Each year, the Bridges Academy Endowed Scholarship produces two scholarships for undergraduate students. This scholarship is funded solely by attendees of the Bridges Academy Lecture Series.
Hello, I hope you are all having a wonderful afternoon today. My name is Gloria Sandoval and I am a current senior studying International Relations and Political Science here at USD. I have grown up in San Diego and attended Granite Hills High School, graduating in 2015, with an International Baccalaureate certificate and Honors.
My hard work and commitment in high school allowed me to confidently apply to amazing universities such as UCSD, UCLA, San Diego State, University of Chicago, and Brown University, to name a few. USD, however, was the school that caught my eye. Its beautiful campus, the smiling people, its generous financial aid, being an institution of my religious affiliation, were some of the reasons why I chose USD.
Once being here at USD, I realized what good of a choice I had made. My time here has felt like a big warm hug. My first year at USD I applied to be a Residential Assistant and I have since been an RA for three years. Working for USD’s Residential Education Department has allowed me to help first-year students in their transition to college and allowed me to be their first real friend at USD. The friendships and connections that I have made throughout this department are ones that I know will last me a lifetime. Other involvement of mine throughout my time here on campus has been with University Ministry, the KIPJ’s Trans-Border Institute, and MEChA.
I first declared my International Relations major and Political Science minor during my second year here, after coming to college thinking that I wanted to be a surgeon or a dentist. Living in a culturally diverse community, near an international border, in a city as beautiful as San Diego, I knew right away that I wanted to learn more about how to be more involved, how to improve my surroundings, how to help others who have helped me and even strangers. I am looking forward to continuing my education in the years to come to be able to obtain a graduate degree or even attend law school, with aims of being an international affairs professor or advisor one day.
The generosity of scholarships and grants have allowed me to continue my education here and have kept me motivated. Having received the Residential Assistant Housing Scholarship and most recently the Bishop Maher Catholic Scholarship for my Catholic leadership along with the Bridges Academy Scholarship has given me the opportunity to aim higher when considering my education, knowing that I have the support of many who take notice of my hard work and potential. Giving me the notice that financial circumstances are not a barrier.
And so I would like to acknowledge and give thanks to you all, the Bridges Endowed Scholarship donors, for granting me the wonderful opportunity of continuing my last year here at USD. Your support and contributions further the wonderful memories and blessings USD has gifted me. Thank you.
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