An Educational Dream Arturo MaciasF
Donation protected
To whom it may concern,
My name is Arturo Macias Franco; I was born and raised in Torreon Coahuila, Mexico. When I was seventeen years old, the social and economic crisis Mexico was and is still battling forced my brothers and I out of school. My family and I were essentially uprooted from our hometown. I already began my senior year when my parents told me that they could no longer afford to pay for my school and that they were leaving our hometown. I was forced to abandon my education and prepared to start working to help my family financially. But, I could not give up. My educational dreams kept me going. I migrated to the United States, leaving my family for the first time to pursue the education of my dreams, and even if it was hard, my family understood and supported my decision. I arrived to Napa, California soon after and enrolled in Napa High School. Even though the school year began three months prior. I focused on my studies and managed to graduate that same year while working full time.
The following year, my grandmother passed away in Mexico, and once again my family was struggling. I had to abandon my dreams of higher education not knowing if I could ever finish my education in the United States if I chose to return to Mexico. I decided to go back to help my family. During that year, I couldn’t avoid thinking about my future and if I would ever be able to go back to the United States. My family once again returned to Mexico City.
Back in my hometown, I was studying to apply to medicine school in Mexico. This is when my cousin told me to go volunteer with her in a local shelter she was tending as a veterinarian. That momeny, renewed my true passion, and motivated me to pursue a better education. I volunteered at this animal shelter and veterinary hospital back in my hometown for almost three months. It was there I found Cheetos. Cheetos, a “pit bull” forced into dog-fighting, was brought to the shelter to be euthanized due to aggressive behaviors towards both humans and animals. No one bothered training or interacting with Cheetos; he wasn’t even given a chance. Seeing Cheetos locked in a cell that appeared to torture his life more than it already had been, woke up something in me that helped me turn my life around. I would do everything I could to make sure that dog had an opportunity to demonstrate who he truly was. I jumped in and worked with him for a couple of weeks without any previous experience with handling a dog like him, and finally I decided to take him home. After much effort, the owner of the shelter and my family hesitantly allowed me to give Cheetos a chance. This moment changed my life completely, for it filled me with passion I desperately needed. This experience made me realize small actions such as rescuing a misunderstood dog could truly change a life. It made me feel capable of doing better and achieving higher. Cheetos now happily lives with my parents in Mexico City, where he was a brother to my 15 year old lab who passed away last year, sister to our 11 year old lab, and currently takes care of his feline sister and my parents. I dream of going back to him and my family someday.
Cheetos is a reflection of myself. Even after I was awarded a full ride and entrance to the honors program at the school of my dreams, due to my legal status, I was later told I could not claim anything that was offered to me. Further, not gathering enough money made me rediscover a new path. I believe my legal status, or lack of one places me in a situation similar to my dog Cheetos. His appearance and behavior lead many to misunderstand and wrongly judge what this wonderful dog could give, both to my family and to the world. Today, as I look forward to what looks like the biggest challenge of my life, I think of the barriers that are set in my way. The dream of higher education, the belief that I am capable of something much better, my family, my dog, the belief that I can make a change in the world; all these keep me going. They keep me pushing harder, keep me from giving up, but also they set a barrier that is hard to overcome alone.
I have finished my prerequisites at Napa Valley College to be eligible for transfer. I came here because I couldn’t gather enough money to go to a university directly from high school. I have been working full time to cover my tuition and very basic living expenses while studying at the college. For the last three years, I have tried my best and given my everything to demonstrate what I am capable of. Although I had to work, struggle with the fear of being deported, battled missing my family, I took the challenge. I wanted to prove to myself and challenge myself to discover what I really was capable of. I took as many classes as I could during my three years at Napa Valley College. I managed to graduate with a 4.0 GPA while working full time and fulfilled IGETC certification and two associate degrees. This situation proved to be bittersweet, as it brought out the best in me, but brought me closer to the predicament I find myself in now. I always knew that in this country, hard work pays off, and these three years have shown the work ethic I am capable of attaining when I fully dedicate myself to something.
Unfortunately, my dreams of attending UC Davis vanished due to the economical barrier presented because of my legal status. This has probably been one of the most challenging and depressing situations of my life. Once again I felt lost and hopeless; however, I could not give up. Acknowledging all of the support I had from my friends, family, and professors, I had to keep going.
I submitted a late application to the University of Nevada in Reno. In under 1 month, my advisors made it possible for me to come study at Reno. I qualified for the WUE reduced tuition program which is only a little bit more expensive than what I paid during my Community College Education. The money I saved and gathered from generous donations and scholarships allowed me to start the semester last month. I recently got admitted into the Honors Program at this university, and I am hopeful I can get into a research lab to expand my love for science. Ultimately, one of my biggest goals regardless of what form of medicine I choose to pursue, is to be able to give back to dogs like Cheetos. He provided me with the passion I needed to keep going, and I will fight until my last breath to make sure these beautiful creatures do not continue being misjudged and murdered. During my life, I plan to help students and immigrants who want to pursue higher education and better lives but are challenged because of their legal status.
