Name, Catholic School(s) attended, years graduated:
St. Jerome Catholic School 2015
Bourgade Catholic High School 2019
Arizona State University 2023
I am a first generation college student graduating from Arizona State University. I have two older sisters and am a Godmother to my oldest niece. My oldest sister adopted me when I was eleven years old and moved me from a public to a private catholic school. Through my journey at St. Jerome and Bourgade Catholic I was able to grow as a person as well as in my faith. I will be graduating this May 2023 with my bachelors in Social Work, this is something that I am very passionate and excited about. My goal is to work with foster youth and ensure that someone is advocating for them and their education.
What impact did Catholic schools have on you and your family?
Having a Catholic education had a big impact on my family and I. Attending St. Jerome was a great experience for me, the school was so welcoming with open arms and sparked my interest in pursuing a Catholic education at Bourgade Catholic High School. Being a part of the church and my involvement at Bourgade was something that I always loved being a part of and made me want to be able to give back and also made me want to learn more about my faith.
What Challenges/Obstacles, over the years, were you able to overcome that you would attribute to your Catholic education and Faith?
There have been times where I have struggled in my faith being at ASU. Being at such a large University and no longer living with family it made it hard for me putting my faith first. From this I decided to make Sunday’s my family days and to always go home to spend time with my family. I also felt a little lost since there were so many students I was not sure what group I belonged in, through some research I was able to find faith based communities on campus which helped me as well.
What is one or two special memories of your Catholic School Experience that you would like to share?
My favorite memory attending Bourgade Catholic High School was attending Kairos as a sophomore and being able to lead it my Junior and Senior year. Kairos is a retreat geared toward deepening one’s faith, identity, relationships, and connection to God’s role in our lives. This is a memory that I will always hold close to my heart. I was not only able to grow in my faith, but also share the challenges that I faced and how my faith kept me going. Being able to share this with some of my classmates and letting them know that we are not alone in the challenges that we face in life was a very powerful experience for me.
Accomplishments:
● Dean’s Lists all four years attending Arizona State University
● Study Abroad to Barcelona with the Gilman Scholarship
● Foster Youth Advocate
