Isaias Duenas
I am the oldest of four children in our household, born and raised in Kennewick, Washington. My parents immigrated here a year before my birth looking to give me a shot at a better future that they were not able to pursue. Currently, I am attending CBC and about to earn my AA in science and technology. Once my time at my community college comes to an end, I plan on transferring to the University of Washington to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
One of the main reasons why I want to go into this field is due to my passion for designing. Ever since I was a little kid, and still to this day, I’ve been playing with Legos and that’s where my love for designing came from. Even as I grew older, I continued to design things. Me and my dad have built a special bond through this as in my high school days we would work together on fixing cars in our front yard. As a result, I’ve wanted to pursue my passion for designing on a larger scale. That end goal being the ability to design cars that are sustainable for the environment.
As a first-generation college student, I’ve encountered some challenges, such as financial concerns, navigating college and the transfer process. However, I’ve learned to balance being a full-time student as well as a part time worker, and to take advantage of the available resources at my college. For example, this summer I hope to participate in the RENEW-HEP internship at PNNL. Also, next academic year, I will assist in the creation of the CBC chapter of The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) as well as tutoring math for the MESA program. Furthermore, once I learned about the great opportunity the Martin Achievement Scholarship had to offer, I knew I had to apply as it would be a huge breakthrough towards helping me afford my degree. By earning this scholarship not only would it be a huge honor but also a way to show my parents that I was able to accomplish the dreams they were never able to. As time has gone by, I often blamed myself for me being the reason that they were unable to pursue higher education. Now I finally realize that this entire time my parents supported me to chase an education so that they could live their American dream through me.
Goals
In the future I plan on pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. With this degree I hope to be able to design cars that are sustainable for the environment.
Tips
The number one tip I would give to future students who want to apply for this scholarship is to ask yourself the hard questions. Truly try to think about who your are as a person and what you want to accomplish in life. Don’t worry about comparing yourself to others as comparison is the greatest thief of joy as I have learned while completing my application. You do belong here and have put in much time and effort to getting to this point.
