Monique Chavez
Delano, California
PepsiCo Foundation ExCEL Award, 2010
The PepsiCo Foundation ExCEL Award will completely change my life. My first year of college was very stressful. Not only did I have to worry about keeping my grades up, but I was also stressing about having money to buy school supplies and groceries, and whether or not I was going to have enough money to pay my electricity bill. I tried multiple times to find a part time job to help pay my bills, however, with the bad economy, the only income I was able to receive came from financial aid. My parents divorced when I was young; my father and stepmother are raising my eight younger brothers and sisters (five of whom are adopted), and my mother is on the verge of losing her house.
Since I was a little girl I always knew I wanted to go to college and get a good career, but all this stress made me question whether I should stay in college or just drop out and get a full time job. However, all that questioning changed after I found out that I was granted the PepsiCo Foundation ExCEL Award. Now I know that I am going to have enough money to stay in college, receive a degree, and achieve a great career.
My college education is also helping me give back to the community. With my communications class I did ten hours of community service at the Poverello House, in Fresno, California, and I have also participated in my first Relay for Life. I know that I will do a lot more community service as a college student, and I will continue giving back to the community after I graduate as well.
