Senior Essay 14

As someone who’s involved as the National Honors Soceity president, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), 20/20 leadership, student council, and the learning club internship, helping the community through these leadership opportunities has always been important to me. After my father passed during my sophomore year of high school, I knew I wanted to contribute to my community in ways that would continue to help, even after I’ve moved away and started something new. While I’ve had many leadership opportunities, my contributions to the Cambio for Cambio Scholarship are one of my most important leadership experiences.
In September, I joined the Hispanic Development Fundraiser team, also known as Cambio for Cambio. The Hispanic Development Fund is a scholarship for students of Hispanic descent, which each school has from September 15th to October 15th to raise money for. I was presented with this volunteering opportunity through my AVID teacher, Mrs.Gonzales-Mercado, who thought I would be a great organizer. Although I am not of Hispanic descent nor will I receive the scholarship money, I participated in the fundraiser team to give back to the community that served me.
Growing up, I moved all over Kansas, from Turner, Shawnee, and finally, Wyandotte. Due to moving around frequently, I never felt like I belonged. I didn’t have many friends, and the ones I did have didn’t look like me. That changed when I finally moved to the Wyandotte area, where I started attending TA Edison Elementary School. For the first time, I was welcomed into classrooms where my peers looked like me and didn’t judge me for my kinky coily hair or dark skin, but welcomed me as if they didn’t have to question it. I didn’t know it then, but this would become my forever community.
From elementary to high school, I have built connections with my peers who are Hispanic and deserve the same opportunities as I do. To support them, I collaborated with our principal and my teachers to launch fundraising events, one of them being “Soak-a-Senior.” I coordinated this event by creating posters, surveys, and advocating for the fundraiser during lunch. When the day came, all students came to the gym to watch their friends and teachers who volunteered to get a bucket of water poured on them.
Leading the “Soak-a-Senior” event made me feel more connected with my school than ever. I spoke on the microphone, truly leading and walking through the event with the crowd as they cheered. This experience taught me that a true community isn’t defined by shared ethnicity, but instead by a shared commitment to help one another when needed. The students and teachers in the crowd weren’t just cheering for their friends, but also for their futures. In total, we raised one thousand two hundred dollars for our school, and this was only the beginning.
I plan to further demonstrate leadership while pursuing a nursing degree at Washburn University, where I plan to join their honors program and diverse clubs. Additionally, while attending Washburn, I plan to start a student-led organization where students can help eachother get food and clothing when needed. I understand that college life is already hard as it is, so I’m hoping this organization could assist people in need from all different backgrounds. Sometimes we have to lean on each other, and that’s okay.