#PeopleofNEI: Dora and Vanessa, the scholars

Northeast Indiana is evolving. These are the people shaping its future. #PeopleofNEI

This week's feature:

Dora Carlisle and Vanessa Murillo-Vallejo will both receive a full-tuition, four-year scholarship as Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne 2018 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars. Both students attend South Side High School and have been friends for years. Dora plans to attend Indiana University to pursue a degree in Psychology and Vanessa Murillo-Vallejo will attend the University of Saint Francis to pursue a degree in Nursing. Dora says, "I cried. I didn’t think that two people would get it from the same school. My gut told me that Vanessa would win. When I found out it was both of us, I started crying. I still don’t have words. I am going to need a doctorate and this will help me start saving after my first four years. This will help me with something I’ve always wanted and I won’t have to struggle. I want to be a child psychologist in the African-American community to help eliminate the stigma of mental disorders among the African-American community. Thank you to the Community Foundation for this opportunity. I really hope to make everyone proud." Vanessa added, "I bawled my eyes out when I found out. I felt really shocked and speechless and happy. So happy. This scholarship will afford me college in general. I was going to go to a two year college and now I can go to a four year college. I will be the first college graduate in my family! I didn’t even tell my mom that I applied because I didn’t think I would get it. Somehow I ended up getting it. I want to stay in Fort Wayne and open up a clinic for the Hispanic community. Here, it can be hard to have someone that can translate in a clinic. I have to translate for my mom and I want to make it easier. I was born in Mexico so that limits my financial aid and resources. I want other immigrants to know that if you want it, you can go for it no matter what obstacles comes in your path. I want the Community Foundation to know that I’m very thankful and that they changed my whole life forever." #PeopleofNEI
A post shared by Input Fort Wayne (@inputfortwayne) on May 20, 2018 at 4:36pm PDT

#PeopleofNEI: Dora and Vanessa, the scholars

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