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When I first moved to Kansas State, I was a minority, and I still am,
but there wasn’t very many other minorities on campus or in my classes.
There were a lot of times when I was the only Hispanic in class
and being in the science field, I think that was more prevalent than other fields.
At first, I felt like everybody knew me and looked at me and everybody knew that I was there –
– I obviously couldn’t miss class because the professor would know that the Hispanic is gone.
But, after that, I took pride and I knew that if I am the only Hispanic in class,
then I am going to succeed and do really well in this class.
. I felt like in the end that paid off and I was noticed,
and I graduated and that made me so happy.
I felt like I was a minority for being a woman in science,
also, because I didn’t see very many other females in my classes or in my labs
or specifically in our building where I was doing my undergraduate research.
A lot of the professors and a lot of the students were all male.
So that was also something that I felt that I was noticed for,
but again I took pride and did my very best.
Both of my mentors, my undergraduate mentor and my mentor now,
are both females and I feel like I have learned a lot from them.
We have had long conversations about being a female in science
and all of the obstacles that come along with that.
That was also something I learned a lot from -
knowing that there were other females that have succeeded and are still succeeding.
Overall, I would like to help other students like me.
I would like to be able to give back a little of everything that I have received.
Knowing that I can help other people and other students,
especially in the situation that I was in back then, would definitely be rewarding.
For someone like me, I would say never give up.
It’s hard, it is very difficult, but just never give up.
Opportunities come and doors open without you realizing it.
I had so many opportunities handed to me because I tried so hard in everything that I did.
I tried hard in all of my classes and I was rewarded with scholarships,
I tried really hard in my research, and I was sent to conferences.
So, just never give up and try really hard in everything that you do.