Yesterday we told you about our Best Buy Emerging Latino Leaders Scholarship recipients. Today you get to meet them! We wanted to get into the minds of tomorrow’s leaders, so we asked each of our award recipients to tell us a little bit about themselves.
Today, meet Marcos Montalvo. He will be attending the University of Houston to study civil engineering.
Q: What part of society needs to be improved and why?
A: I think that the public education in America needs to be revised. The way children learn and the quality of many teachers needs a lot of improvement.
Q: What impact does winning this scholarship have on you? How about your family? What about others?
A: This scholarship is a huge blessing to my family, teachers, and friends; it doesn’t only serve as a way of paying for college, but it also shows that one’s passionate dedication for a great cause does have its reward. My loved ones know how passionate I am about the “DREAM Act,” so they were extremely happy that I was rewarded.
Q: Who has been the most influential person in helping you get to where you are today?
A: I’d have to say my dad. The tremendous amount of pain and hard work he has done to allow his family to live a comfortable, decent life is admirable. He’s one of my main motivations to study hard and advance in life.
Q: What advice would you give incoming high school freshmen?
A: Now is the right time for any freshman, regardless of ethnicity, to step up and let their voice be heard. By keeping a good record and being known as trustworthy people among their friends and superiors, students make a big impact when they stand up for something they feel is worth fighting for. High school becomes a great time for leadership to develop, so get started!
Q: Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
A: Honestly, I don’t like setting the bar so early, but if there is something I can see clearly, it’s that I’m not going to stop being a leader for my community. Wherever I may be, standing up for my people will always be a part of me. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up in politics. Only God knows.
Q: If you could invite three people to dinner (living, dead, or fictional), who would you invite and why?
A: I would invite César Chávez because he is a testimony of Latino advocacy, Javier Hernandez because he is the best Mexican soccer player in Europe, and Nelson Mandela because he exemplifies perseverance.
Q: If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
A: I would be a cheetah because they’re insanely fast, but they also know when to relax.
Q: What are your ultimate career plans?
A: My plan is to become an engineer. As of now, I want to study either civil engineering or industrial engineering, but time and God’s will have the final say. As long as my profession deals with making people’s lives comfortable, I’ll be happy.
NCLR congratulates Marcos on his graduation and on this particular acheivement. It looks like Marcos has a bright future ahead of him and we are all eager to see what becomes of this emerging Latino scholar. Check back tomorrow to meet our next scholarship recipient!