Daisy Astorga
After high school, Daisy, recipient of BEE’s inaugural Rising Scholar Award, decided to attend Smith College, a small, private college in Massachusetts. Daisy is doing great and adjusting well to her new surroundings and is enjoying every aspect of college life:
“I am doing good, both academically and personally. My second year of college has been stressful, challenging, fun, exciting, and many more things. I would not trade my college experience for anything in the world. I am also a volunteer at the Center for New Americans (CNA) in Northampton, MA, which helps immigrants and refugees. They give them English classes and help find opportunities. I work in the immigration area. I help with translating and filling out visas and submitting them,” said Daisy last year. Now, Daisy has been studying abroad in Denmark. I am doing great! I am keeping up with my school work and enjoying Denmark, said Daisy. Denmark is truly a remarkable country (I love their universal health care system). I have also had a couple of friends come visit and my sister came last semester. I have been traveling around when I can. I have been to Sweden, Bergen, Norway, Rome, Italy, Madrid, Spain, Brussels, Belgium, Paris, France, and Cologne, Germany. I will be visiting Barcelona, Milan, and Rome again in a week. I am in the process of setting my summer plans. I recently committed to a fellowship called "Humanity In Action." I will be placed somewhere in Europe! I am also planning on mentoring this summer, and I am returning to be a Bridge Leader for Smith College!
Jonathan Salazar
Jonathan, after receiving BEE’s inaugural Outstanding Scholar award, began college by attending Duke University.
It did not quite work out there, according to Jonathan, and he then transferred to Yale University, where he is now in his junior year.
“Unfortunately, the racial climate and racism on campus [at Duke] became very toxic and distracting. Therefore, I decided to transfer and now I am at Yale University!” Jonathan told us last year. Now at Yale, Jonathan is enjoying himself:
Everything is great on my end! I'm currently finishing up my junior year at Yale University. I'm currently studying Political Science with a double major in Ethnicity, Race and Migration with a concentration in race, law and urban policy. My time here at Yale has been spent studying the different ways race, both implicitly and explicitly, affects law and urban policies, as it relates to educational inequality, racialized poverty, mass incarceration, and the deportation and detainment of Latin American migrants. I've also begun my senior thesis research which will analyze the ways public educational institutions, educational and economic inequities and the US government have worked together to militarize Latino youth.
Overall, college has been extremely great! I've had an amazing time and have even started thinking about my post-grad plans. While still in the works, I'm hoping to study incarceration in England (where policing as we currently understand it was formed) and looking into the ways race-relations has influenced policing and incarceration.
Deissy Saldivar
Deissy was selected as the recipient of the BEE Scholar Award, BEE’s highest scholarship in its second year. Deissy is enjoying life and school and Central New Mexico Community College and is in a place where she is happy and comfortable:
I've been doing wonderful, I'm in a spot in life I never imagined I would get to. School is going good. A little stressful but it's nothing I can't handle. I'm currently trying to finish up my basics so I can apply for the physical therapy program next spring. I'm really enjoying my classes this semester, their a bit more challenging. More class discussions, it's different to what I'm used to. Overall right now, I'm trying to focus on managing my time, school, studying, friends and family it’s a lot for such little time.
![Isabella LuceroA recipient from last year, Isabella is now attending New Mexico State University, majoring in animal science and is “loving it” where she one day “hope[s] is to open her own veterinary practice to continue her “love for animals and h…](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5434346ce4b0ad279e25b437/1523582152199-YG9LWKFSELA7896GJJWJ/isabella.jpg)
Isabella Lucero
A recipient from last year, Isabella is now attending New Mexico State University, majoring in animal science and is “loving it” where she one day “hope[s] is to open her own veterinary practice to continue her “love for animals and helping people through their animals,” she said last year.
She enjoys her classes very much and loves the entire college experience. “I got involved with Collegiate 4-H and the NMSU Bass Fishing Team. I just love what I'm doing and wish everyone could experience that same joy with their major or career field.”
