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Hello! My name is Nicole Velez and I am a graduating high school senior. I have been accepted into Colorado State University under a major in Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology. CSU has been my dream school for as long as I can remember, not only because both my parents attended, but because they offer opportunities.
My whole secondary school career I have taken all the opportunities I have been given. When the opportunity to take advanced classes arose, I jumped on the train and took it all the way through high school. I took pre-AP classes sixth through eighth grade and will have completed seven AP classes by the time I graduate high school, all with a high B to a high A grade. I volunteered as much as I could, as I have always felt a pull to help my community. I volunteered in and with several churches, for my local animal shelter, local elementary schools and for my county fair. The summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school I volunteered at an equine therapy ranch, where I took care of the horses and taught individuals with disabilities how to ride horses in conjunction with physical therapy and social connections. The connections I made while volunteering at all these places taught me lessons that I never could have learned on my own, and made me who I am today.
I have earned my service cord, which required 160 hours of community service over the course of high school. I have also been a proud member of the National Honors Society since the spring of my junior year, enabling me to really make positive difference in my school and community. In junior year I was a team leader in my school's Workforce Industry Training program, where my team and I mentored sixth grade boys and taught them about the nuclear workforce and careers associated within the STEM fields. My team was selected as a semi-finalist in an international competition for the International Atomic Energy Agency for our proposed nuclear career fair for members of our community. Other leadership roles include standing as the advisor for my school's FFA chapter. I have been a proud member of FFA all four years of high school, and have learned time management, responsibility and leadership skills within the program.
I filled my schedule with clubs and extracurriculars in the hopes of building my own character and making a difference in the lives of my peers. I was in the school band, a member of the student council, a member of a health career club, and in several others. My teacher even selected me to represent my school in a meeting with members of the Ugandan parliament.
Unfortunately, the aforementioned activities did not come easy to me. In elementary school I was just like any other kid, running and playing and joking with friends without a care in the world. That all changed the spring of my sixth grade year. My troubles started out as just a headache every now and then, and evolved into a medical mystery. My symptoms became more prevalent and expanded to include stomach pain, nausea and headaches. I withdrew from my peers and family and became a mere shadow of who I had been. My family took me to many doctors, including a gastroenterologists, neurologists and other specialists, all of which came to the same conclusion; I was a medical mystery. My tests all came back normal, even as my symptoms only became worse. I lived in a sort of mental limbo those first few years, not really understanding what was wrong with me and believing %100 that my life as I knew it was over.
In my freshman year of high school, I was diagnosed with Dysautonomia and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Long story short, my body does not work the way it should. I frequently have trouble regulating my blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, and suffer from headaches and nausea 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I have genetic mutations in my collagen, meaning my joints have issues supporting my body and I often have severe joint pain. All of this was detrimental in my eyes, I felt that my body was going to determine what I could and could not do in my life. I believed that my dreams of being a wildlife biologist and attending college were gone with the wind.
It was not until I hit rock bottom that I realized, with the help of family and friends, that I could not let my physical disabilities to run my life. So I picked myself up off the floor and threw myself head first into helping others and helping animals. I managed to accomplished everything I listed above and more all while pushing through my illness. I renewed my dreams and got accepted into my dream school, Colorado State University and will be studying my dream major, wildlife biology. Through this I will be able to help animals and the environment in multiple aspects, all while doing what I love.
I have lived in Texas my whole life, which naturally means I must pay out-of-state tuition. Unfortunately my determination alone cannot make money appear, and my family and I currently are stretched with money. All those MRIs and X-Rays and blood tests, etc. have taken a toll on my parents' financial standing, and although we have great insurance, it has cost us a great deal. Out-of-state tuition is expected to cost me $47,000 a year, and even with the offered loans and work study and scholarships offered to me by CSU I still have to cover $30,000 this upcoming school year (my freshman year). I have a part time job that I am saving money from to use for college, but it will not be enough. I have come to GoFundMe in the hopes that someone will see my story and be willing to take a chance on me. Every penny counts to me, and I would be eternally grateful for anything that is offered. Everything that is raised here will be going to my tuition, room and board, and school supplies including textbooks and test materials.
