Pilar Manriquez is a senior majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies at Cal, but she's not your traditional student. "I had my daughter the first week of spring semester 2013. I was really struggling financially after her father left."
What a difference three years makes! Pilar has been selected as one of this year's Chicana Latina Foundation Scholarship winners. "Applying to scholarships was not something I was comfortable with. Rejection is something you have to get used to." And she did. This was the third time she had applied for the scholarship. Third time was definitely the charm. On October 13th, Pilar's parents joined her at the Annual CLF Dinner to celebrate her accomplishments.
Three Chicanas, one a Berkeley student at the time, founded the Chicana Latina Foundation in 1977. "When they were going through their graduate experience, they felt that as Latinas they didn't have much support in the university and also the issues they faced as first-generation students were new to them," explained Lupe Gallegos-Diaz, treasurer and long-time member of the foundation. Gallegos-Diaz is the director of the Chicanx Latinx Student Development Program at Berkeley. "The support group then turned to helping undergraduates through the process of applying for graduate school and they started giving scholarships for $100." Today 30 young women around Northern California receive scholarships ranging from $1,500 to $3,000 each year. "The money helps the women, but the community and network they build when they meet each other is worth much more than the money itself."
Pilar is part of the SAGE Scholars Program. "SAGE Scholars helped me with interview skills and helped me become more comfortable having conversations about myself and advocating for myself. I think one of the things I struggled with was being too humble in my interviews and not really owning my accomplishments."
Pilar isn't just a student and a mother, she has also stepped forward to be a leader. After taking part in the UC Berkeley Public Service Center, she started working there as a program leader for Alternative Breaks, a service-learning program for students. "We go to San Diego to work on immigration and border issues, a Southern California reservation called Campo where we focus on issues concerning the Native American community, the Central Valley to work on farmworker issues, poverty and homelessness projects in the Bay Area, and our biggest project is in New Orleans where we continue to work on community recovery after Hurricane Katrina." She then became a director overlooking the planning and coordination of the trips.
Through all of this, Pilar has had a strong support network through the Student Parent Center on campus. "I don't know where I'd be without them. There are times on this campus when you feel left out, like you're not really included. It was the support and encouragement that I received at the Student Parent Center. They made sure that I was successfully completing the semester and the academic year." Pilar didn't just receive help, working as a Welcome Ambassador she also shares her experiences with other students parents.
For the first time in three years, Pilar is stepping away from leadership. With a lighter academic load and the Chicana Latina Foundation Scholarship, she's able to slow down and figure out her next steps and what to do after she graduates and also spend more time with her daughter.
Two other Berkeley undergraduates received scholarships this year from the foundation: Itzel Martinez, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science major and Erica Portillo, Chicano Studies and Pre-med major. Berkeley was again in the spotlight at the celebration dinner when alumnae Dr. Genevieve Negron-Gonzales, Assistant Professor in the Department of Leadership Studies in the School of Education at the University of San Francisco, received the Emerging Leader Award.