Since I was a young boy, I have noticed my love for learning. Although, I was never able to affectively pursue this fascination due to my conditions in my early years of life. My name is Carlos Manuel Galvan Santos, I come from the mountain village of Los Frios, located in the outskirts of the Province of Azua in the Dominican Republic. I lived with my parents and three sisters in a one-bedroom house until I was 14 years old. Living in such economically depressed community, I learned a lot about life and myself. I learned the greatest values a person must cherish. I learned to work hard for what I want, and what it means to be honest and humble. However, most of all, I learned what it means to be fully happy. Living in these impoverished conditions, allowed me to develop my character. My whole life I have experienced poverty within my home and community. I understand what it means to live in hardship. My community, like most of the local communities in the Dominican Republic, lack necessary resources. I am currently enrolled in Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña in the Dominican Republic. At each educational stage in my life, I have excelled in my academics. I came to the US at 14 years old to complete high school through the mission program connected to my village. This was a chance to fulfill my dreams. I realized my family needed me and studying hard for a better future for them and myself was my only option. I hoped (and still do) to be the first in my family to graduate college. My two older sisters got married at the age of 15, being a witness to this event, filled me with motivation and I decided to make my academics priority for mine and my family`s future. While completing my high school career in the USA, I learned and fell in love with a new culture, excelled in my academics, and succeeded in becoming fluent in English very quickly. Without this opportunity I would have never been able to obtain a quality high school education or even believe the dream of attending college in the US to be achievable. This opportunity has inspired me to return to the United States, to further my success and be a beacon of hope to my family in the mountains. Without this aspiration, I would be staying complacent in my village, reliving the lives of my parents, working as a farmer. Although those who live this life in my village are humble, happy and have a good heart, this dream can change and shape the course of my future for generations to come.

Receiving my bachelor’s degree in the USA would change my life. Not only would it allow me to provide better resources to my family in the mountains of the Dominican Republic, but it would enable me to finally be able to realize my dream of becoming an industrial engineer. I want to become an industrial engineer because I believe that it is necessary for our businesses to have people capable of efficient work with great knowledge to make our facilities more productive and stable. I plan to use the knowledge I gain in industrial engineering here in the USA, to improve upon our industries making efficiency and sustainability the number one priority within our businesses. The proceeds of this Go Fund Me has the potential to shape my future, by helping me break out from the cycle of poverty and achieve the extraordinary. These proceeds will help me achieve the American Dream, as I see there are opportunities here that could be impossible to come by elsewhere. I have been accepted to attend the University of Central Florida for the Fall 2021 term. With your help, I may be able to do so. Overall, the USA holds opportunities for young people with a background like mine. I believe this country, together with my career path, and of course dedication, will allow me to realize my highest aspirations and achieve my goals. With your help, attending and graduating from UCF in the USA has the possibility to change the course of my future for generations to come, by allowing me to provide for my family in the mountains, serve my community and achieve my most desired professional goals. I want to conclude by saying, I appreciate your generosity of any amount, and I thank you for listening to my story. Thank you for helping me in this situation, an individual who  has a dream to obtain a quality higher education, but his economic status does not allow him to do so.