Lauren Moreno is a first year recipient of an Arizona Tuition Tax Credit Scholarship from the AAA Scholarship Foundation, attending Bourgade Catholic High School in Phoenix, Arizona. The scholarship and her parents selected school have provided her with endless opportunities to achieve and build upon her dreams and hopes for the future.
Lauren is one of four children raised by a single mom. Despite the limited income for her family, Lauren’s mom, Yvonne Ortega, is dedicated to ensuring her children have opportunities in life that she did not have. Yvonne was not able to finish college and she wants her children to have the chance to advance their education and pursue their dreams. And she has made good on that promise. Determined to ensure that Lauren goes to a school that will provide her with a strong educational foundation, she has consistently sought out scholarships and other sources of financial aid that will help fill in the gaps of their family’s limited income and enable Lauren to go to a school where she can excel. The scholarship from AAA helped to ease the economic barriers and enable Lauren to build upon her success at Bourgade Catholic High School.
Lauren, who is currently a junior at the school, is working diligently to prepare for graduation and the future. In addition to maintaining an A-B average – including in English, her favorite class – Lauren participates in several extracurricular activities that are providing her with extensive experience and a well-rounded education. She is actively involved in nine clubs at her school – such as Mu Alpha Theta, Earth Watch, Athletic Leadership Team and Peer Helpers, a peer mediation program in which students like Lauren serve as counselors and mentors to fellow students. And if that were not enough, she also serves as manager of the Bourgade wrestling team.
Her parent-selected school has also taught her the value of community service and helping others in need. Bourgade offers several different community service programs, but the main one that has caught Lauren’s attention is the San Carlos Mission Trip, in which students help build houses for those in need. Lauren’s passion for this mission was ignited after participating in the trip for the first time last year, and she can’t wait to attend again in 2014.
With graduation less than two years away, Lauren is already prepping her goals for the future. She hopes to attend Northern Arizona University and study criminology or psychology.
When asked what the scholarship and her school mean to her, Lauren is truly grateful. “AAA Scholarship Foundation has given me the opportunity to dream big and the tools to achieve those dreams,” she says. “At Bourgade, I am able to set my goals higher and have the opportunity to achieve them. I realize how lucky I am to be able to attend such a great school. So I make sure to work my hardest, to not only pass my classes, but to excel in them.”
To View the PDF Version, Click Here.
Leave a Reply