Adriana Vieyra: Aspiring for Success
Greenfield seems like a world away from Adriana Vieyra’s new life at California State University, Monterey Bay.
The bustle of a busy schedule of challenging classes, new faces, friends and ideas and life in the dorms are college experiences she’s grateful to have.
The Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC) College Futures Scholarship recipient shared her inspiring story of college aspirations, overcoming disability and financial constraints with supporters at the CFMC’s 2017 Celebration of Philanthropy.
Overcoming Obstacles
“Coming from a low-income family, it was such a struggle to even think about attending a university, but thanks to scholarships, finances are not such a big obstacle anymore,” said Adriana, a college freshman pursuing a liberal studies degree to be a special education teacher.
Adriana chose her major for a personal reason.
She has a condition known as Brachial Plexus, so she does not have full use of her right arm. Growing up, she was out of school twice a week for therapy, and has had to manage necessities such as lifting and even note taking with difficulty. Her arm aches when she writes too much.
Success through Determination
“I struggled to stay academically consistent with my schooling due to my disability,” she shared. “But I was determined to excel. I had to constantly keep track of my grades, exams and tutoring all throughout my education.”
And with those extra hurdles came a grit that kept her at the top of her class. She graduated in the top 10% of her class with a 4.0 GPA and is a first-generation college student.
My determination to do great in school, attend college and get a degree came from my struggles.” – Adriana Vieyra
College Futures: Scholarships & Support
The College Futures Scholarship not only provided money for college, but workshops for her and her parents to understand the college-going process. In addition to the SAT preparations and assistance filling out college applications, Adriana learned practical skills many college students are not always equipped with when they hit campus.
“The College Futures workshops gave me an overview of finances, budgeting, financial aid and college applications,” she said. “I am so very grateful to God and my family for giving me the support that I needed,” she added.
The importance of this scholarship is proving to myself that I am truly worth the academic investment as a student to be someone in this world.” – Adriana Vieyra, College Futures Scholarship Recipient
Adriana is one of 65 students who were awarded a total of $260,000 in 2017 from College Futures Monterey County. Overall the CFMC awarded 226 scholarships totaling $770,000. For more information on CFMC scholarships, please visit www.cfmco.org/scholarships or call 831.375.9712.