By Aozora Ito, Editor-In-Chief
On March 5, FVHS senior Desiree Castell sat in AP Macroeconomics teacher Joshua Alvaro’s second period class as a crowd of adults walked in. A roar of applause followed the breaking news—Castell was awarded a $20,000 national scholarship through Girls Inc., a nonprofit organization that equip girls around the nation to be “strong, smart, and bold.”
“I actually thought I’d never get the scholarship. I feel so thankful and blessed,” Castell said. Her mother Vanessa Berber came into the class as well on a joyful occasion. “I saw her, I looked up, and thought ‘What’s going on?’ She actually knew the day before they were going to come in.”
Castell has been part of Girls Inc. since seventh grade, when she got involved in a two-months summer program Eureka at Santa Ana College. The program incorporated topics such as body image, domestic abuse, self-defense and art. Castell went through the camp for two consecutive summers, and became involved in a program called College Bound.
College Bound is a program of Girls Inc. which provides a foundation of knowledge regarding college entrance requirements and financing a college education. Castell is still involved with College Bound, meeting every Thursday from 4-6 p.m. at the Girls Inc. site in Costa Mesa. Through College Bound, guest speakers such as admissions counselors come in frequently to talk about financial aid, scholarships, admissions, resumes and careers.
The College Bound coordinator Mratha Rangel told Castell about the national scholarship program for girls with various prices ranging from $5000 to $20,000. From last September, 30 applicants from the Girls Inc. of Orange County went through an interview conducted by the panels of staff at Girls Inc. Five girls were chosen—Castell was a member of the chosen five. From September to November of last year, they met every Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-8 p.m. All five girls from Orange County got scholarships: three of them got $20,000 and two got the $5000 reward.
“The program itself was really helpful and beneficial for me to open up and explore myself more because I gained so much experience through those programs that I never thought I’d get anywhere else,” said Castell. She specifically mentioned the experience she gained with structuring essays and bonding with various members. “I’ve always been a shy person, so it opened me up to new possibilities.”
In her $20,000 essay, Castell wrote about feeling shut in from her past experiences, and how getting involved in Girls Inc. brought her out of her shell.
Castell’s mother Vanessa has been extremely supportive of her daughter during the long process.
“Those times that I put myself down, she’d be like ‘Oh no, don’t look at yourself that way. You know you’re a strong girl, you know you can do it.’ She was my motivator and she influences me a lot,” said Castell. “I’m really thankful for her and blessed for everything she’s done for me. ‘I love you.’”
