| Personal Statement |
Being considered for the Pepper Prize is an honor, not only for me but for my ancestors who never had the privilege of attending college. Growing up, my parents taught me to pursue every opportunity, even if it meant doing it scared. In that sense, the “Cur Non” motto, my interpretation of the Lafayette ideal, has always been a part of my life.
Whenever I saw an opportunity to do more for the campus, I took it. During my first semester, I quickly got involved with the Hispanic Society of Lafayette to stay connected to my roots while increasing awareness of Latin American culture on campus. I became a LEO during my sophomore year to improve the orientation experience for incoming students by making it more welcoming and inclusive.
Although my major support system became unstable before my junior year, I leaned into the experience as motivation to create the support system I lacked, for myself and for others on campus. I have developed a senior series to equip graduating students with the resources they need to succeed in their transition to adulthood. I also continue to support students of all class years as a Gateway Peer Advisor by reviewing and editing career-related materials.
As a senior, the “Cur Non” mindset continues to guide me. I decided to become a macroeconomics Supplemental Instructor during my spring semester because I wanted to give back to my Lafayette community by providing other students with the kind of support I would have appreciated. Taking on this role has shown me how much I have grown during my time at Lafayette. From the beginning, I’ve been actively involved on campus. Over time, I have grown to embrace challenges with confidence and a deeper purpose, to strengthen and support my Lafayette community. |
| Other Information |
For a moment, I did not think I would graduate with my class in May. I considered taking a leave of absence during the fall semester of my junior year to help care for my dad, who became seriously ill. Despite my dad’s unexpected illness and my mom having to move full-time to Ecuador to be his caretaker at the beginning of my junior year, I persevered and thrived in college. Now, my mom will get to see me walk across the stage to receive my diploma, while a family member holds the phone on FaceTime so my dad can experience it as well.
I want to sincerely thank all of the individuals who have been my support system during this time: my friends, my professors, and the supportive staff that I have developed close relationships with. Lafayette has truly become my home away from home, and I will miss it dearly after I graduate.
As a first-generation Ecuadorian American woman, the possibility of becoming a Pepper Prize recipient brings me so much joy. It would honor my parents’ sacrifices, reflect my resilience, and help pave the way for future Latinx students to be recognized and celebrated in Lafayette’s legacy.
Additional activities (Academic Activity/Award)
Psychology Club-4 years- I have served as a member for 4 years.
Additional activities (Campus service)
Office of Intercultural Development (OID) Student Coordinator-2 years-As a student coordinator during my sophomore and junior years, I assisted in educational outreach to Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) groups on campus, such as Kappa Kappa Gamma and Alpha Phi, on topics such as Exploring Identities and Being Aware of Cultural Appropriation. I also assisted with anything needed during cultural and diversity programming such as the Drag Show, McDonough Network Celebration, Día de Los Muertos Event, and Kente & Multicultural Stole Ceremony. All of these initiatives were to achieve the mission of OID to advance Lafayette College’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. To be a student coordinator, I completed training on multicultural competency in my sophomore year, obtaining an Office of Intercultural Development (OID) Multicultural Competency Certificate.
President Advisory Committee (Pard PAC)-1 year- I was nominated to be a part of the Pard PAC, a student group where I was able to voice concerns on behalf of the student body to President Hurd, amongst other students part of the committee during monthly meetings.
Additional activities (Special Interest Activity/Award)
DIS Copenhagen: Study Abroad in Scandinavia-.5 years- I was a student part of the DIS program during the fall semester of my senior year with the help of the Lafayette Study Abroad Office. I was a recipient of a Need-Based and Diversity Scholarship to attend the program. There, I was able to almost finish my Economics major, leaving my capstone for when I came back, by taking Urban Economics and Development Economics.
Lafayette Study Abroad Program London Comparing U.S. and U.K. Social, Ethical, and Economic Aspects of Healthcare and EUSA Academic Internship Program-.25 years- I was one of 4 Lafayette College students who received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship in 2022 to study abroad in London. The Gilman Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, supports study abroad for students who are Pell Grant recipients. Within the London Study Abroad program, I was 1 of only 2 rising sophomores to attend. I learned about how the U.S. and U.K. healthcare systems differ and participated in an internship for 4 of the 8 weeks. The internship was with a start-up company called Uncommon Minds, which was developing a website as a resource for neurodivergent youth in their college transition process. I supported them in data analysis, editing grant applications, and brand development. |
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| Academic Activity / Award |
Total years participated |
Briefly describe your involvement |
| Team Success |
4 years |
I was selected to be a part of the Team Success program starting my freshman year, which is a program for historically underrepresented scholars at Lafayette College with a focus on igniting equity and creating community. |
| Hispanic Finance Association |
4 years |
I have been a member for 4 years since the student orientation first began during my freshman year. As a senior, I have supported the new board of the organization with advice on how to navigate student government budget guidelines, student involvement policies/events, and provided advice about effectively being a President of a board based on my previous experiences in both the Salsa Club board and the Hispanic Society of Lafayette Board. |
| Alpha Alpha Alpha: First Generation Honor Society |
3 years |
I received this honors award during my sophomore year and have been a member for 3 years. I have maintained my GPA throughout college and have been on the Dean’s List 7 out of 8 semesters here at Lafayette, beginning the spring semester of my freshman year, which I’m proud of as a first-generation college student. |
| Psi Chi (The International Honor Society in Psychology) |
2 years |
I received this honors award in my junior year and have been an active member for 2 years. I participated in 8 events during my junior year and have continued to attend events during my senior year. |
| Omicron Delta Epsilon (The International Honor Society in Economics) |
2 years |
