Every year, STEP helps hundreds of low-income, first-generation students learn how to achieve their dreams of attending college and earning degrees. While each scholar is different, they all have one thing in common: stories that have shaped who they are and who they will become.
In this College Essays series, we share STEP scholar and alumni college application essays so you can get to know the students we support—where they come from and why they deserve the same equal opportunity and education as their peers. While this is just one student’s story, STEP continues to support many more teens just like her.
My Father’s Sacrifices
By Karla Ramos, Yale University Class of 2026
“Standing on my tiptoes to reach the tall sink in our little house in Jalisco, I washed my hands in the bathroom under the cold, low-pressure water. As I opened the door, I saw my father in his typical work clothes, hesitantly standing next to his room across from me. With a look of concern, I asked: “qué pasó papá?” With his head down, my dad knelt in front of me and engulfed my cold hands in his warm brown ones, callused and rough from construction work since he was 16. “Estoy muy orgulloso de ti mi niña,” “I'm so proud of you my little girl,” he said as his bloodshot deep-set eyes watered. His lips quivered with every word, as did mine. “Nos veremos pronto, te quiero muchísimo,” “We will see each other soon, I love you,” and he gave me a kiss. My dad was leaving Mexico, and leaving us. He knew he could no longer provide us with the life he wanted, so he decided to look for a job in the US.
As my father left to provide us with a better life, I, too, plan to leave in pursuit of something greater. His sacrifice instilled in me a crucial part of my identity: I am the eldest daughter of Mexican immigrants, and will be the first in my family to go to college.
Education took on heightened importance for me after moving to the US in the 5th grade. I knew I had to sacrifice any feeling of homesickness, any feeling of not belonging, if I wanted to succeed. My new neighborhood wasn’t safe: violence was everywhere and walking to school meant risking your life. And so, school became our safe space. Isaac School District became my home away from home, but the resources were not enough to support our community. Many did not have internet or AC, so schoolwork was the last thing on many students’ minds. My fellow classmates were falling through the cracks; the expectations for many of us were to only graduate from high school - no one expected anything more.
I quickly learned English and began to help my peers with classwork when I could. I found joy in helping others and seeing them open to the possibilities of education: a pathway they may not have previously believed existed for them. And so, as a rising senior, I co-founded From Students For Students, a website geared towards helping underrepresented students prepare for college. The website provides access to scholarship websites, mental health resources, and essay guide videos. We’ve reached out to college students attending top universities nationwide to provide guidance and be role models for underrepresented high school students, in hopes to help them fulfill their dreams. To assist in a more personal way, I helped create the Mini-Me Initiative, a mentorship program that is bringing together close to 30 high school seniors with college students across the US. This work has inspired me to become an advocate for those around me, and has pushed me to create greater opportunities regardless of one's zip code.
My father’s sacrifices have become mine. My community’s hopes have become mine. I have experienced firsthand the lack of educational opportunities for first-generation low-income minority students. Eight years ago, my father left to create a new life that did not yet exist. Now it is my turn to leave, with the chance to be the first in my family to attend college. Like my father, I will return to the ones I love, bringing back opportunities as my father did for us, instilling in my community a hope for realities not yet seen in students like me.”