Nathaly Duenas
JRN-111 Student
An inspiration for the Moraine Valley student body is first generation Mexican college student Kimberly De La Torre.
De La Torre is a 22-year-old nursing student who has received multiple scholarships at Moraine Valley Community College including the FitRec scholarship, the Theresa A. Keene Medical Terminology scholarship, as well as the Steve and Alice Molo nursing scholarship. She hopes to graduate Moraine Valley this May and transfer to the nursing program at either UIC or Purdue University.
De La Torre works as a Certified Nursing Assistant at the Little Company of Mary Hospital.
She was a swimming instructor at the FitRec and is currently an instructor for the youth team outside of Argo High School. She enjoys living her life always on the go.
“It stresses me out not being busy; there is no point in sitting around and not doing anything,” said De La Torre.
A strong work ethic and education navigates De La Torre throughout life. She hopes to work in ICU or ER one day, seeing that she excels when working under pressure. Being a first -generation Mexican college student, she faces constant pressure. She sets a good example for her siblings by constantly maintaining the role model figure for her two younger sisters at home. However, due to the extreme demands this puts on her, she is not so fond of being a role model. Moving past that, she then realized being a role model was for the greater good, especially for her siblings.
“I’m happy that I am able to set that example for them not to fall in the wrong path,” stated De La Torre.
De La Torre was immensely involved in extracurricular activities in high school and always made sure she was making something of herself. De La Torre’s mother encouraged her to take the leap in applying for scholarships at Moraine Valley. Kim Golk, whom is De La Torre’s Phi Theta Kappa advisor, guided her through both the application portion and the nursing program process.
“She has honestly been my rock. She’s been there since day one. Shout out to Kim – I love her,” De La Torre remarked.
Moraine Valley has given De La Torre a big helping hand throughout the scholarship process, staying attentive to any concerns she had. Her acceptance to Moraine’s Nursing program was earth shattering. It was challenging for De La Torre, but she enjoyed it while embracing the ups and downs of it.
“You just fake it till you make it and stick through it, that’s nursing school 101,” De La Torre stated.
If De La Torre was never given the scholarship opportunity, she would be working excessively to attend classes. The scholarships she received have been an immense aid to her education. They paid for her books, IV kits, uniforms, stethoscopes and much more. If it weren’t for the scholarships she received, all of these commodities would have been paid out of pocket.
“Everything costs so much money it is ridiculous, but the scholarships help,” said De La Torre.
De La Torre feels relaxed knowing her finances are taken care of. She has compared her own situation to other nursing students and is grateful for the opportunities she was given. She witnesses other students tackling their day-to-day finances, and reminds herself that she does not have to worry about those specific struggles. She is very independent and does whatever she can to maintain that role.
The application process was quite simple for De La Torre. She is not very comfortable expressing her background, but the scholarship process helped to represent that vulnerable side of herself. It took half an hour or so to complete the application. She is proud she took the initiative in applying for these scholarships considering her procrastination, which is something most college students have trouble navigating through. After she realized she was able to use the same application when applying to numerous other scholarships, the process became much easier.
“Anyone who has the chance, go online and just follow the application because you never know,” she said. “I never thought I’d get these scholarships.”
De La Torre is grateful to Moraine Valley for shedding light onto the scholarship recipients. They make sure these recipients are celebrated for all of their achievements during the scholarship reception held in their honor. De La Torre recommends that when applying for scholarships, students should apply for all of them. Also, maintain honesty and authenticity; that will steer you to great opportunities.
“It is the quickest money you will ever make,” De La Torre says. “And you have nothing to lose.”
Nathaly Duenas can be contacted at duenasn3@student.morainevalley.edu
