Today's scholar is Lucero Sifuentes, who will be attending the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in the fall.
Q: What impact does winning this scholarship have on you? How about your family? What about others?
A: This NCLR scholarship has given me the chance to further my education and my dream to help the Latino community. It has made me more confident to know that there are others that have faith that I can help others. This scholarship has given me more determination to represent my community and accomplish my goals in the name of the entire Latino population. My family is happy that they will be able to watch me grow through my education and prove wrong every person who has ever doubted my abilities as a Latina woman. My teachers and peers are proud of me because they know how passionate I am about racial equality and working to achieve a better rapport between people of all ethnicities.
Q: What advice would you give incoming high school freshmen?
A: My biggest mistake as a freshman was that I was afraid to be myself, which made me more reserved. If I could give incoming freshmen advice, I would tell them to be themselves and not worry about being popular. It is much easier and more satisfying to be oneself. Then one attracts true friends that are accepting and can help one no matter what situation may come his or her way. Beauty comes from the differences in each person. Therefore, it is not necessary to emulate others. Just be yourself!
Q: What has been the most challenging aspect of being a leader? Describe a situation where your leadership skills came in handy.
A: The most difficult part of being a leader is removing oneself from a situation and accepting opinions of others even when one doesn't agree with it. When I was leading a discussion on cultural diversity, I had to accept that some students didn't want to change or accept others. I had to respect their opinion and not force my views on them. I had to focus on the majority of the students who were willing to accept that they formed irrational judgments about others but wanted to change in order to treat others with the same respect they command.
Q: If you could invite three people to dinner (living, dead, or fictional), who would you invite and why?
A: If I could invite three people to dinner, I would invite Nelson Mandela, Wilma Rudolph, and Luis Rodriguez. Nelson Mandela is inspirational because of his persistence in ending apartheid in South Africa. He sacrificed 27 years of his life in order to make a change in his country. Wilma Rudolph overcame adversity, and despite having Polio disease, she soon became one of the greatest sprinters in the world. Luis Rodriguez is one of my favorite authors. He wrote the book Always Running. It is a true story about his life in a Los Angeles gang. I was able to sympathize with him and respect him for removing himself from the gang life and becoming an accomplished author. His book is one on the list of top 100 books banned in schools. It is very graphic, but it is a true story. Sometimes society tries to hide the truth from students, but in order to understand other people and their motives without forming judgments, we must know their stories. I am appreciative that my teacher gave me the opportunity to read his book, and I would love to speak to him more about his experiences. All three of these people display extraordinary characteristics and are role models.
Q: If you could be anybody besides yourself, who would you be?
A: I've learned that I don't want to be anyone else. I am appreciative of everything I have and I am proud of where I come from. There are qualities that I admire in others, but I am who I am. If I could trade spots with anyone for a day, I would want to be a child in a third-world country. I often take my life for granted, and I don't appreciate the small things in life. I would have a more beautiful perspective on life after realizing that others truly have to struggle daily, not just for happiness, but for survival. I want to work with poverty-stricken children in the future. I would be able to help them more if I knew what they endure in their daily lives.
Q: What are your ultimate career plans?
A: I ultimately just want to help others in my career. I'm not sure what career that will be just yet, but I will be changing lives. I would like to focus on working with children and teens that are poverty-stricken or just need guidance in life. I would like to work with an organization that focuses on helping children with their self-esteem. I would like to do it all, but I must take one step at a time and accomplish one goal at a time.
Q: What has been the greatest invention during your lifetime thus far?
A: One of the greatest inventions of my lifetime is social networking. If used properly, it can be beneficial to keep in touch with friends even when one is not with them. I am able to contact family in Texas and Mexico easily. As I leave for college, I will be able to keep in contact with the great friends I have made from elementary school to high school.
Q: If they made a movie of your life, what would it be about and which actor would you want to play you?
A: If a movie was made about my life, it would be about a young, timid girl trying to find her place in the world. She would grow up extremely self-conscious and embarrassed of her ethnicity and culture. She would live her entire life in a small town and then move on to college. She would grow comfortable with herself and go on to break barriers of racism not only in her community but in her country. I would want America Ferrera to play my role. She embodies a strong, independent Latina woman. She doesn't feel the need to conform to the rest of Hollywood. She accepts her body the way it is and she accepts her ethnicity. She shows her Latin flavor in many of her films. She is a role model for Hispanic woman and when people watch my film, I want them to take it seriously. America Ferrera is a role model herself so it would be realistic.