Developing scholarship applications and essays +4 (Kathya Lavado-Arrington, Class of 2028)

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I took the chance to apply to the Taco Bell Live Mas Scholarship, which consisted of many parts, including essays and self-reflections. Throughout this application, I was faced with many questions that allowed me to reflect on myself, as well as my past experiences, and how I will use them to engage positively with the communities that I would like to impact in the future. Specifically for my application, I spoke about my experience being a Peruvian-American woman who has seen my immigrant family members deal with the consequences of not knowing or understanding English. As I use this, I also use my experience of being a Bonner scholar, in which I work at Hollis Innovation Academy with 8th-grade math and an ENL program. Within this ENL program, I work with Hispanic non-English speaking students to help them learn English. With these experiences, I have learned that I want to work in education policy and begin a non-profit for students like them. This is what I wrote about in my essays for the scholarship, as it aligned with what they call "live mas."

This activity ultimately pushed me to continue thinking about my personal academic and future purpose, and how I want to help others through my career. As I constantly push myself to embody the spirit of live mas, which is turning my curiosity into bold actions that showcase who I am. I was pressured that I am committed to both growth in an academic aspect, while taking my community service seriously. Along this process, I also reaffirmed my own commitment to furthering my academic journey, especially through scholarship. If awarded the Taco Bell Live Mas Scholarship, I would be able to continue paying for my journey at Spelman College, which allows me to stay on my educational path while also giving me space to focus on how I can continue my mission of helping English Language Learning students.

Kathya Lavado-Arrington

Spelman College, Class of 2028