Personal Statement

My name is Maria Hernandez, I am a Senior here at El Capitan High School and plan to
walk the stage on June 6, 2024. I am 17 years old and an interesting fact about me is
that I am the eldest and first to graduate in my family. I also like to be out in the
afternoon and hanging out with my friends. I like to go to parties and dance with my
friends. I love to listen to music. I went to my first concert and it was with one of my
favorite artists named Ivan Cornejo, it was the best experience i’ve had.

I plan to go to Merced college for 2 years and study Environmental Horticultural, it

seems easy and really fun and I like to plant plants and work with them. It's something I
really enjoy and would like to study landscape in the future, and hopefully be able to
graduate from Merced College.

A skill that I have is doing nails. I have my business going on where I like to do nails and
doing it brings me so much passion and I live for it. I plan on going to Sierra Beauty
College after Merced College and taking manicuring for 2 months so I can get my
license and continue it.

Someone I cherish a lot is my mother because she is such a hard working single
woman and would sacrifice anything for my siblings and I so she can be able to give us
the things we needed. I am the oldest and the first person to graduate High school and I
really want to make my mother proud.

My High School experience was okay I was all over the place, Freshman year I failed
and had to go to Sequoia high school for Sophomore year and had to remake up my
credits to be able to graduate on time, my Junior year I went back to El Capitan and
kind of passed but I wasn’t yet able to graduate if I didn’t pass my classes and I was still
behind on credits so I had to go to Yosemite High School my Senior year for the first
semester and I had to put in work and had to motivate myself to keep on going and I did
and finally I was able to transfer back to El Capitan and here I am trying my best to pass
my classes and being able to graduate and what motivates me is my mother because I
really want to make her proud.