Student Profile: Maria Sandoval-Perez
Hometown: McMinnville, OR
Institution: Linfield College
Major: Psychology
Year: Junior
Maria Sandoval-Perez’s parents moved their family to the United States from Mexico in order to provide their five daughters with the opportunity for a better future. Her father received a fourth grade education and her mother a sixth grade education. Her father earns the income for the family as an agricultural worker.
Maria’s oldest sister has served as a role model for her as she was the only daughter of the five to pursue higher education at Willamette University. She also gained considerable encouragement to pursue higher education through her membership at her high school’s M.E.C.H.A. program, a student organization that values higher education and culture. By her junior year in high school Maria had decided that she was going to college. Unfortunately Maria’s interactions with guidance counselors did little to prepare her for the coming transition. In fact, she was discouraged against applying for scholarships. This along with her family’s limited income set her up for significant financial stress.
With the help of dedicated Linfield staff Maria was better able to manage the financial cost of her education, but still had to live off campus to decrease her bill. This made it extremely difficult to get involved in the campus community and forced her to use most of the free time in her schedule going back and forth between classes and home. As a result Maria felt disconnected from the rest of the student body and considered transferring schools.
As a junior she received the HSBC scholarship and enrolled in the MESA program. These financial resources combined allowed her to move on campus and convinced her to continue her education at Linfield. It has made a significant difference for Maria. She now feels that she can take advantage of campus activities and opportunities, invest in friendships, manage her time and finances more wisely, and perhaps most importantly for Maria, relieve her parents of the financial demand of her education.
She is thriving in the Linfield community and loves the experience it is providing for her. Her extensive list of activities include: Spanish department tutor, member of psychology honors association (Psi Chi), member of the multicultural club, member of the Spanish club, officer for a mentorship program for Hispanic students (Linfield College Latinos Adelante), outreach for higher education volunteer, student worker for Upward Bound and Student Services, and an off-campus job for a women’s apparel fashion store.
Maria aspires to be a social worker and plans to apply for the master’s in social work program at Portland State University.