The Little Bundle Supermom Scholarship

Being a single mother is often about sacrifice for the best care and experiences for your child. That is why we believe that Malerie Quintero is a clear winner of the Little Bundle Supermom Scholarship! 

As a single mother at 21 years old, Malerie made several tough and even heartbreaking decisions to ensure the safety, health, and well-being of her son Santiago. Her determination, strength and grace while facing all of these challenges are just a part of the reason that we think she’s a supermom! When she became pregnant, unfortunately Malerie received no real support from close relatives and had to go this journey alone. Prior to getting pregnant, she had been a college student at the University of Houston on a supplemental scholarship. However, the program backed out and Malerie ended up owing $8,000. This led to her dropping out but determined to work on herself, pay the money back and go back to school the following year. 

Just a few weeks after her son’s birth he was diagnosed with sickle cell disease, a condition that she spent endless hours researching and that actually inspired her decision to become a nurse. She and her newborn baby moved into a dorm room with her best friend at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but she desperately worried about her son possibly being exposed and had to make a gut-wrenching decision. Santiago was just four months old when Malerie booked a flight to Canada with the little savings she had left and entrusted his care to his paternal grandmother, thousands of miles away from her hometown in Texas. 

“I returned to Texas with a broken heart but with the motivation of a strong mother. I had no job, no family, and not even my baby anymore but I did not let it get me down,” Malerie said. “I finished my first semester with a 4.0 GPA even though I spent countless hours crying over my child. I managed perfect grades even though my only source of income was the $1000 I received in a refund from FAFSA. I stretched that thousand over five months.”

Malerie said that her baby’s paternal grandmother, who is also a nurse, is her inspiration and has been her rock the whole time. His grandmother gives her son the best care he could possibly have and Malerie calls them everyday -- it’s just one of the things that keeps her going, she said. She sees her baby’s grandmother as a supermom in her own right, and credits her as a daily source of strength and encouragement. As far as Malerie’s career, she wants to help other children who have chronic illnesses like her son. She currently spends time working at a children’s hospital with kids who have terminal illnesses. Ten years from now she aspires to get her doctorate of nurse practitioner. She wants to stay in Texas, live comfortably with her son and send him to a great school. She is proud of teaching herself financial literacy and how to save and stretch her money. She was even able to pay that $8,000 tuition back, and considers that one of her proudest accomplishments. 

Malerie’s dream is to inspire other mothers through challenging times and encourage them to keep pushing forward. She hopes to eventually develop her own program for other mothers like her that face medical and financial challenges with their little ones. This scholarship not only puts her closer to her goals, but she’s so grateful for the 1 year supply of organic European formula to feed her baby. It saddened her to have to end breastfeeding him so soon, and this gives her peace of mind knowing that he’s getting the closest thing to it. She knows that her sacrifices and hard work will pay off in the end, and after meeting with her, we certainly know that too. 

We love being able to reward single mothers like Rhonda Smith with the Little Bundle Supermom Scholarship in the high school category. She is determined to get a higher education while also raising her daughter and we are proud to recognize and encourage her efforts! 

Raised by a single mother, Rhonda became one herself one month before her 17th birthday. 

Despite being a mother to her now 4-month-old daughter Emarie Gail and the school administration discouraging her to continue classes, Rhonda pushed forward and is in the top 20 of her class of 100 students, has a 3.89 GPA, is a member of multiple clubs, is a photographer, and has been accepted into Tennessee Tech University. She plans on majoring in Social Work and Criminal Justice and eventually becoming a certified Clinical Social Worker in the Sexual Assault Department. 

As a sexual assault survivor herself, she has an in-depth understanding about how the procedures and protocols work in these heart-breaking circumstances. It motivated her to want to be part of making the future better for her community. “I want to give back because they [the Sexual Assault Department] taught me a lot of things that I still remember to this day,” she said. “So I want to be a part of the organization….just want to help change the community, especially for my daughter — I want to make sure she’s safe to the best of my ability.”

In the future Rhonda aspires to help people just like her role model, her mom, did. Her mother used to work in a nursing home but is now disabled. Rhonda’s parents divorced when she was five and her father disassociated — leaving no financial support but her mother remained her rock and always found a way. Now, they currently depend on government assistance. Her mother can’t work because of medical issues and Rhonda has to be home to take care of her daughter and mother. She does her schoolwork online virtually from home while balancing it all. “The reason why I keep swimming in this big, scary ocean of a world is for my daughter. I don't want her to have to worry about where her next meal is coming from, if she's going to be able to go to school, and if it is safe to sleep,” she said in her scholarship essay. “I want to be able to provide for her in a nurturing, loving environment where she can go on to pursue a better life than that of mine and my mother's.” 

Even with such a strong, positive outlook, Rhonda admits she has contemplated dropping out and ending it all, and then she said she remembers she has a blessing of a daughter who depends on her “with every fiber of her being.” Every tough day working through assignments she knows she is closer to graduating and her career. She trades the thoughts about the struggles and replaces them with images of her family playing in a big, green yard full of grass and flowers — a stark contrast to living in the apartment they are in now. 

“I make it work because that's what all mothers do. No matter how much we struggle, we still get up everyday and take care of our babies. Being a young mother has changed my life because I now know what my mother feels like and what she goes through to make sure I have everything I need,” she wrote “She has pushed me to succeed when she herself is going through great hardship. For the future, all I want is to be able to take care of my family and any young moms and children around me.”

