Sponsored! Abigail
My name is Abigail. I was born and raised as an only child in San Diego, California. Both of my parents are from Mexico, which makes me Mexican-American. Being an only child has its advantages such as receiving undivided love and attention from my parents, more resources, money, and inheritance, I get to grow up to be independent and able to fend for myself, I am comfortable talking to adults, I am not expected to live up to the standards of older siblings or to give that “perfect” example to younger siblings, and it is easier for my parents to save for my college education since I am the only child and a first generation student. On the other hand, its disadvantages are the feeling of loneliness by not having a sibling to play with regularly, or whom to be able to share thoughts and memories with, my parents being too attached and not giving me the right space to grow and learn, the stress of knowing that I have to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of my parents on my own when they are older, and finally is not having the proper help on assignments, high school, college, or advice. All my life my biggest fear has been failure. I always think to myself, “I can not and will not fail because I have many more things I want to accomplish. I have to keep going for myself, my future, and my parents.” Through this, I have always pushed myself to keep going.
Becoming a part of Bridge For Kids would be a huge blessing for me. First of all, it would provide me with financial support. I want to be able to pay for my expenses rather than have my parents pay for everything. My mother is the only one working at the moment. She works at an elementary school. Meanwhile, my father can’t work since he has been handicapped for almost 10 years due to him injuring his back at work. Luckily, we have never struggled with finances so far. I am happy with what we have. If I were to receive sponsorship funds from this organization, I would mainly use them to pay for high school expenses such as a cheer uniform, graduation cap and gown, senior events, and AP Exams. In addition, I would use these funds to also pay for my college expenses such as courses, tuition, housing, books, meals, and transportation.
Apart from financial support, I would receive academic support for college applications, scholarships, financial aid, and full rides. Receiving these two support systems and more, I could finally have that weight of worries about not having financial or academic support lifted off my shoulders. Currently, I am a senior at Hoover High School. Previously, I attended Edison Elementary and Wilson Middle School. Throughout high school, I have been involved in clubs and programs such as Key Club, Price Community Scholars, which I completed, and Hoover Drumline. Currently at Hoover, I am in FACES for the Future, SDSU Upward Bound/HCOP, Class of 2022 Cabinet (Secretary), Med Mindset, and Hoover Varsity Cheer. The reason why I am in these clubs and programs is because I am planning on attending a 4-year university like UC Riverside, UC Irvine, or UC San Diego to earn a bachelor's or master’s degree and then dive into the medical field. While this field includes various careers, I am aiming towards becoming a pharmacist or an OB-GYN. Ever since I was in elementary school, I have always wanted to have a career involving medicine, helping people or animals, and lots of hands-on tasks. In addition, I love making new friendships, working with others, helping the San Diego community and my people in Mexico, and spreading positivity. My greatest strengths are determination, resilience, leadership, communication, and always seeking new opportunities, which would be an excellent contribution to Bridge For Kids.
If you are interested in making a difference in the life of a teen through an A Bridge for Kids sponsorship please contact Grace Jo at gjo@abridgeforkids.org.