Senior Amy Sanchez has been in the program Valley Scholars since her eighth grade year of middle school. Throughout her years of high school, she’s tried and explored new things, finding where she belongs, what she enjoys.
She’s found a place in Valley Scholars.
“I’m a part of a program called Valley Scholars which is basically a chance for first generation students to get a full ride to JMU. I’ve been in it for five years, since eighth grade. It’s given me an experience where I go to JMU with other students from other schools and we all get to know each other,” Sanchez said.
Because of her sister, she was pressured into signing up for Valley Scholars, and doesn’t regret it.
“My sister was in it before me and we were in the program together for two years. She made me sign up for it, I didn’t really want to do it. I didn’t know anything about my future and didn’t realize how big the program was. I was just a seventh grader having fun, not thinking about college,” Sanchez said.
During her time in the program, she’s encountered difficulties that made continuing hard, yet she didn’t give up.
“It was really hard, I was trying to get kicked out and drop out of it. They told me no, you got this. It was my sophomore year, my grades were really low, I was really struggling. It’s a lot of pressure but the more you put yourself into your work, the more you’ll feel like you deserve it. That’s what I did my junior and senior year, you just have to keep pushing, keep your head up high,” Sanchez said.
Through Valley Scholars, Sanchez has been given a full-ride scholarship to James Madison University.
“Because of Valley Scholars I’ll know a good amount of people at JMU. My sister also goes to JMU and I’ll be close to family. Because of that full-ride, I don’t have to worry about money problems, which is something I’ve worried about my whole life,” Sanchez said. “At first, I was deferred, and then I was wait-listed and then I was looking at other colleges. My second option was George Mason,”
Sanchez plans to major in health science and possibly minor in business.
“Health science is a basis of health related things. It gives a variety of different jobs in health care without being a nurse. I could go back to school once I’ve graduated and get a degree in dentistry in the future,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez was inspired to pursue a career in dentistry through her dentist after her uncertainty between dentistry and nursing.
“I’ve wanted to be a dentist for over a year now. I did want to be a nurse, it was between those two. Dentistry caught my attention because of better pay, and I’ve talked to an actual dentist about it too. You get to choose your schedule which is really nice,” Sanchez said. “My dentist inspired me to work in this field. We were talking about college and what I should study. She was telling me that it’s a really good job for a health related job that’s not nursing,”
Sanchez found her place in Valley Scholars, and Valley Scholars truly helped her find her path.
“Whatever happens, all valley scholars are there for you. Every single one of them. It’s a small community but something that’s really a one time experience,” Sanchez said.
