Maritza Ramirez

For the second year in a row, an Alisal student is once again a Gates scholar. Senior Joselin Hernandez was awarded the Gates Scholarship. Both Pedro Mendoza and Juan Jose Trujillo wrote letters of recommendation. “Mendoza and Trujillo are an inspiration because of what they have been able to accomplish,” Hernanez said.

Financial fears are very common among students who are pursuing a higher education after high school. Although there are several ways to get help such as FAFSA, and scholarships, not many are lucky enough to get a lot of financial aid.  For senior Joselin Hernandez, it is different. 

Hernandez was awarded one of the most competitive scholarships – The Gates Scholarship. Last year, Marco Nunez was awarded the scholarship, making it the second year in a row an Alisal student was given the opportunity. 

This scholarship in particular targets high school seniors who are a minority and come from low-income households. The scholarship covers the full cost of attendance, fees, room, board, books, transportation and can even include other personal expenses. When hearing back about the scholarship, a huge weight was lifted from Hernandez’s shoulders. Financial struggles are what hold back many students from going to certain colleges, but now with the scholarship, there’s no need for Hernandez to worry about that anymore. “When I heard back, I ran to my mom, she was on Facetime with my sister so both of them heard about the news at the same time. We were all excited,” Hernandez said. 

The scholarship itself has two phases – the semi-finalist phase which consists of 4 essays, 2 letters of recommendation, a questionnaire, proof of the FAFSA submission, and a personal picture. The second phase is the finalist phase which consists of an interview that can be done online or in-person. “The process for the scholarship was very stressful because I had to write a lot of essays and answer a lot of short responses,” Hernandez said. “Writing the essays was a challenge because I was struggling with what to write. I had answers but I was confused about whether what I had would answer the questions correctly.” 

Hernandez’s sister, who is in college, convinced her to apply for the scholarship and played a big role throughout the scholarship process. “My sister was a finalist, but she didn’t get it. She said it was a good opportunity and kept on convincing me and telling me how it would pay all of college,” Hernandez said. “She was the main reason I did it, if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t have done it.” 

 One of the main requirements during the semi-finalist phase is two letters of recommendation. Hernandez asked her previous calculus teacher Juan Jose Trujillo, and her wrestling coach Pedro Mendoza. “I asked Trujillo because I felt like he knew me well because I attended a lot of his tutorials and I would talk to him not just about school but other things as well, I think he knew me well,” she said. “Mendoza is my wrestling coach and he knows me outside of school, like wrestling, he knew how dedicated I was to wrestling and school, and the commitment I had for both.” 

Hernandez is majoring in nutritional sciences, and plans on pursuing a career in becoming a pediatric nurse. Her top 3 schools were UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, and Simpson College. She chose Berkeley, in part because she was offered a full ride scholarship on top of the Gates Scholarship. “I also got into the study abroad program which allows me to study abroad my freshman year,” she said. “Which is good because the Gates scholarship covers studying abroad too.” I am hoping to study abroad in London this upcoming fall semester. I’ve always wanted to visit London so since I was given this opportunity, I couldn’t pass it up.” 

However, this is not a closing chapter for wrestling, as she plans to join wrestling clubs. “I still plan to wrestle in college. Hopefully keep competing at a senior level,” she said. “Since Berkeley doesn’t have a wrestling team, I’ll join clubs or nearby ones in the area.”

Now with both scholarships in her hands, Hernandez is now at ease as she won’t have to stress over financial issues. “I was relieved because obviously, I don’t have a lot of money since both of my sisters are in college and my parents are helping. But now that everything is paid for, my parents don’t have to worry about another tuition cost.”