Scholar / Project
High School: Thomas Jefferson High School
Major: Aviation & Aerospace Science
Project: For my Puksta Project, I want to focus on Youth Aviation Mentorship & Exposure Programs. I want to be able to create more diversity in Aviation.
Looking Forward to in Puksta: Being able to make an impact and the flexibility to choose what I want to do.
High School: South High School
Major: Social Work
Project: For my Puksta Project, I plan to support immigrant communities through advocacy and resource access. My goal is to help immigrant families overcome legal, educational, and social barriers so they can thrive.
Looking Forward to in Puksta: To be able to grow as a person and hopefully be a service to others along the way.
High School: Conservatory Green High School
Major: Art
Project: People often overlook history, viewing it as a series of distant, irrelevant events. As a Puksta Scholar, I strive to transform how history is taught to young people. I advocate for a more engaging approach, working with students and community leaders to reimagine history not merely as a timeline of past events, but as a dynamic, living story that continues to influence people’s lives today.
Looking Forward to in Puksta: I’m excited to be part of and engage in a community!
High School: George Washington High School
Major: Political Science
Project: Through this scholarship, my plan is to host a food drive in my neighborhood for the residents using the resources provided by local food banks, anti-hunger organizations passionate about addressing the root causes of food insecurity; willing to support this mission to being a success.
Looking Forward to in Puksta: I’m excited to be a part of a community full of dedicated students passionate about a social issue that needs to be addressed and learning more from people and getting connected to experts in fields I’m interested in. I’m also excited about the events hosted by the scholarship including the celebrations and retreats!
High School: DSST Green Valley Ranch
Major: Nursing
Project: Creating support groups or collaborating with a school to help participating students get worries and anxieties about starting college addressed is one of my goals for my Puksta Project. I would like to find an organization to potentially work with to make spaces where there is access to mental health resources that may aid the incoming college students while also getting questions answered. The transition between high school and college can be overwhelming so I would like to create a space where students can talk to others and feel less alone in the shift.
Looking Forward to in Puksta: I am looking forward able to support students who may be struggling with similar challenges that I faced during high school and entering college. I’m excited to get to know the other scholars and make a difference within my community.
Issue(s) of Focus: Mental Health, Bullying, Emotional Education
Major(s): Nursing
Project: I’m hoping to integrate mental health assistance and emotional literacy into any educational setting possible. I’d like to target any and/or all ages with my project. I aspire to teach others how to terminate cycles of abuse, redirect adverse people/behaviors, be comfortable with vulnerability, protect their own well-being, and much more.
Inspiration: I’ve always questioned everything and everyone growing up. I always want to know the “hows” and “whys” when it comes to peoples’ decisions, actions, and mindsets. This stems from me being a natural inquirer and being sensitive. I have found myself over-thinking and worrying excessively about how people have treated me and others negatively in the past searching for an answer or explanation. I’m sure a multitude of others can say they do or have done the same. I believe peoples’ behavior goes a long way as well as their treatment to others. Despite the fact that most people disregard this topic, I believe it contributes an abundance to concepts like communities, shared behavior(s), traits, habits, and more. Targeting the root of the problems, like obstructive behavior and lack of self-regulation, can aid in healthy, prosperous outcomes of those concepts.
Future Goals: I’m aiming to accomplish the implementation of confidence, behavioral intelligence, and mental wellness with whatever group(s) I’m able to work with. Teaching others how to react to and process unfavorable events as healthily as possible makes for a better future on their behalf and others.
Issue(s) of Focus:Homelessness and youth mentoring for girls of color.
Major(s): Mathematics
Project: I want to work within youth mentoring, helping foster leadership, education, and creativity. I would want to focus on youth of color, especially young girls. I believe that it’s important for youth of color to have the most support while growing up and learning more about the world.
Inspiration: Growing up, I found that I had a strong passion for STEM and the arts, but what really motivated me to keep trying new things and being creative was the support and encouragement I received from those around me. Their confidence in me shaped my drive and confidence, inspiring me to pursue new opportunities. I would want to keep the torch lit by doing the same thing others did to me to encourage the new brains of this generation.
Future Goals: By encouraging inclusion, empowerment, and resource access, I hope to create opportunities for underrepresented communities to thrive through my work in the community and social impact projects. My objective is to promote equity in order to make a meaningful difference, especially in areas where voices are frequently disregarded or marginalized.
Issue(s) of Focus: Education Equality
Major(s): Biology
Project: As of right now, I am thinking of easier access to education for all. I think that the FASFA is example of a simple hurdle for many students, the process can become very stressful and additionally make students feel different from their peers. I also believe that low income or non-dominant groups should have additional resources to help students with FASFA support as well as college mentorship.
Inspiration: I believe that the simple experience of having to fill out FASFA for me in comparison to my friends was a great first-hand experience of how FASFA can become so stressful and additionally make people feel left out or different from their peers. I also think that there is not enough support for low income or struggling students when it comes to signing up for college and having support through the process of college.
Future Goals: What I hope to accomplish with my community engagement and social impact work is making college more obtainable for students. College can seem like a very scary choice to make in your life, so therefore we want to make sure to provide enough support from the start and even after college. The overall goal is to make college more obtainable for students.
Issue(s) of Focus: Education Issues
Major(s): Computer Science
Project: I hope to meet different organizations that have the same goals as mine. I plan to explore the different ways I could positively engage within my community.
Inspiration: My exploratory research into the direct effect of how less education an individual receives relates to their likeliness to follow the prison pipeline really captivated me and lead to a spark in my interest to that social issue.
Future Goals: I hope to make an impact to my issue in any positive way. I want to be able to say that I helped make the world a better place.
Issue(s) of Focus: Juvenile Delinquency
Major(s): Criminology
Project: I hope to work on a project aimed to reflect on the root causes of juvenile delinquency and the effects that it has on its communities. While I’m not exactly decided on the specifics yet, I hope to be part of something that teaches young children about this topic and hopefully take a more preventative approach.
Inspiration: I grew up in impoverished communities where I was a constant witness to crime and adolescents landing in the criminal justice system after putting themselves in danger. And it was always a problem that I saw in other people until the reality came knocking on the door of my own family, specifically that of my siblings. I saw the dysfunction that perpetrated my home, and I understood what had led it, so I hope to use my education to help others.
Future Goals: I hope to use my own experiences to motivate others to make better choices and encourage juveniles specifically to make smart choices and build lives they can be proud of. I understand it’s easier said than done but it takes someone who knows what it’s really like to actually make a difference and call for a sense of understanding.