We could not be happier for her and wish for her success and enjoyment to continue.
Tatyana Trujillo
After high school, Tatyana decided to venture to Colorado and attend Fort Lewis College in Durango. Tatyana is doing very well and has found new interested, enjoyed many adventures, experiences, and journeys.
In her first year, she said "This academic school year has a very life changing. I have experienced so many new things socially, physically, and mentally. Going to a school in another state has been impactful and I’m very fortunate to get to have this experience.
My first semester I was finding myself through joining many different clubs such as psychology club, bee club, Newman club, and Club el Centro. I was trying to figure out what my interest were. Well first semester involved a lot of experimenting and now I have found my passions which involve environmental issues. I am currently working at the Environmental center, which is an organization on campus dealing my environmental issues and getting students more engaged with sustainable ways of living in their daily lives.
I have met many people here that I can say are very different from the people I was around when I live in Albuquerque. I have learned many things from them, especially outdoor adventure sports. I have been rock climbing, ice climbing, hiking, am many more things. I have learned to become very well adapted to snow, it probably snows twice a week."
Now in her second year in college, she has been studying abroad in Costa Rica, continuing her experience with new things while staying with a host family. "
This semester I was given the best opportunity and studied abroad in Costa Rica. Through this experience I have learned a lot about the culture, environment, and myself. I live in San Ramón Costa Rica, which is a little town outside of the capital (San Jose). I have been living with a host family and they have taught me so much. It was very strange moving into a family’s home that I was unfamiliar with, but I have survived this far. They are very sweet and have given me the best opportunities. I have tried many new foods and have experienced very in-depth conversations about their culture and lifestyle here compared to the lifestyle I live in states. I have been very well cared for and it’s going to be hard to leave. The language barrier hasn’t been too difficult but it would have made the situation a little easier and I think I could have been even closer to them. I have already made plans to come back and visit them in the future.
I have been taking classes at the university, which is named University of Costa Rica (UCR). The classes I have been taking focus on public health, the environment, and language. I am taking women’s health, global health, Spanish I and Spanish II, and Latin dance. These classes have educated me and given me a new perspective on the world, especially Latin American culture. I am enjoying al my classes, they have really challenged my perspective on Latin culture vs United States way of living. I have to say Spanish is a very difficult class. Learning Spanish grammar is one of the most challenging things I have come to do this far in college, which is kind of confusing because I’ve had some pretty challenging classes.
This was the best decision that I have made. I am growing and discovering more and more about myself and what I want to accomplish for my future. Being abroad has given me the opportunity to broaden my horizons and experience more than the typical college life style. I have had to discover new ways of living and learning. While at the same time getting accustomed to the way the culture is here. Learning a new language is also very difficult and tiring, but it has proven to be very beneficial and I want to strive to be fluent in the coming years. I thought that I wanted to minor I Spanish, but I have decided that I am going to learn it on my own and from my family members."
Jasmine Casillas
Now a UNM Lobo, Jasmine is “doing well.” She has recently changed majors from Liberal Arts to English. “I've also picked up a minor in Political Science and in Environmental Science,” said Jasmine.
Jasmine has been very busy as she works at UNM while taking classes. “My first day at the University of New Mexico was also my first day as a Student Employee at Zimmerman Library, where I've met a lot of cool people. I currently carry a 16 credit hour load (7 classes) for this semester. My freshman year I've really gotten to know my interests more. I always thought I really liked Philosophy until I actually took a Philosophy class. As for any fun experiences, I can't say I've had any yet. My main focus is trying to decide what I want to do or what I can do after college. So far, I've thought about joining the Peace Corps and working with children and writing a book, maybe I'll even look into working for a publishing company” Jasmine is now doing what so many have done before her: figure herself out and figure out what to do with her life. This is an experience many college students go through and we are certain Jasmine will be an exceptional person in the future.