• 2011 Berkeley Community Fund High Hopes Scholarship recipient
• University of California, Santa Cruz

In college, I hope to learn a lot more about whom I am and what I am capable of achieving due to everything I learned in high school. In high school not only did I learn things academically but also, I found out who I was and what it is that the future means to me and what I want to achieve in the years to come. College will teach me how to be independent and learn of my surroundings and my stance in my society. I want you to remember me as the young woman who wants to be successful in life, who works very hard to achieve her goals and the kind of person who really sees challenges, not as barriers but as opportunities not only to improve her life but the lives of others.

“Latino students at Berkeley High often face the challenge of having to overcome the expectations of peers and teachers who assume that they will cut school and choose classes that aren’t academically challenging. Maria recognized these assumptions right away and has proven them wrong over and over again. She has become a true role model for her peers.”

Teacher, Berkeley High School