Scholarship Winner's Statement & Faculty Recommendation

Sulma Sanchez
The FYE Program Encouragement

One of my accomplishments after graduating from high school was to attend college. Unfortunately, being a student from a foreign country did not help me because I did not meet the requirements. When I was ready to attend college I became pregnant; therefore, I had to stay home. My baby was born premature and with health problems. When he turned one year old my boyfriend said, “Now you can go to school since our baby is doing well.” It took me moment to respond, and I said, “I will go in spring” and here I am doing my best. When I found out that there was a first year experience program at Cerritos College, I spontaneously knew it was exactly what I was looking for. My son and college are two endeavors I want to accomplish.

At the beginning, I thought being at college student was going to be difficult for me because of the instructor’s strictness and rules. The experience I had in the FYE program changed the meaning of being a college student because of the encouragement the instructors gave me to earn good grades. Studying and doing homework has not been easy for me because of my baby’s health and also because my family being against me attending college. The instructors are there for me when I have personal problems; it makes me feel tremendously trustworthy. Now I think to be a college student has evolved greatly because I took responsibility, and effort. My understanding of being a college student has evolved greatly because I took responsibility for my actions. The assignments had deadlines, which I needed to follow to get points. Sometimes it was difficult for me to have the assignment done on time because English is not my primary language. The program strictness and its challenging instructors gave me a different perspective of college life. The FYE program is exceptional for students who want a clear view of what college is like. The FYE program contributes by having its rules and regulations to enter is . The most important rule to enter: if you drop one class, you will be dropped from the others. I was attracted by this rule because I wanted to be encouraged and it actually worked.

Finally, being part of the FYE program helped me achieve my first semester’s goal, which was to earn good grades. This was a really good experience for me. Even though I am a busy mother, I can say I made it through. Thanks to the encouragement I received from the instructors I earned good grades. I would like to thank the FYE program’s director’s, counselor, and facility members because of the good effort they put into this program.

Spring 2007Scholarship

Faculty Recommendation for Student Award

 April 12, 2007

 During the course of this semester, Sulma Sanchez has consistently demonstrated that she is both an outstanding and committed student. For this reason, the House A FYE faulty has selected her as a candidate to receive the Spring 2007 FYE scholarship.

Sulma is an extremely diligent student who is always prepared and engaged in her classes. Her commitment to her education is also revealed through her interaction with her classmates during group activists. These students are encouraged by Sulma’s dedication and support, and the groups always perform well on projects. Moreover, Sulma readily seeks out extra tutoring from both the Academic Support center and the writing Center to continue to improve her skills. Consequently, it is not surprising that Sulma has received high grades in all of her classes throughout the semester.

As with all of our first-year students who are learning to balance school, work, and family, Sulma has experienced her share of obstacles this semester.  However, Sulma’s unyielding dedication has helped her to successfully overcome these obstacles and will support her as she continues to achieve her academic goals. Sulma is an exceptional student whose positive attitude an obvious enjoyment of learning has been a great asset to all of our classes. We are confident Sulma is a truly deserving candidate for the scholarship.