My educational dreams are fueled by my heart, I am however presented once again with a big dilemma. Obtaining a job in Reno has been far from easy, not having the connections and relationships I had in Napa, in addition to my legal status makes it hard for me to find a place to work at. I enrolled in a payment plan at UNR, and have been able to gather the money to make the payments this far. My next payment is of 1,850 dollars and it is due the 26th of October. I am still attempting to find a job to cover my living expenses and hopefully gather enough for the next payment due date.
I am asking for any donations, support, or simply for whoever reads my story to share it so that more people can learn about who I am. I have always believed that when opportunity doesn’t knock, one must build a door. Believe me when I say, I have given everything in me for the past five years to get to the place where I am today. I always dreamed there might be a door opening for me at the end of this journey, but I am still looking for this door. At this point, finally reaching out for help is my way of trying to build the door for myself. All of the money would be utilized to cover my tuition. I will continue looking for a job to cover additional necessities and living expenses. I am now pursuing a degree in Veterinary Science from the University of Nevada in Reno. My recent admitance to the honors program at this school reminds me of how hard I have worked to get to where I am. I plan to further my passion in veterinary medicine, and take classes to learn more about human medicine in case I chose that path.
Regardless of what happens in these future months, I know that my dreams will not vanish. I will continue to fight to make my dream come true so I can help in making this world a better place. There truly are no words that express how grateful I am for this new opportunity. Reno is awesome and the classes are challenging and interesting. I have never believed in asking people for money before, and have always worked hard for what I wanted. However, I have reached a barrier I can’t work around. Any support, or simply you taking the time to read my story and share it is greatly appreciated. Any donations, as small as they might appear, or feedback on my campaign will truly make make a difference in my dreams.
GOFUNDME is providing ten 10,000 scholarships to students in the USA who gather 10 donations by the 28th of September (#GFMScholarship.) It would mean the world to me if this could come true, for that would cover the tuition at my university for the next 2 semesters. Please help me share my story!
I abandoned everything to pursue my dream, and I will continue to give everything to make my dream a reality.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read my struggle.
#GFMScholarship
My name is Arturo Macias Franco; I was born and raised in Torreon Coahuila, Mexico. When I was seventeen years old, the social and economic crisis Mexico was and is still battling forced my brothers and I out of school. My family and I were essentially uprooted from our hometown. I already began my senior year when my parents told me that they could no longer afford to pay for my school and that they were leaving our hometown. I was forced to abandon my education and prepared to start working to help my family financially. But, I could not give up. My educational dreams kept me going. I migrated to the United States, leaving my family for the first time to pursue the education of my dreams, and even if it was hard, my family understood and supported my decision. I arrived to Napa, California soon after and enrolled in Napa High School. Even though the school year began three months prior. I focused on my studies and managed to graduate that same year while working full time.
The following year, my grandmother passed away in Mexico, and once again my family was struggling. I had to abandon my dreams of higher education not knowing if I could ever finish my education in the United States if I chose to return to Mexico. I decided to go back to help my family. During that year, I couldn’t avoid thinking about my future and if I would ever be able to go back to the United States. My family once again returned to Mexico City.
Back in my hometown, I was studying to apply to medicine school in Mexico. This is when my cousin told me to go volunteer with her in a local shelter she was tending as a veterinarian. That momeny, renewed my true passion, and motivated me to pursue a better education. I volunteered at this animal shelter and veterinary hospital back in my hometown for almost three months. It was there I found Cheetos. Cheetos, a “pit bull” forced into dog-fighting, was brought to the shelter to be euthanized due to aggressive behaviors towards both humans and animals. No one bothered training or interacting with Cheetos; he wasn’t even given a chance. Seeing Cheetos locked in a cell that appeared to torture his life more than it already had been, woke up something in me that helped me turn my life around. I would do everything I could to make sure that dog had an opportunity to demonstrate who he truly was. I jumped in and worked with him for a couple of weeks without any previous experience with handling a dog like him, and finally I decided to take him home. After much effort, the owner of the shelter and my family hesitantly allowed me to give Cheetos a chance. This moment changed my life completely, for it filled me with passion I desperately needed. This experience made me realize small actions such as rescuing a misunderstood dog could truly change a life. It made me feel capable of doing better and achieving higher. Cheetos now happily lives with my parents in Mexico City, where he was a brother to my 15 year old lab who passed away last year, sister to our 11 year old lab, and currently takes care of his feline sister and my parents. I dream of going back to him and my family someday.
