Jose Alberto Ramirez Tamayo
Guanajuato, Mexico
PepsiCo Foundation ExCEL Award, 2008

Studying a BA Program and having a career have always been part of my life goals, and every step of my education has confirmed that big wish to continue learning. I have never stopped being fascinated by the study of the human being and the world where he lives, and I have always questioned the 'why' of things – that may be the main motivation for my choice to study philosophy. One of the hardest decisions in education is deciding how to define the course of your life; how to define the answer to 'what do you do'? This entry to university comes with an environment of economic, social, family and geographical aspects; when I was to begin my BA program, the economic factor was not favorable.

My brother was studying a BA program too, and my parents' incomes were not sufficient to keep both of us in school; we required financial support. And that was not the only problem to solve: my university was in another city, and I had to move. Added to that is the fact that a career as a philosopher does not have the acceptance, or social and cultural prestige, in my region, that careers such as doctors or lawyers do.

Calling these barriers would be fair, but the important thing is how you react in the face of adversity: with defeat, or with inspiration? I mean, if there are problems you can just do nothing, or you can find a way to solve them. This was how I started looking for the support of a scholarship, which really helped overcome more than one of the barriers I have mentioned. Receiving this scholarship was (and remains) the solution to several of these factors. With the scholarship that I received, I could move to the city where my university is, and pursue to my studies fully. This gives my parents more confidence and security to continue supporting me, and it gives me daily motivation to continue giving my best so my dream comes true.

My scholarship has proven to be a pillar, allowing me to capitalize on my dreams and turn them into achievements. While some may view philosophy as having little impact on the real world, I think is mistaken, or at least incomplete. Studying philosophy allows me to delve into elements of my reality, make critical reflections on the impact of people's daily actions, and return something to my world. That is the greatest part of my career: to denounce what is wrong, and start a change through reflection and criticism.

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