An Update from our 2018 Scholarship Winner!

Brookside Optometric Group is proud to support the outstanding San Joaquin County High School seniors in our community with our annual scholarship contest! Here's an update from Arica Aninag, our 2018 winner.

Last year in April 2018, I was a senior attending Lincoln High School and was preparing for graduation. San Diego State University was the college I committed to and I was well aware that college was going to be a huge expense for my family. There were several scholarships available to apply for. I discovered on Facebook that Brookside Optometric Group posted a college scholarship opportunity to win $1,000.

I eagerly chose to participate in it because I knew it could help me financially. The scholarship requirements consisted of a 100 word essay that needed to include what education means to my family and me. The other requirement was getting people to vote for the best essay. Only one entry that landed in the top three most voted essays would win the scholarship. I encouraged everyone I knew to help vote for me on a daily basis. After several weeks of motivating others through text messages, social media, phone calls, etc., it was such an overwhelming and surprising moment when I received so much love and support from those who casted their votes. I was very honored to be selected as the winner of the Brookside Optometric Group Scholarship where Dr. Hsu and Dr. Skinner both presented this scholarship at Lincoln High School’s Academic Award Ceremony. As I received this award, all I could think about was how my family has supported me all along.

My family has significantly encouraged me and continue to help me pursue my goals. Their hard work has inspired me to follow in their footsteps because they are my role models. I have witnessed how much my grandparents have sacrificed for better opportunities and education for the next generations. Several of my family members have attended universities and even returned to school to earn higher degrees. My family are the people who motivate me to continue to be a diligent student and have taught me how valuable education is. Therefore, I decided to further my education by attending college.

My first semester at San Diego State University was a great experience. I have met amazing people and learned how to live independently. The science and math classes that I am currently taking can be challenging, but are very interesting subjects. I am majoring in kinesiology and I aspire to be a physical therapist. This is a perfect career field for me because I have a passion for health and for helping others. I am extremely grateful for winning this scholarship because it helped fund a portion of my first semester of college. I would like to thank Brookside Optometric Group for this honor and opportunity in helping me pursue my goals. Participating in this scholarship was rewarding because it was very different from the other ones I applied for. What made it unique was that it involved the support of family, friends, teachers, and so many others.

For those seniors this year who are nominated for the Brookside Optometric Group Scholarship, encourage all your friends and family to share their feedback and they will enjoy being involved too. You will feel the love and support from so many. It was such a wonderful experience and the most fun scholarship I applied for. Good luck and congrats to the Class of 2019!