Cheetos is a reflection of myself. Even after I was awarded a full ride and entrance to the honors program at the school of my dreams, due to my legal status, I was later told I could not claim anything that was offered to me. Further, not gathering enough money made me rediscover a new path. I believe my legal status, or lack of one places me in a situation similar to my dog Cheetos. His appearance and behavior lead many to misunderstand and wrongly judge what this wonderful dog could give, both to my family and to the world. Today, as I look forward to what looks like the biggest challenge of my life, I think of the barriers that are set in my way. The dream of higher education, the belief that I am capable of something much better, my family, my dog, the belief that I can make a change in the world; all these keep me going. They keep me pushing harder, keep me from giving up, but also they set a barrier that is hard to overcome alone.
I have finished my prerequisites at Napa Valley College to be eligible for transfer. I came here because I couldn’t gather enough money to go to a university directly from high school. I have been working full time to cover my tuition and very basic living expenses while studying at the college. For the last three years, I have tried my best and given my everything to demonstrate what I am capable of. Although I had to work, struggle with the fear of being deported, battled missing my family, I took the challenge. I wanted to prove to myself and challenge myself to discover what I really was capable of. I took as many classes as I could during my three years at Napa Valley College. I managed to graduate with a 4.0 GPA while working full time and fulfilled IGETC certification and two associate degrees. This situation proved to be bittersweet, as it brought out the best in me, but brought me closer to the predicament I find myself in now. I always knew that in this country, hard work pays off, and these three years have shown the work ethic I am capable of attaining when I fully dedicate myself to something.
Unfortunately, my dreams of attending UC Davis vanished due to the economical barrier presented because of my legal status. This has probably been one of the most challenging and depressing situations of my life. Once again I felt lost and hopeless; however, I could not give up. Acknowledging all of the support I had from my friends, family, and professors, I had to keep going.
I submitted a late application to the University of Nevada in Reno. In under 1 month, my advisors made it possible for me to come study at Reno. I qualified for the WUE reduced tuition program which is only a little bit more expensive than what I paid during my Community College Education. The money I saved and gathered from generous donations and scholarships allowed me to start the semester last month. I recently got admitted into the Honors Program at this university, and I am hopeful I can get into a research lab to expand my love for science. Ultimately, one of my biggest goals regardless of what form of medicine I choose to pursue, is to be able to give back to dogs like Cheetos. He provided me with the passion I needed to keep going, and I will fight until my last breath to make sure these beautiful creatures do not continue being misjudged and murdered. During my life, I plan to help students and immigrants who want to pursue higher education and better lives but are challenged because of their legal status.
My educational dreams are fueled by my heart, I am however presented once again with a big dilemma. Obtaining a job in Reno has been far from easy, not having the connections and relationships I had in Napa, in addition to my legal status makes it hard for me to find a place to work at. I enrolled in a payment plan at UNR, and have been able to gather the money to make the payments this far. My next payment is of 1,850 dollars and it is due the 26th of October. I am still attempting to find a job to cover my living expenses and hopefully gather enough for the next payment due date.
I am asking for any donations, support, or simply for whoever reads my story to share it so that more people can learn about who I am. I have always believed that when opportunity doesn’t knock, one must build a door. Believe me when I say, I have given everything in me for the past five years to get to the place where I am today. I always dreamed there might be a door opening for me at the end of this journey, but I am still looking for this door. At this point, finally reaching out for help is my way of trying to build the door for myself. All of the money would be utilized to cover my tuition. I will continue looking for a job to cover additional necessities and living expenses. I am now pursuing a degree in Veterinary Science from the University of Nevada in Reno. My recent admitance to the honors program at this school reminds me of how hard I have worked to get to where I am. I plan to further my passion in veterinary medicine, and take classes to learn more about human medicine in case I chose that path.
Regardless of what happens in these future months, I know that my dreams will not vanish. I will continue to fight to make my dream come true so I can help in making this world a better place. There truly are no words that express how grateful I am for this new opportunity. Reno is awesome and the classes are challenging and interesting. I have never believed in asking people for money before, and have always worked hard for what I wanted. However, I have reached a barrier I can’t work around. Any support, or simply you taking the time to read my story and share it is greatly appreciated. Any donations, as small as they might appear, or feedback on my campaign will truly make make a difference in my dreams.
GOFUNDME is providing ten 10,000 scholarships to students in the USA who gather 10 donations by the 28th of September (#GFMScholarship.) It would mean the world to me if this could come true, for that would cover the tuition at my university for the next 2 semesters. Please help me share my story!
I abandoned everything to pursue my dream, and I will continue to give everything to make my dream a reality.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read my struggle.
#GFMScholarship
Organizer and beneficiary
Arturo Macías Franco
Organizer
Reno, NV
Sarah Quinonez
Beneficiary