Magic Touch Scholarship
Providing Latino students in Nebraska the opportunity to pursue a college dream.
ERIC TENA: $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT
in Business Administration. He would like to build his career in finance where he wants to help the Latino community youth understand the value of financial literacy. “Whatever I choose to do, I put my head down and get to work the way my parents taught me. Hard work and passion have allowed me to grow in the field of finance. (I) see myself making a difference by using my professional skills to help others achieve what I plan to achieve soon. I want to see others grow and have community leaders to look up; unlike myself, where college seemed like a distant dream when I was younger. I want to instill confidence, intelligence, and humility in the young Latino community so they can achieve whatever dreams they dream. I plan to use my financial skills to help the Latino community understand the wo
ISABELA CABRERA $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT
Isabela is a graduate of Norfolk High School and will be entering her first year at the University of Nebraska Lincoln where she plans on studying Child Psychology. Isabel’s passion is to help children who do not have their own voice. She has endured her own hardships but hasn’t allowed them to keep her from being successful and working hard. “In the future I will work with young children of all backgrounds, and I want to help them find their voice. The voice that was once taken from them. I plan to treat the youth and provide them the help that they need.”
ALAN VARGAS: $5,000 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT
Alan is a graduate of Omaha South High and plans to attend UNO in the fall of 2020. Alan has demonstrated selfless leadership through his hours of volunteer work. He would like to be a nurse who uses his vocation to help his family, specifically in health education, while creating more healthcare options. He plans to continue volunteering his time and skills by offering free physicals within the South Omaha Community. “I have been making a difference in the Latino community for a while now through volunteer work. I have accumulated over four hundred hours of community service by volunteering at the KROC Center, Castelar Elementary, Omaha South, as well as other locations. Ever since I was a child, I’ve had the dream of becoming a nurse. I plan on pursuing this dream at UNO and continuing at UNMC which I believe to be the best route for me as I can stay close to home while receiving a phenomenal education. I come from an extensive Mexican family which mostly resides in Mexico. The great majority of my family isn’t well off economically which means they are unable to make doctor’s visits. This has resulted to be a great obstacle for my family here in the U.S. to which as much as we try to provide for our extended family, we are just unable to support each and every single person to which they can keep themselves healthy. They don’t have the luxuries of being able to visit the doctor when they come down with a cold, receive proper medication, or receive proper treatment.”
AKELIN IRAHETA BARIES: $5,000 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT
A recent South Omaha High graduate, Yakelin will be attending UNO in the Fall of 2020 where she plans to major in Health and Science. As a leader who is involved in her community,Yakelin demonstrates her strong leadership skills through mentoring and uses her voice through the power of the vote. She is currently mentoring two students and has introduced them to programs she wished she would have taken advantage of when she was a high school student. “In the future, I hope to be an influence in the Latino community. I want to advocate for issues that are happening in the community and globally such as immigration issues, climate change, and universal healthcare. I want to be a leader and lead a path where these stereotypes diminish.”