A Sandy Hill Memorial Fund scholarship recipient, she is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Social Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico, Humacao Campus, and longs to return to the island municipality to contribute to its progress.
Sophia Reyes Robles She had to leave Culebra, where she grew up from the age of three, to achieve her academic goal: a bachelor's degree in Social Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), Humacao Campus. But she assures that she will return, already a professional ready to serve her community.
“After I finish preparing myself academically, I will return to Culebra to serve my community and ensure its progress,” he stated in his scholarship application essay. Sandy Hill Memorial Fund, a written statement that, along with her other academic and community strengths, made her deserving of the supplementary financial support.
She is one of the few people in her family, she said, who have been able to study because “we don't have enough financial resources.”.
The 17-year-old young woman, a graduate of Culebra Ecological School, commented during a virtual meeting with the fund's representative, Belinda Hill, that one of their objectives upon returning to their island is to promote solutions to the needs of Culebra's residents, for example, access to housing and educational alternatives.
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The Hill Family established the Sandy Hill Memorial Fund at the Puerto Rico Community Foundation (FCPR), to honor the memory of Dorothy Hill's daughter, who died in a plane crash, Belinda recalled, Who is the executive director of the non-profit organization, Just for Today.
I never thought I would have this chance ”to win a scholarship. I saw it as something unattainable,“ Sophia recalled. ‘I told myself, ’Wow! They want to give me money to study, and they don't know me.» It was like something out of a movie," she added.
Sophia Reyes Robles
The additional income allows her to alleviate housing and transportation expenses, she pointed out gratefully.
The philanthropic initiative aims to provide supplementary financial support to students from Culebra – the island municipality of Vieques was recently added to broaden the scholarship's impact. The philanthropic opportunity is available for university, vocational, or technical studies.
“My parents came to Puerto Rico in the late 1950s from Massachusetts. My mom came to Culebra with my dad because they both liked sailing. Then, Dad had the opportunity to buy land, and later, they decided to build. So, Mom got involved with the community; for example, she would bring things that were needed on the island,‘ Belinda recalled. ”For me,“ she added, “the most important thing is that Mom's legacy of service doesn't disappear.”.
“These opportunities tell us that there is hope, that there are people who want change to happen. I tell myself: ‘Let me value it and turn this seed into a very big tree with many fruits’,” said the young woman from Culebra.
