Caption: Selby Scholar Monserrat Aguilera (left) with Selby Foundation Scholarships & Special Projects Manager Kiarra Womack
Monserrat Aguilera is a Selby Scholar. By definition, we know that she is committed, resourceful, resilient and focused on both academic rigor and academic preparedness. In August, Monserrat graduated from the University of South Florida with a B.S. in Behavioral Science.
She recently joined the Selby Foundation as a member of the Education Task Force to help shape the gains, targets and milestones we hope to make in our work.The student voice will always be the most important voice.
Tell us about your college experience.
Being a first generation college student, I definitely did not know what to expect going into college. Thanks to the Selby Foundation scholarship, I was able to experience a lot more than what I had ever dreamed of. I found myself greatly appreciating the typical significant moments any other college student has, as well as the smaller or more melancholy moments. I was lucky enough to move out (a whole hour and half away from home), settle into my own dorm, and take in the feeling of simply sitting in a lecture hall.
While being away from my family was difficult at first, I am very grateful today for this experience in particular as I believe that it helped me grow as an individual person and helped me appreciate my family even more. All things considered, I could not have asked for a better college experience.
How do you hope to use your education to make the world better?
I hope to help and advocate for under-served populations within our community living with any mental health disorder.
Stigma and lack of access to comprehensive behavioral health services are just some of the barriers many face when seeking help. This struggle is only multiplied when those who are in need of help are already experiencing a strong under representation within a community. Therefore, my goal is to identify those shortcomings and aid in solutions to help those most in need.
What can community members do to support students?
I believe that as students we can be easily overwhelmed with opportunities and initiatives that are available to take on. This can be very intimidating.
As a result, we at times can hold ourselves back from accomplishing new goals or taking on new challenges from fear of making a mistake. While I believe that we can all benefit and learn from our mistakes in some way, especially early on in our careers, it would be comforting to know that there are people present to mentor and guide us through certain challenges or concerns. I believe that students would greatly appreciate this kind of support from community members.
Anything else you want us to know?
The Selby Foundation has never failed to support and encourage me as I move forward in my educational career. There are times where I put limits to my own dreams and aspirations; however, the Selby Foundation helps me dream beyond those limits and provides the appropriate support for me to make these new goals achievable. The Selby Foundation spreads the kind of kindness that is contagious and I find myself hoping to one day continue to spread such kindness to others that most need it.