Burqueños for Education and Empowerment Announces 2018 BEE Scholarships Recipients
Se Vale Soñar laptop scholarship program set to begin
Albuquerque, NM May 23, 2018: Burqueños for Education and Empowerment (BEE) is thrilled to announce all recipients of BEE’s 2018 Scholarships! The Scholarship Committee has selected three students from Albuquerque who demonstrate their ability to overcome adversity, both personally and academically, while improving their academic success. With a pursuit of making personal and academic growth, BEE Scholarships seeks to reward students that a have a history of making personal change and growth and desire more for their future, regardless of past mistakes.
This is BEE’s fourth year awarding scholarship and it seems every year the process of selecting scholarship recipients gets more difficult. With nearly 100 scholarship requests, Scholarship Committee Chair, Diana Garcia, agrees the selection process becomes increasingly challenging every year because there are so many deserving students. “Every applicant that has applied for the BEE has provided amazing stories of their high school journey,” said Garcia, continuing, “All of the recipients this year were chosen because their growth as students was clearly evident and each had inspirational stories that moved us all.”
And that is exactly what we look for in students: growth. We want to reward the students that have struggled in the past, but now have realized their mistakes and seek to overcome those mistakes by improving their lives and of those around them.
Please take a moment to read a little bit about each scholarship recipient and gain a sense of their growth spirit and inspirational stories.
BEE would like to take this opportunity to thank the many friends and supporters whom have contributed both time and money to allow BEE to provide scholarships to students. BEE is forever grateful and inspired to do more for students because of the generosity of support for BEE.
The following is a list of the 2018 BEE Scholarships recipients:
Pricilla Quintana- $1,000
Jazlyn Tovar- $1,000
Adylene Morales-Hernandez- $1,000
Pricilla Quintana- Atrisco Heritage Academy
Upon first realizing she was selected as a scholarship recipient, Pricilla felt “incredible happiness,” especially since “I often doubt myself when it comes to these situations. I was expecting a rejection letter when I noticed the letter in the mail,” said Quintana. To her surprise and breaking that doubt, she noticed it was a congratulatory letter, saying it felt “amazing” to be selected. “I was in the kitchen with my father when I found out and I just hugged him while I yelled of happiness and he laughed, but it was the ‘I’m proud of you’ laugh he does.”
Quintana plans to use the scholarship money to pay for tuition, which is an area of stress for her family. “I simply just hope to use this scholarship in a way that it can also help my parents, by allowing them to have one less thing to worry about.”
When in college, Quintana plans to study nursing and eventually become a midwife nurse. Quintana is not afraid of the difficult work she will soon be engulfed in, but rather embraces it. “I am in fact incredibly excited for all of the stress and hard work that comes along,” she said about the often difficult nursing programs.
Her faith and her family have been strongholds for her, both of which are who she offers thanks to the most, saying “I have to thank God, because through Him, I have been able to accomplish all that I have. I also have to thank Him because He gave me my parents, who happen to be the most amazing, number one supporters. They have played the biggest role in me being who I am today. In fact, I would not have applied for this scholarship if it was not for their help and strong commitment to my education and dreams. That is only a small portion and example of all they have done for me and I can never thank them enough or say how thankful I am for the sacrifices they have done since the beginning of my time.”
Her advice for future scholarship applicants: if you can, you should try. “I have been afraid of rejection before and the moment I stopped being afraid was when I began receiving endless amounts of opportunities, small and big. When you write, write from the heart and be honest, when you're passionate about what you say and how you feel, that is what matters and what gets you where you need to be. Basically, be yourself and never be afraid.” Excellent advice from a remarkable young woman with high potential.
Jazlyn Tovar- Atrisco Heritage Academy
Jazlyn was unsure what to expect when she received a letter from BEE Scholarships. "When I received the letter in the mail, I was extremely nervous to open it and see if I had been selected as one of the recipients," she said. Regardless, she opened the letter and quickly realized she was selected as a BEE Scholarship recipient. "My parents and I were so happy when I opened the letter and that it said I had been selected as one of the winners. We were full of joy and happiness."
