{"id":26709,"date":"2022-04-08T10:29:24","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T14:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nahro.org\/?post_type=journal_article&p=26709"},"modified":"2022-04-08T10:38:06","modified_gmt":"2022-04-08T14:38:06","slug":"student-spotlight-karen-medina","status":"publish","type":"journal_article","link":"https:\/\/www.nahro.org\/journal_article\/student-spotlight-karen-medina\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Spotlight: Karen Medina\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Stability was something Karen Medina craved her entire life. From a young age she moved around a lot, across several southern states before eventually spending an entire year in Mexico. It wasn\u2019t until her family settled in the town of Harlingen, Texas at the Harlingen Housing Authority, that she felt a sense of belonging and peace.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe housing authority…it gave me a home,\u201d Medina said. \u201cWe were forced to move around a lot because of financial issues, so this place gave me stability. I consider that my home.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medina is one of four, with two older siblings and one younger sibling. Her parents came to the United States from Mexico to better their lives and their children’s lives. Since she was a kid Medina said she\u2019s aspired to do well in school and go to a four-year college.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t matter what I did, I always knew I\u2019d go to college,\u201d Medina said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One reason for her passionate ambition is because Medina skipped one year of schooling while her family temporarily relocated back to Mexico when she was 10 years old. The gap in schooling propelled Medina to succeed academically to catch up to her peers.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medina graduated top 10 in her class from Harlingen High School. Her dedication and hard work earned her the honor of becoming one of NAHRO\u2019s 2021 Merit and LDG Scholars.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NAHRO Merit College Scholarship<\/a> awards $1,000 each to eight scholars, one from each NAHRO region, who are pursuing their first post-secondary degree. The regions\u2019 scholarship applications are then judged by the NAHRO Scholarship Committee, which is comprised of Housing America Advisory Committee members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From these eight scholarship winners, the NAHRO Scholarship Committee chooses three candidates to become a part of the NAHRO-LDG Scholars program<\/a>, which is a 10-year venture that will provide $1 million in scholarships and internship opportunities to low-income students from around the country and is funded by the award-winning multi-family housing developer, LDG Development.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I first heard the news [that she received the scholarship] I started crying because throughout high school I was worried if I could afford college being from a low-income family and being first-generation American,\u201d Medina said. \u201cThis scholarship allowed me to attend college comfortably and make my dreams come true.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the fall of 2021 Medina started attending Texas State University in San Macros pursuing a degree in nursing. She says her interest in becoming a nurse started after she witnessed her mother suffer a stroke. As her mother recovered, Medina found herself studying ways to help.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am really fascinated with healing and helping people,\u201d Medina said. \u201cNurses and doctors are the real heroes.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the COVID-19 pandemic still impacting how educational institutions operate, Medina said her first year of college has been untraditional. She said it\u2019s been a challenge to adjust because she\u2019s now three hours from home and it\u2019s her first time being away from her parents for an extended period. Medina credits the assistance of the NAHRO-Merit and NAHRO-LDG scholarship and the support of extra circular activities with aiding her as she transitions to life as a college student.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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