Russell Fritz SR. Memorial Scholarship 

I have been a student at Roane State since Fall of 2022, as I continue on with my Opticianry program, I wish to exceed all of my expectations both for my education and my own personal goals. Some goals I have set for myself is to take all certifications needed in my field of work and make it to the Dean’s list. Growing up my parent’s played a huge part in who I am as a person today. I am forever grateful to have had them both in my life. I am very proud to be their daughter as they have overcome a lot of hardships as immigrants to get us where we are now. I do know two languages, my first language being spanish and second being english, but by being bilingual I have faced harsh reality in the outside world for being hispanic. Although the racism I have seen within my family it will never take away from the fact that I am a proud hispanic. I hope to be able to be accepted into receiving the Russell Fritz SR. Memorial Scholarship as it would benefit me dearly. 

I am a child of two immigrant parents and a first generation student as well, by receiving this scholarship, it would be grand to me and my parents.  About a year ago, my grandfather had an injury and was unable to take care of himself, so my mother couldn't afford to get a caretaker for him, so she decided to get him in the process of coming to the United States. It was a hard process, but then in December of 2023, he got accepted for an interview. So after lots of appointments he was finally able to come here. This did put my parents in a bad spot financially, I do currently work but it's almost not enough to cover school expenses. My family have always tried their hardest to do what is best but things happen and I understand why they can't help. My parents came from nothing, the part of Mexico they are from is a very small village in Mexico called Laguna Prieta, which means dark lagoon. Their education was as little as just getting to 2nd grade. They could not afford to go any further and this saddens me as I feel so grateful to have what I have now. I am currently on Tennessee Promise, but it will not go into effect for my last semester of college and that is what worries me the most. I had done a year prior to getting into my vision program, I was still deciding what I wanted to get into. I am hoping to get this scholarship to help pay for my last semester as my family and I are still getting accustomed to taking care of my Grandfather and me having to balance school, work and taking care of my sick grandfather. 

I plan on taking my ABO certification exam and passing. I am also planning on taking my NCLE certification exam next spring to keep my certifications spread out, I have been told this is a smart thing to do. Next is my state Board exam which can be taken after I graduate, which I hope to pass to become an officially Licensed Optician. Career wise, I would love to work around where I am needed, most places are looking for Licensed Opticians meaning my options are very open. I do hope to work at a doctor's office, currently I am working at Vision works which is great and a very good opportunity to get trained on everything. 

By having the Russell Fritz SR. Memortial Scholarship, this will allow me to focus on my school work 100% without the worry of making enough money to pay for my last semester and any other class fees or tools. I hope to continue to pursue my dreams/goals in the future and to further my knowledge. My parents have raised me to be the person I am today and it would mean so much to them if I were able to receive a scholarship. I truly believe good things happen to good people.