ESMERALDA GONZALEZ

My name is Esmeralda Gonzalez, born and raised in Oakland, California. I was raised by a single mother along with my siblings in a middle-class home. I am very fortunate to have love and support from my family. I feel blessed that through my journey to be successful, they have been nothing but supportive. I want to make something out of myself so I could help my mother and give her the world. I will never forget that she was the main person that was there for me when I was going through a rough patch in my life. I was struggling with stress and depression and was not focusing on school as much. She never let me down, yet she is still here holding me down like the best mother there is. I am also thankful for all the love and support that I received during my time at Laney College from my teachers, colleagues, faculty, and staff. I was even luckier once I was admitted to the EOPS program. I had so much help from my counselor and my peer advisor. I like the fact that they would always take their time to help me with anything I needed help with, especially with it being my first year going back to college. This scholarship will benefit me in the way that I will finish my degree and get my dream job because I want to make my mother proud of me.