Jazlyn is extremely grateful for this scholarship and plans to use the money to help pay for college, a scenario all too familiar for post-secondary education. Winning this scholarship will "help me with my education and to proceed with my dreams," said Jazlyn, and she "will use this scholarship to help me continue with my education by using it in books, tuition, and other needs that I will need for college."
Jazlyn plans to attend college ready and eager to begin her work towards a degree in radiology with intentions of working for UNM hospitals in the future. This goals of hers is not just for her, though. Jazlyn wants a career that is stable and financially fruitful so she can help her parents out, whom have helped her the most get to where she is today. "I [would] like to get a job [after college] and be able to help my parents economically. The persons who I appreciate and thank are my parents, due to them always pushing me to chase my dreams and achieve my goals. They have supported me at all times," she said of her parents.
On future prospective applicants, Jazlyn offers simple yet instructive advice. Future applicants "have to be motivated and have a good mindset. Being a positive person helps a lot to pursue your dreams and achieve your goals."
Congrats to Jazlyn and we at BEE Scholarships wishes her the best in her upcoming adventures and look forward to her success.
Adylene Morales-Hernandez- Nuestros Valores Charter High School
Adylene epitomizes the ideals of BEE Scholarships, as she demonstrated all the virtues BEE looks for in her application. However, Adylene was unsure she would be selected. "My initial reaction was shock," said Adylene, upon hearing she was selected as a scholarship recipient. Adylene was notified during a school assembly; her reaction was priceless and validated her senior year, saying "Winning a BEE scholarship was one of the highlights of my senior year, I never expected to have won something, especially a scholarship."
Adylene plans on using her scholarship to buy herself a computer for college and for tuition or books where she intends to major in psychology, with minors in Russian and biology. Eventually, Adylene wants to join law enforcement with future hopes of joining the FBI.
Achieving these goals will not be easy as she will need support to achieve the goals, as she did to get through high school. Adylene has her mom to thank the most for that. "The person I am most thankful for helping me get where I am today is, my mom. She has been with me through everything and has pushed me to become a better person. She is my best friend," said Adylene.
Her advice to future applicants is simple: "just go for it and apply! You have nothing to lose. Plus, this scholarship is great for us students who have had a difficult high school career," which is something Adylene clearly demonstrated.
We wish Adylene nothing but the best and we cannot wait to hear about her success in the near future.
In other news, BEE Scholarships has been partnering with Daisy Astorga Gonzalez, a BEE Scholarship recipient from our inaugural year. Daisy’s story is both unique and inspirational. She wants to carry this inspiration and help support other low-income Latino(a) students achieve their academic dreams. Daisy had the idea to start a laptop scholarship to support students with similar constraints as her. A simple yet profound idea was born, creating the Se Vale Soñar Scholarship where low-income Latino(a) students can apply for a scholarship that awards laptops. The idea for the scholarship was inspired by Daisy because she had difficulties applying for scholarships without a laptop. She had to stay late at school or visit libraries to use computers and seek out scholarships. Eventually, the dedication and work paid off as she was awarded a Gates Millennium scholarship among other scholarships. Daisy wants to help other students and reduce some of the stress and struggles they encounter by not having a laptop. This is a problem many of her mentees encounter and it can provide a huge hurdle as college approaches.
We are currently seeking monetary donations and laptop donations for our Se Vale Soñar Scholarship program. Our goal with this scholarship is to help ease the college application process and scholarship process for low-income Latino(a) students. This is a scholarship dear to Daisy and aligns with the values of BEE Scholarships. Please read about the background story of the Se Vale Soñar Scholarship, testimonies from other students, and learn how to donate by clicking here. Also, click here to learn more about a particular student’s story and struggles while seeking scholarships.
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