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news
Scholarship student
protects Latino community
By Tamala Crawford
Special to the On-line Forty-Niner
Gladis Molina,
senior at Cal State University Long Beach, was recently awarded
a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Scholarship.
She was recommend for the scholarship by her political science
professor. She applied last April, and received a response
in August. Winners of this scholarship have demonstrated strong
leadership and a commitment to the Latino community. Her life
story indicates why she was a deserving candidate for the
scholarship.
Born in El Salvador, Molina, her parents and three brothers
immigrated to the United States in 1990. She attended school
locally at Stanford Middle School and Long Beach Polytechnic
High School. Being successful at CSULB is very important to
Molina because she is the first generation Latina in her family
to attend college.
Molina's parents serve as a source of motivation behind achieving
her goals. In El Salvador, her parents did not have a chance
to attend school, but they felt it was necessary to give their
children the opportunity to excel through education.
"Tears always wet my eyes when I think of how lucky I
am to have a set of parents that made sacrifices to give me
the chance to attend an American university," Molina
said.
Molina has always wanted to assist others with their struggles
in life. Entering CSULB, she had the dream of becoming a news
anchor, gaining experience working for a show called "Ed.
News." She changed her mind after being informed that
actual news anchors do not choose the stories they report,
and realizing a news anchors' hours are so long, she would
not have enough time to actually help people.
In her sophomore year, she switched her major to political
science, setting a new goal of becoming a public interest
lawyer. She wants to work for a non-profit organization,
helping to assist immigrants in gaining better opportunities
within the United States.
"My purpose and ultimate goal in life is to use my education,
my talents, and my time to seek the well being of others,
the neglected, and the underrepresented," Molina said.
"I want to use my law degree for the benefits of others.
I am aware that we have plenty of lawyers in this country,
but I don't think that we have enough of the good ones."
With a minor in Italian, Molina displays a keen interest in
the culture. She will get a chance to visit Italy this winter
for three weeks to get a chance to further explore her interest.
"I love the language, its passion, the culture, and its
people," Molina said.
Molina has already begun to touch the lives of others through
her volunteerism. She has given her time and talent to the
community numerous times, but her most memorable experience
was as an educational volunteer at the Long Beach Aquarium
of the Pacific. Molina enjoyed sharing her marine biology
knowledge, as well as watching the children's responses.
"There is nothing like seeing the face of child when
she/he is discovering marine life for the first time,"
Molina said.
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