Every step on Beatriz’s educational path has prepared her to pursue a Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of Florida, her ultimate goal. She attained her certification as a Behavioral Health Technician and volunteered for the Mental Health Association of Indian River County, experiences that fueled Beatriz’s desire to serve a field lacking services provided in non-English languages and the cultural competencies needed to relate to and support the wellbeing of migrant families.

“In the Hispanic and Latin community, there are distinct differences between populations from South and Central American countries, and even more so from Spain,” Beatriz said. “Understanding these differences from personal experience and being exposed to preliminary research methods from my undergraduate education, has inspired me to be at the forefront of this research during my graduate education and onward.”

Thanks to Palm Health Foundation donors, Beatriz has overcome the financial burden to pursue this groundbreaking research. What’s more, they have encouraged her to reach for goals that are not hers alone.

“The Palm Health Foundation scholarship is helping me to inspire my younger siblings and other first-generation Hispanic students,” she said. “I hope to remind them that their dreams and goals are attainable, without the fear of being weighed down by student loans. If my parents could not reach their ‘American Dream’ in their lifetime, then I can use this scholarship to reach it for them in my lifetime.”