 

꧁  As I said before, I am also an artist and as a sign of gratitude, once I am settled, I will create a few small pieces for a select few of those that are able to donate. I will update the selection of this once I am settled. Again, muchas gracias, thank you dearly to those who can help. If you are not able to donate any money at the time you can also help by sharing this link with all the networks you can. Below is a breakdown of the budget taken from Harvard’s website to give you an idea of what the money will be going toward.  ꧂


(Harvard) Standard Full-Time Ed.D. Student Budget for the 2020-2021 Academic Year (9 months)
 
HGSE Cost Estimates for 2015-2016
(9 month full-time academic year))
Tuition - $ 43,280
Health Insurance Fees - $ 3,432
Rent, Utilities, & Food - $ 17,500
Books & Supplies - $ 1,198
Local Transportation - $ 1,378
Misc. Personal Expenses -$ 3,736
Loan Fees - $ 220
Total Student Budget - $ 70,744


 UCSB Chicana/o Studies Annual Research Symposium 2019