My name is Diana Valdez. I am 30 years old, and as a first-generation Mexican-American, the Beca Tu Camino Scholarshp would greatly help me to advance my nursing career.

Both of my parents are from the municipality of Poanas in Durango, Mexico, and have an educational background that only reaches the elementary level. My father was among the eldest of his 11 siblings and was only able to complete 1st grade before he joined the men of his family farming beans, com, and other grains. My mother is also of 11 siblings, and as a young lady, she was only able to complete the 3rd grade before she, too, had to help sow the fields that her father farmed. My parents motivated my two siblings and I to pursue the education they did not have the opportunity to seek.

Unfortunately, at the age of 15, I became a statistic. I felt that I had let my parents down when I became a teenage mother, but in reality, it only motivated us as a family to ensure that I completed my studies. Despite the difficulty balancing high school and then college, as a young mother, I persevered with my son at my side. At the age of 18 I graduated from C. E. King High School, and at the age of 20, I received my Certificate of Technology in Nursing from San Jacinto North Campus; my official title is Licensed Vocational Nurse (LYN). I am now a proud first-generation high school and college graduate in my family, and I am not done climbing for success.

I work as a School Nurse at Sheldon Independent School District, the same community that I still reside in and the same school district that I attended as a child. I am passionate about nursing and enjoy the opportunity that I have to care for others. As a school nurse, I have a responsibility to care for the children at my school and promote the wellness of my community. I applied to Lonestar's Transition Nursing Program in Kingwood and was accepted based on my excellent HESI entrance exam scores and high grades in the program's prerequisite courses. Upon completion, the Transition Nursing Program would allow me to receive my Associate of Science in Nursing degree.

This scholarship would help elevate my education so that I can continue to support the community that I love. Because I already have a degree, I do not qualify for traditional financial aid due to excess credit hours. The "Beca tu Camino" scholarship would alleviate the financial barrier that I have to pursue higher education.

My ultimate goal would be to receive a Master of Science in Nursing Degree so that I can one day reach a larger audience and teach in a community college like Lonestar as a nursing professor. As a professor, I hope to educate others and share with them the same passion that I have for the nursing profession. I want to become part of a new statistic and represent the growing percentage of Latinas with higher education. I believe that I can accomplish my goals and make them a reality with the support of "Beca tu Camino" from Univision.