My whole secondary school career I have taken all the opportunities I have been given. When the opportunity to take advanced classes arose, I jumped on the train and took it all the way through high school. I took pre-AP classes sixth through eighth grade and will have completed seven AP classes by the time I graduate high school, all with a high B to a high A grade. I volunteered as much as I could, as I have always felt a pull to help my community. I volunteered in and with several churches, for my local animal shelter, local elementary schools and for my county fair. The summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school I volunteered at an equine therapy ranch, where I took care of the horses and taught individuals with disabilities how to ride horses in conjunction with physical therapy and social connections. The connections I made while volunteering at all these places taught me lessons that I never could have learned on my own, and made me who I am today.
I have earned my service cord, which required 160 hours of community service over the course of high school. I have also been a proud member of the National Honors Society since the spring of my junior year, enabling me to really make positive difference in my school and community. In junior year I was a team leader in my school's Workforce Industry Training program, where my team and I mentored sixth grade boys and taught them about the nuclear workforce and careers associated within the STEM fields. My team was selected as a semi-finalist in an international competition for the International Atomic Energy Agency for our proposed nuclear career fair for members of our community. Other leadership roles include standing as the advisor for my school's FFA chapter. I have been a proud member of FFA all four years of high school, and have learned time management, responsibility and leadership skills within the program.
I filled my schedule with clubs and extracurriculars in the hopes of building my own character and making a difference in the lives of my peers. I was in the school band, a member of the student council, a member of a health career club, and in several others. My teacher even selected me to represent my school in a meeting with members of the Ugandan parliament.
Unfortunately, the aforementioned activities did not come easy to me. In elementary school I was just like any other kid, running and playing and joking with friends without a care in the world. That all changed the spring of my sixth grade year. My troubles started out as just a headache every now and then, and evolved into a medical mystery. My symptoms became more prevalent and expanded to include stomach pain, nausea and headaches. I withdrew from my peers and family and became a mere shadow of who I had been. My family took me to many doctors, including a gastroenterologists, neurologists and other specialists, all of which came to the same conclusion; I was a medical mystery. My tests all came back normal, even as my symptoms only became worse. I lived in a sort of mental limbo those first few years, not really understanding what was wrong with me and believing %100 that my life as I knew it was over.
In my freshman year of high school, I was diagnosed with Dysautonomia and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Long story short, my body does not work the way it should. I frequently have trouble regulating my blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, and suffer from headaches and nausea 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I have genetic mutations in my collagen, meaning my joints have issues supporting my body and I often have severe joint pain. All of this was detrimental in my eyes, I felt that my body was going to determine what I could and could not do in my life. I believed that my dreams of being a wildlife biologist and attending college were gone with the wind.
It was not until I hit rock bottom that I realized, with the help of family and friends, that I could not let my physical disabilities to run my life. So I picked myself up off the floor and threw myself head first into helping others and helping animals. I managed to accomplished everything I listed above and more all while pushing through my illness. I renewed my dreams and got accepted into my dream school, Colorado State University and will be studying my dream major, wildlife biology. Through this I will be able to help animals and the environment in multiple aspects, all while doing what I love.
I have lived in Texas my whole life, which naturally means I must pay out-of-state tuition. Unfortunately my determination alone cannot make money appear, and my family and I currently are stretched with money. All those MRIs and X-Rays and blood tests, etc. have taken a toll on my parents' financial standing, and although we have great insurance, it has cost us a great deal. Out-of-state tuition is expected to cost me $47,000 a year, and even with the offered loans and work study and scholarships offered to me by CSU I still have to cover $30,000 this upcoming school year (my freshman year). I have a part time job that I am saving money from to use for college, but it will not be enough. I have come to GoFundMe in the hopes that someone will see my story and be willing to take a chance on me. Every penny counts to me, and I would be eternally grateful for anything that is offered. Everything that is raised here will be going to my tuition, room and board, and school supplies including textbooks and test materials.