After my selection on March 10, 2009, I was notified that I was a Gates Millennium Scholars Finalist through e-mail. Then, on April 17, I received a UPS package on my front door for me. I was so thrilled to open it because I never receive this kind of mail, especially through UPS. I opened it, and it was a nice white envelope labeled Gates Millennium Scholars. Inside this envelope was a portfolio with my name on a label that included some information pertaining to the program and found out that I had become a Gates Millennium Scholar. I was filled with joy and started to cry tears of happiness. The first thing I did was thank God. 

I was first notified that I was a Gates Millennium Scholars Finalist by Cathy Makunga, Senior Director for Programs for Gates Millennium Scholars Program, who told me on behalf of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) administers the Gates Millennium Scholars Program (GMS). UNCF has partnered with the American Indian Graduate Center Scholars, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund to assist in implementing the program. 

There are two phases to being awarded the Gates Millennium Scholarship. The students first have to become a finalist; then they will be notified if they received this honor of becoming a Gates Millennium Scholar through mail.

I was the only one chosen locally from Waco to receive this scholarship. Among more than 20,500 applicants, only 1,000 students across the country are chosen to receive this scholarship, so it is my honor to be only the second student from La Vega High School and the only one from Waco this year to receive this prestigious scholarship.

Not only am I capable of reaching my educational, personal, and career goals with this scholarship, this is also a great opportunity to go above and beyond anything I have ever dreamed about becoming. It is nice to know that all my hard work has paid off. After applying for about thirty scholarships, I was only awarded nine. This has made me realize that life can be difficult at times because I cannot get everything I want in life, but this has only made me stronger and allowed me to strive for more.   

My family's response to my receiving this scholarship is incredible! More than anybody, they know how hard I have worked to make an effort to apply for as many scholarships as I could and push for a successful life by wanting to go to college. My parents are relieved to know that they will not have to be in debt to help me attend college and pay anything for my education. Coming from a humble family, they are thrilled to see me be successful here in the United States. I thank my father for deciding to bring our family to Texas because he made an effort to immigrate to the  United States for a better lifestyle and more opportunities for our family.

Although I am unsure of the specific amount that the Gates Millennium Scholars Program will provide, I do know that it depends on the cost of attendance of the college that the student will be attending. I will be attending the University of Texas at Austin starting on August 26, which marks the beginning of the fall semester. This Gates Millennium Scholarship is a full ride and covers costs for tuition and fees, housing and meals (on or off campus), allowance for books and supplies, allowance for personal expenses, and allowance for transportation.

I will be at the University of Texas at Arlington from July 7-August 12. I will be "bridging" there. Bridging gives students who are a part of an Upward Bound Program an opportunity to receive six college credit hours at no cost. I had an option to either bridge here at McLennan Community College through the Upward Bound Program or the University of Texas at Arlington through the Upward Bound Math & Science Center, and I chose UTA because I figured this will help me get used to not being at home and prepare me better for the fall at UT-Austin. I will have about a week and a half to rest from college and then move to Austin on August 23. Classes start the following Wednesday, so I will have the opportunity to become more familiar with the campus before I start classes in the fall semester. I will be majoring in biology and hope to become a physical therapist, but who knows, I might even become a doctor after attending medical school. Anything is possible with the Gates Millennium Scholarship!

I do plan on returning to visit every once in a while, but I am not sure about how often I will be visiting, definitely during Thanksgiving and Christmas times though. I hope to be back during the La Vega Homecoming game to crown the 2009 homecoming queen. =)

My advice for next year’s seniors would include the following: 

1. Enjoy your last year of high school while you can, but do not have too much fun. You have to know how to control yourself especially when you are talking about preparing yourself for college the following year.

2. Apply for as many scholarships as you can. Yes, the application process can be stressing sometimes, but know that it will all be worth it in the long run. Look at me. After going through about thirty scholarship applications, look at where it has gotten me. I was awarded the Gates Millennium Scholarship unexpectedly, but writing the long essays for this application was definitely worth it!

3. Please do not procrastinate either. I submitted my GMS application at the last minute, which led me to believe that I had no chance of getting the scholarship, but I was risking it. I had to proofread my essays before I submitted them, right?

4. Keep copies of everything you submit along with your applications. You want to have proof of the items you submitted.

5. Have close relationships with adults who you think will write good recommendation letters for you. Follow up with those recommendation letters to make sure they don't forget about it.

 6. Send thank you letters to those who helped you complete your high school experience successfully. Don't forget about those who wrote recommendation letters for you.

I am the daughter of Ignacio and Rosenda Guerrero. I have two older brothers, Juan and Sebastian, and two older sisters, Araceli and Imelda. I have two sisters-in-law, Careli and Adanary, and two brothers-in-law, Alfredo and Rafael. I cannot forget about my wonderful nieces, Madai, Melanny, Imeri, Kassie, and Marisol, and my one and only nephew, Juanito. I am thankful for the family God has given me. Without their support and encouragement, I do not know where I would be.

I would like to give a special thanks to my wonderful parents for pushing me to do my best in everything that I do. As for my brothers and sisters and the rest of my family, thank you for being there when I needed your support the most. Not only do I want to be successful in life and make my family proud of me, but I also want to set a great example for my nieces and nephews so that they can follow my footsteps into success.

From the beginning of my freshman year to the end of my senior year, I want to thank all the faculty and staff who took part in my high school experience. From the lunch ladies who served me lunch to the teachers who taught me a certain subject to those who gave me advice that I could use in my future, I am thankful for everyone that God has put in my pathway. I will definitely miss my friends and all the memories we made throughout all these years. From inside the classroom to the hallways of LVHS, from homecoming to prom, from sports to extracurricular activities, I will miss it all. Most of all, I will definitely have things to look back that happened during my senior year, especially when being crowned 2008 Homecoming Queen in front of all the football fans, our football team's playing the state championship game at Texas Stadium in Irving, the senior class officers and sponsors' making our senior trip possible to Hurricane Harbor, sitting on stage next to the brightest students of our class at graduation, and graduating third in my senior class. As I begin another chapter of my life, I will take on all these memories that were created during high school and continue making more memories.