Former Homeless Woman Awarded $1,000 Scholarship
The winner of a $1,000 training award scholarship, Monica Alcaraz, 24, was not only given an opportunity to better her life, but the chance to experience life in its most miraculous state.
The single mother and former homeless woman recently received a $1,000 scholarship from the Soroptimist International of Monterey Park/Rosemead that she hopes to use to study midwifery.
“There is something overwhelming about childbirth,†said Alcaraz, who is caring for her 4-year-old son, Leonardo. “I don’t think it’s something you could ever get tired with.â€
Alcaraz said she always valued education, attempting several times to complete vocational and college training. But life seemed to get in the way of Alcaraz’s goals: Leonardo’s father died when Alcaraz was three months pregnant, and her mother suffered a stroke six months later. Alcaraz abandoned her education and, for the next two years, took care of her mother and newborn.
When her mother recovered and receiving public assistance from the state, Alcaraz moved with her son into a Los Angeles apartment and enrolled at East Los Angeles College.
“I was living on my own for four months, but I could not afford to be on my own and go to school,†she said. She lived on the streets for two weeks before a social worker led her to the House of Ruth, a shelter for homeless women and their children.
Within six months, Alcaraz was raising her child and taking 18 units a semester, most of which are prerequisite courses for USC’s nursing program. A 3.0 student whose name has been on the dean’s list, Alcaraz’s dedication and persistence caught the Soroptimist’s judges’ eyes when they reviewed the 83 applicants.
By winning the scholarship, Alcaraz’s name is submitted to the Soroptimist’s regional training award program in Ventura County, where she will be considered for a $3,000 scholarship. If she is granted that, she can also be eligible for the national award, a $10,000 scholarship that the club has been granting to women heads-of-household since 1962.
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