Sonia is major­ing in child, adult, and fam­i­ly ser­vices. When asked how the Bright Foun­da­tion has helped her, she explained that it laid out a time­frame from the start to help her stay on top of her class­es and grades, so she can grad­u­ate in four years. Read more about Sonia in her full inter­view and dis­cov­er where she sees her­self in 5 and 10 years!

How has the schol­ar­ship allowed you to do these things: Grad­u­ate on-time, debt-free, launch your career and give back?

The Bright Schol­ar­ship laid out a time­frame from the start to help me stay on top of my class­es and grades. I knew there was an expec­ta­tion for me to fin­ish my degree in four years, which moti­vat­ed me to stay focused and keep going. 

Expe­ri­enc­ing first-hand what a dif­fer­ence this schol­ar­ship can make in someone’s life has inspired me to give back in the future. I hope to one day join an orga­ni­za­tion like the Bright Foun­da­tion or cre­ate my own non-prof­it for help teens in low-income com­mu­ni­ties receive a col­lege edu­ca­tion. I also hope to be able to finan­cial­ly help my cousins in El Salvador.

What advice would you give to some­one who is con­sid­er­ing apply­ing for the Bright Scholarship/​Lois Dale Scholarship?

I would encour­age any­one to apply for this awe­some schol­ar­ship. You have noth­ing to lose and so much to gain. When I applied, I felt inse­cure about my qual­i­fi­ca­tions and aca­d­e­m­ic abil­i­ties, and I thought I had lit­tle chance of being select­ed. How­ev­er, the Bright Foun­da­tion sees beyond your cur­rent grades and lim­i­ta­tions and rec­og­nizes your potential. 

Where do you see your­self in five years? 10 years?

In five years, I see myself with a bachelor’s degree in human devel­op­ment and fam­i­ly stud­ies, and I hope to be work­ing with an orga­ni­za­tion that helps young peo­ple suc­ceed in all areas of their lives. I also see myself work­ing in min­istry and help­ing oth­ers by using the resources I have acquired through my years in col­lege. In 10 years, I hope to be help­ing oth­ers in what­ev­er ways I can. 

What’s a fun fact we should know about you?

I love diver­si­ty! I am pas­sion­ate about explor­ing oth­er cul­tures, food, and lan­guages. I loved attend­ing a diverse high school, and I hope to one day trav­el the world.