I received this honors award during my junior year and have been a member for 2 years. |
| Academic Resource HUB Peer Note Taker & Supplemental Instructor |
1 year |
I was a Peer Note Taker during the fall of my sophomore year for ECON 101:Principles of Economics, helping students who, for personal reasons, were unable to take notes for the class. As a senior, I am a Macroeconomics Supplemental Instructor creating review sheets for students to practice what they are learning in class. I support their learning by igniting their critical thinking through different questions that I ask to check their understanding and answer any questions they have. |
| Advanced Spanish (SPAN 211) Conversation Partner |
.5 |
I was an Advanced Spanish (SPAN 211) conversation partner for the Lafayette Language Department during the spring semester of my sophomore year, creating materials to support students in improving their conversational Spanish skills. |
| DIS Copenhagen: Study Abroad in Scandinavia |
1 semester |
I was a student part of the DIS program during the fall semester of my senior year with the help of the Lafayette Study Abroad Office. |
| The Global Tech Experience Coding for Data Bootcamp |
.25 years |
I was a participant in this bootcamp offered through the Gateway Career Center during the summer after my junior year for 10 weeks, learning about Python, SQL, and Tableau. I worked collaboratively with other Lafayette College students to be able to understand the material, ultimately receiving LinkedIn badges for intercultural skills, Python, and SQL, with certificates for final projects we completed. |
| Lafayette Summer Abroad Comparing Ethical, Social, and Economic Aspects of the U.S. and U.K. Healthcare Systems |
8 weeks |
I studied abroad the summer after my freshman year where I completed an internship with a start-up called Uncommon Minds through the EUSA American Internships program. |
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| Campus Service Activity/Award |
Total years participated |
Briefly describe your involvement |
| Hispanic Society of Lafayette (HSL) |
4 years |
Throughout my 4 years, I have worked behind the scenes on logistics for events hosted by the Hispanic Society of Lafayette (HSL) to create a community for Latinx students and for any Lafayette student to gain an appreciation for Latinx culture. This has involved advocating for funding from Student Government and the Office of Intercultural Development to ensure that the organization grows and expands on campus, with improvements to events every year and new collaborations with other student organizations. I served as a member during my freshman year, Secretary during my sophomore year, Vice President during my junior year, and now I am the President during my senior year. |
| Gateway Peer Advisor |
3 years |
Gateway Peer Advisors (GPAs) work closely with students on their resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn. Currently, I am taking more of a project manager role within my GPA role to create a senior series, with a main focus on preparing graduating students for life after college. I have been sending mass communication emails to students in the junior and senior classes to get them to know about this resource, while sending communication to various prospective speakers based on topics that students mentioned they were interested in learning. I have been a Gateway Peer Advisor (GPA) for 2 years, starting my junior year. |
| Admissions Tour Guide and Office Worker |
3 years |
I ensured to make prospective students and their families feel comfortable on campus. I was a tour guide for my freshman and sophomore years, and then I was an office worker during my junior year. The role of a tour guide in making students feel welcomed when they are thinking of Lafayette College, and once they have been accepted to Lafayette College, has stayed with me. I am still happy to help prospective students in their college application process. I have done this especially through my college readiness program, Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO Scholars), which I have been a part of for 8 years, in helping any prospective students and admitted students with college advice. |
| Lafayette Extended Orientation Leader |
1 year |
I was a Lafayette Extended Orientation leader when it first became the year-long LEO program during my sophomore year, supporting 18 students in the Class of 2026 |
| Lafayette Communications Assistant |
1 year
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During my sophomore year, I wrote 6 articles for the Lafayette Today, covering campus events (e.g., Senior Speaker Laurie Hernandez) and interviewing community members about their Lafayette experiences.
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| Community Service |
Total years participated |
Briefly describe your involvement |
| Construyendo Puentes |
1 year |
I volunteered through the Landis program, Construyendo Puentes, during my freshman year, teaching Spanish-speaking parents English at Paxinosa Elementary School. |
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| Athletic Activity/Award |
Total years participated |
Briefly describe your involvement |
| Lafayette Salsa Club |
2 years |
Lafayette Salsa Club is considered a sports club on campus. I was a member during my freshman year, and then I was Vice President and Public Relations Officer during my sophomore year. As Vice President, I ensured that the club attended an off-campus Salsa dancing learning experience in New York, working closely alongside the Treasurer. I also ensured that the club received a decent time for classes when auctioning for a space in the recreation center with other sports clubs. I ensured more people joined the organization and created flyers advertising classes/events on social media. I performed during every semester of those 2 years, which required at times over 6 hours of preparation throughout the week on top of the established 4 hours of classes every week throughout the semester. |
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| Special Interest Activity/Award |
Total years participated |
Briefly describe your involvement |
| Dyer Center Involvement |
3 years |
I have been an active member of the Dyer Center during my sophomore, junior, and senior years, attending events such as the Founder’s Table, events on Real estate, and other skills/networking development events. |
| Recreation Center Involvement |
1.5 years |
I have consistently been going to Zumba classes every Monday during my junior and senior years. |
| Singing |
1 year |
I participated through dancing and singing in the Hispanic Society of Lafayette’s Latin Night annual event, from the first Latin Night event at Lafayette College during my freshman year with the Salsa Club. Then, I was a singer for Will S y Las Croquetas band when it was first created during the spring of my sophomore year. During my senior year, I have been practicing weekly in the music department’s Latin Ensemble for this semester’s Latin Night performance and end-of-year performance. We have been practicing 5 songs every week for 2 hours throughout the semester. |
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