Danelia Ramirez Aguilar

University of Massachusetts Lowell

Danelia Ramirez Aguilar, a second year student at UMass Lowell, is a River Hawk Scholars Academy (RHSA) Peer Leader, a position in which she mentors first-generation college students in their first year. A first-generation college student herself, Danelia holds a number of roles within the RHSA, including a position within a student-led focus group initiative for RHSA students. Danelia also seeks to make a difference off campus. She has, in the past, volunteered to mentor Cambodian-American children in Lowell through a local nonprofit, the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association. Recently, she visited her grandmother's native country of Honduras and, using her own limited funds, repaired the facilities and taught at the school her grandmother founded. Though her grandmother has since passed away, Danelia vows to keep her legacy and the school operational. To that end, she recently started her own charity, 14 Stars Foundation, to support the children at the school and ensure their education continues.

Dr. Jacqueline Moloney
Chancellor
University of Massachusetts Lowell

Personal Statement

Helping students who have gone through similar things as me has always been my passion. Throughout high school, I taught English to those who had recently emigrated to the U.S. While doing extracurricular activities, I always made time to support my mentees and help make their transition be more manageable. When I started my journey at UMass Lowell, I received ample support from the River Hawk Scholars Academy (RHSA), which is a support program for first generation college students. Now, as a peer leader for the RHSA, I mentor students, connect them to campus resources, provide academic and personal advice as well as attend and prepare RHSA events for them. I have connected my work in Massachusetts back to my roots in Honduras, the country my grandmother raised me in. This past summer I focused on teaching and mentoring kindergartners, who were the first in their family to attend school. I have several things in common with these children as a first generation student: financial struggle, difficulty with classroom assimilation, and lack of academic support. As a result, I started 14 Stars which is a foundation that seeks to help kindergartners around Honduras with essential school supplies and uniforms.

Danelia Ramirez Aguilar
Criminal Justice and Sociology: Class of 2022
written 2020

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Alexander Kaye, U. of Central Florida Miyako Iwata, UC Berkeley M. Chiamaka Okonkwo, UNC Charlotte Noelia Michelle Flores González, Universidad de Monterrey Ashlyn Woods, University of Baltimore Greta Hacker, University of Central Arkansas Christian Coleman, University of Central Oklahoma Hailey Ettinger, University of Colorado Boulder Michael Hernández, University of Connecticut Claire Sullivan, University of Dayton Maggie Nelson, University of Delaware Tarun Ramesh, University of Georgia Gregoria Uroza, University of Houston-Downtown Wasan Kumar, University of Illinois at Chicago Kaitlyn Meyr, University of Kentucky Ana Benitez, University of La Verne Amanda Gardner, University of Maine at Augusta Stephanie Turcios, University of Mary Washington Nihira Mugamba, University of Maryland, Baltimore County(UMBC) Maggie Sullivan, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Danelia Ramirez Aguilar, University of Massachusetts Lowell Jendayi London, University of Miami Meredith Days, University of Michigan Lucy Grimshaw, University of Missouri – St. Louis Kortney Sims, University of Montana Dinesh Karki, University of Nebraska Omaha Alexandra Vergara, University of New Hampshire Keyri Ambrocio, University of New Haven Aryelle Jacobsen, University of North Carolina Asheville Katherine Torres, University of North Georgia Yarik Molina, University of North Texas at Dallas Cole Passick, University of Northern Iowa Evan McKenna, University of Notre Dame Justin Norris, University of Oklahoma Nisha Sridhar, University of Oregon Oluwatomisin Oyedele, University of Pennsylvania Stephanie Rose, University of Pittsburgh TJ Tann, University of Richmond Ana Trejo Aguilar, University of San Diego Evelyn Pedraza Fernandez, University of San Francisco Imani Sherrills, University of South Carolina Beaufort Patrick Mack, University of South Carolina Upstate Reylan Cook, University of South Carolina-Columbia - Columbia, SC Tyus Edmond, University of St Thomas Amber Heidenreich, University of Wisconsin - Superior Shehrose Charania, University of Wisconsin-Madison Tavyonia Davis, University of Wisconsin-Parkside Trenton Ebel, UW Green Bay
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