Perla Solares

From the time she was young girl, Perla Solares wanted to be a nurse, but with a young family and developmentally disabled son that dream seemed financially impossible.

As her son got older, Perla decided it was time to make her dream a reality. Using student loans to pay for college, Perla completed her certification program as a Psychiatric Technician at Santa Rosa Junior College. “It’s been a struggle,” said Perla. “Balancing work and school while raising my son hasn’t been easy. I needed money aside from student loans to help me pay for college.”

Two years ago, Perla was accepted at Dominican University of California. With heavy student debt, Perla wasn’t sure she could afford to transfer to a four-year university—let alone a private institution. Her friend suggested she contact Marin Education Fund for support. Today, Perla is in her second year and pursing her degree in nursing, thanks, in part to the scholarship provided by Marin Education Fund. Perla hopes to go on to obtain her Masters in nursing from the same university.

Perla came to Marin with her family from Guatemala in 1986 and is part of the first generation in her family to go to college. “High school was the only expectation my family had for me. Never did my family dream that I would go to college. Marin Education Fund made this dream a reality by providing me the guidance and support I needed,” said Solares.

Eventually, Perla hopes to work in a hospital caring for people with developmental disabilities while she teaches part-time at a nearby Bay Area college.

“My personal and professional experience has shown me that hospitals lack the professionals needed to really help the disabled community. As a nurse I want to make sure that disabled people get the special care they need. This scholarship is helping to make that possible.”

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Ana Escobar

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Bernina Contreras

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Paul Tran of San Rafael immigrated to the United States from Saigon with his family when he was eight years old. With a family of four living on limited financial resources, Paul didn’t see how his family could afford to send him to college. Read his story...