This month, we are featuring Alma Oñate, a $20,000 AMF scholarship recipient and graduate of Hamilton High School in 2012. Alma has just completed her first year of college at Northern Kentucky University, obtaining recognition on the President’s List and Dean’s List for her outstanding grades. Please read the letter below from Alma to see how AMF has impacted her life and her plans during her upcoming years at NKU.
Dear Anthony Muñoz Foundation,
I would like to open up by saying that my first year in college has been a blessing – and of course such a great year could not have been possible without the help of the scholarship that the Anthony Muñoz Foundation and its partners have granted me with such generosity. In my first year in college, I have been able to achieve many accomplishments. For example, first semester, I was put on the President’s List, while my second semester I was able to obtain Dean’s List, both for having excellent grades and GPA. This school year, I have been able to achieve academic excellence, despite having to face some challenging courses like Calculus II and Chemistry.
I also joined SAACS, the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society, my first semester. SAACS puts together many activities meant to foment a sense of community amongst chemistry and biochemistry majors, as well as bringing chemistry to the community, including young children with free demos in libraries and elementary schools. Second semester, I officially became the Wellness Ambassador for the SAACS group. I also became a part of the Presidential Ambassadors, an elite group of 45 students that is in charge of giving tours to prospective students, service at commencement ceremonies, and working different receptions at the president’s house. In a way, we are in charge of welcoming new students and bidding farewell to graduating students and representing our school wherever we are and wherever we go. I have also had the opportunity to be a part of the Honors Program at NKU. This program has given me many opportunities to grow as a person, but more than anything, the small class sizes allowed me to meet and connect with the people I consider my good friends today. The Honors Program also gave me the opportunity to become a Peer Mentor for the fall semester of 2013, which means I will be responsible for helping new freshmen to accommodate to college and make a successful transition from high school. I also work a part-time job at the university being a tutor in chemistry and biology.
It has been a busy year, filled with new and exciting opportunities, but I can honestly say that none of this would be possible without the aid of the Anthony Muñoz Foundation and all of the people who donate their money, time, and resources to make this scholarship possible. As I mentioned before in the short essay I wrote about this scholarship, I can say that the greatest gift this scholarship has provided for me is the fact that in addition to helping my financial situation, this scholarship has take a burden off my back. Without this scholarship, my life would be completely different. I would have to work a full-time job in order to be able to pay my school, while being a full-time student living at home–which is one hour’s drive from NKU. However, with this scholarship, I am able to concentrate on my studies, which is the most important part, but I am also able to live on campus, and participate in many activities, such as research which are quickly becoming an essential part of not only my college experience, but of my life in general. Each of these activities is helping me grow, learn, meet new people, make the right connections, and take me one step closer to my final goal — to be a medical doctor who relieves and comforts the sick, especially the children of our world.
Once again, thank you. I sincerely thank you, not only what you did for me when you awarded me the scholarship, but what you do every single day of my college experience, and what you do for so many other young men and women in our community. You are truly helping being change to the world one life at a time, and I am another person’s life whom you have touched with your generosity and benevolence. I would just like to say that one day I aspire to be like the people who so kindly give to this program and that if you ever need help with any event or program, count on me to volunteer. Best wishes to everyone that makes this possible.
Sincerely,
Alma Oñate