Meet PLF Founding Funders Scholarship Recipient: Melanie Garcia-Flores
The PLF Founding Funders Scholarship recently provided tuition assistance for two students: Gabriela Arce Lanzo and Melanie Garcia-Flores. Hear from scholarship recipient Garcia-Flores about her plans for the future.
After a final year of high school that was defined by the pandemic, Melanie Garcia-Flores, recipient of the PLF Founding Funders Scholarship Award, is ready to begin the next, exciting chapter of her life when she enrolls at the University of Connecticut in the fall.
“I’m totally grateful,” she said. “The scholarship in general is great because college can be really expensive.”
A first generation college student, Garcia-Flores graduated from Career High School in the spring and said she plans to apply to the nursing program at UConn in order to make a difference for others in her community.
“Patients feel more comfortable having someone that looks like them and that has inspired me,” Garcia-Flores said. “I just know I want to help people especially in low income communities.”
The PLF Founding Funders Award is administered through the New Haven Scholarship Fund, whose sole mission is to provide scholarships to eligible New Haven students who have the most financial need and academic potential. Garcia-Flores said the peace she will have thanks to the scholarship will allow her to focus on school, instead of stressing about financial concerns.
Garcia-Flores also believes that, especially for young students, it's very important to look for the resources and help that exist in the community, which have helped her succeed. "I want [other] students to know that there is help, it’s out there and it can take you places.”
