Fernando Flores
Hammonton High School
Lehigh University
“Cómo latino orgulloso, llevo mi cultura con mucha felicidad. Growing up Latino has been nothing short of a blessing and having the opportunity to be the first in my family to attend college is remarkable. From the carne asadas and quinceaneras to the beautiful tradition of leaving your shoe out for los Reyes Magos, there is so much to love and experience in our culture.
“Mañana vas a faltar para ir conmigo a mi cita para los riñones,” my dad told me as I was studying vigorously for my AP Chemistry exam. This was a common occurrence as my dad needed someone to translate for his doctor appointments since he is not fluent in English. It was a hardship that consisted of me missing several important tests, quizzes, and overall time with my friends.
There was an instance when my classmates and I had to walk out of lunch early for our science classes lab day, and a hall monitor confronted our group asking where we were going. One of my classmates explained that we had a lab day, and had to go upstairs to report to the AP biology classroom. The hall monitor motioned to me and asked about my whereabouts, suggesting that I wasn’t a part of the group which was embarrassing as I felt ostracized for being the only Hispanic in the group. Although my peers easily brushed off the hall monitor’s comment, it was hard for me to let it go as I felt targeted and unworthy.
Growing up as a Latino made the social scene difficult as well. Unfortunately, my high school displayed little to no diversity when it came to upper level classes. In taking AP and Honors level classes I no longer saw my Latino friends, and felt like I didn’t belong. This wasn’t only because of my ethnicity, but also my socioeconomic status. I often overheard my peers explain that their parents signed them up for SAT preparation classes that were worth thousands of dollars, and I felt out of place in that the most help I received from my parents was the infamous “echale ganas mijo” speech. My mother would explain how she wants me to succeed and become the best version of myself, rather than work a tedious janitor job that she was doing.
The situations above, and many other hardships that I have experienced throughout my lifetime as a Latino have motivated me to become the hardworking Latino student that I am today. I have earned admission into Lehigh University which is the college that I will be attending in the fall. This year Lehigh had one of the most selective years in the history of their University pertaining to student acceptances with only a 29% acceptance rate. My goal in the future is to graduate from Lehigh with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and work for a company that strives to help people in need. This scholarship will aid in the high cost of textbooks, supplies, and tuition at my University.