Opportunity Scholarships change lives
My professional dream started when I was 6 years old — and it would not have come true without the Opportunity Scholarship.
On an Easter morning in Albuquerque, I tried on a formal suit for the first time. I loved it. I loved the way it looked and the way it made me feel. Then, my mother said something that would change my life: “Why don’t you become a lawyer when you grow up? Then you can dress this way all the time!”
That idea sparked something in me. Of course, it was more than the clothes that made me want to become a lawyer. There were books, movies and television shows about lawyers, and I became immersed in those at a very young age. From those, I saw the good that lawyers do, and I knew I wanted to be part of that. As I grew older, I knew that my future would include immigration-rights law, as well as domesticabuse and divorce law.
I left Pojoaque Valley High School in 2017 and I got my GED diploma at Northern New Mexico College’s Adult Education Program in 2019. However, my dreams started to fade in favor of something I viewed as more practical. I decided that it made more sense to help support my family instead of asking them to finance my educational dream, so I accepted a job in adult education instead. That’s where I found out about the Opportunity Scholarship. My world changed.
The scholarship has already assisted more than 42,000 students like me across New Mexico, and that number is growing. It has funded a quality education for students in the legal, scientific and educational fields, allowing those of us who have received it the ability to support our state’s growth and security. Believe me, we are grateful.
Without this opportunity, my career would have reached an early standstill. I would not be in college, pursuing studies in psychology with an emphasis on crime and justice. The scholarship has allowed me to better my education and to give back to my community. Most important, I am able to help support my family, which was my reason for pausing my education in the first place.
Both my sister and my mother have seen what can be accomplished, in very real terms, since I have returned to school. It has inspired them to get their own high school equivalency credentials.
Because of the Opportunity Scholarship, my younger sister is now planning to pursue her own legal career in crime and justice at Northern New Mexico College. We are encouraging our mother to follow us on the road to college through the Opportunity Scholarship, and she is seriously thinking about it.
It is my hope that the state Legislature understands that continued funding for this scholarship means that tens of thousands of New Mexicans will contribute to the economic stability and educational future of our state.
The difference in each of our lives because of the Opportunity Scholarship cannot be overstated. We, the multitude of Opportunity Scholarship recipients, are heading into the future as New Mexicans who will be making a positive difference to the well-being of our state for many years to come.