Yulissa Morales hopes to use the teaching degree she is working on at UNC to stay in northern Colorado to teach first grade. Yulissa entered college at Aims planning on pursuing nursing but decided that wasn’t quite the right path for her. Her love of children directed her to education and the teaching program at UNC.
Yulissa is already getting to experience time in an elementary school as she’s doing her practicum at Butler Elementary School in Fort Lupton, and she volunteers as a translator during parent-teacher conferences and meetings. Getting to see the amount of growth students experience in the classroom keeps Yulissa working hard towards her degree.
Yulissa learned about Bright Futures from her high school counselor, and it has made a meaningful impact on her educational journey. “Although Bright Futures has helped me a lot economically, it really helped me make connections through the community service component. That has been so beneficial. I’ve met a lot of teachers through my volunteering with the district—I’m building a lot of connections and getting to know people,” she said.
Continuing her education through college attendance has broadened Yulissa’s world. “I’ve seen so much more than the population I grew up in. There’s so much diversity–there are different struggles, perspectives, and life experiences,” she said. She hopes her younger siblings and other young students will push through challenges that may arise and seize opportunities like a Bright Futures scholarship.