We love supporting women with dreams and Valeria Araujo has big ones! We are proud to introduce Valeria as our Little Bundle Supermom Scholarship Winner in the high school category. 

Valeria was raised by a single mother who created opportunities for her children through years of tireless work. Valeria credits her own hardworking attitude and desire to help others to the example set by her mom, particularly as she’s watched her mother care for her younger brother with autism. 

A true go-getter, Valeria held down two jobs while also maintaining a 4.0 GPA during her senior year of high school. As an intern at YR media, she’s had experience as a DJ and content writer and has worked in the newsroom and graphic design departments. She was even interviewed on an Emmy-award winning podcast! Valeria has turned her experience in media into a passion that she hopes to continue through college and into a career.

After accepting an offer of admission and enrolling at Mills College, Valeria plans to major in Communications with a minor in Journalism. She would love to create a blog, a podcast, or a magazine in the future in order to amplify the voices of other strong, immigrant, minority women. She says,

“A lot of minority women, especially those who are immigrants, are scared to speak out. I want to create a safe environment for minority women’s voices. I want to represent them accurately. Women need accurate representation and it starts with the media. I realized how much of a voice I do have, and what having a voice can do for you.”

In her (minimal) spare time, Valeria enjoys reading, writing, working out, and coding. She’s also considering a career in computer science and currently joins her interests in advocacy and coding by creating interactive articles for YR newsroom. 

We have no doubt that Valeria will be successful no matter where her journey takes her! We are thrilled to provide the financial support she needs in order to make progress toward her big goals. Congrats, Valeria!

We are thrilled to announce Elena Davalos as the college winner of our July 2020 Little Bundle Supermom Scholarship! This supermom embodies everything we aspire to be-- strong, hard-working, and courageous in the face of adversity. 

Elena’s journey hasn’t been easy, particularly after the death of her husband when their child was just 1 year old. As a mom, student, and medical assistant, Elena works tirelessly every day to give her daughter the opportunities and life that she wants her to have.

She credits her own mom for teaching her about strength and perseverance. Her mother was an immigrant and also a single mom who worked two jobs to support her kids and send money to support her family back home. Elena appreciates that her mother is still motivating her, supporting her, and helping with her daughter so that she can achieve her goals.

An avid reader, Elena is pursuing a degree in nursing from Taft College with a goal of earning her nursing certification and working in Obstetrics. She aspires to have a career where she can help people and make a difference in their lives-- and given the strength of her character, we have no doubt that she will!

Elena is most proud of how she has overcome the hardship of her partner’s death; that she “didn’t let it defeat [her]” and that instead, she left her job as a lead cashier to go back to school and create better opportunities for herself and her daughter. She says,

“I have to be the best for my daughter. After my husband died, I had to put my feelings aside and do the best I could. I had no choice but to continue to be strong and to continue to further my education because I want to show her I can do anything.”

We could not be more proud to offer Little Bundle’s Supermom Scholarship to Elena and to support her on her journey toward reaching these goals. Congratulations, Elena!

Our college winner, Jessica Lewis, is truly deserving of the title of “Supermom.” Jessica is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Human Development at California State University, East Bay, yet her path to a degree has been anything but straightforward. Everyone here at Little Bundle has been incredibly impressed by the determination and resilience that Jessica has shown to get where she is today. 

Jessica is the mother of two boys, Lamar (11) and Jovanni (10). Despite the challenges of being a single mother, Jessica has always been determined to achieve great things. In 2015, she became the first person in her family to earn a college degree, graduating from Los Medanos College with an associate’s degree, all while working full-time as a retail manager and raising her sons.

Jessica’s acceptance to California State University, East Bay in 2016 was one of the proudest moments of her life. She eagerly embraced this new challenge, although the long hours working, commuting, and studying meant that she had to miss some important moments in her sons’ childhoods. Through it all, Jessica was propelled by the dream of completing her degree, finding a good job, owning her own home and, most importantly, being able to spend more time with her children. 

In August 2017, at age 29, Jessica encountered her biggest challenge yet: she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Despite this devastating news, Jessica was determined to beat the cancer and continue to be a mother to her children. After a successful stem cell transplant, Jessica found herself on the difficult road to recovery. Jessica is now in remission and has resumed progress on her bachelor’s degree. After graduation, Jessica hopes to further her education with a master’s degree in Social Work. She would like to eventually work in a hospital, having seen firsthand just how valuable social workers can be in supporting patients and their families who are dealing with illness.

Jessica feels proudest when she hears people praise her sons for their good character, as it’s a reminder that she has successfully instilled in them the same values that she cherishes. Thanks to her courageous spirit and her supportive family, Jessica has made it through some very difficult times. She will undoubtedly put the Little Bundle Supermom Scholarship to good use in getting over the final hurdle to graduation, and making sure that her sons follow her down the same path of hard work and commitment to education.

Our high school winner, Ana L. Ahuelican, dreams of giving her son the best possible start in life, something that we here at Little Bundle also feel very strongly about. Ana is a single mother who is striving to finish high school, while also holding down two retail jobs in order to provide for her 15-month-old son, Mateo. Raising a toddler is challenging at the best of times, but much more so when you’re also trying to earn your high school diploma and become the first person in your family to go to college. Ana is grateful for the constant support of her mother, who showed her that single parents can do an incredible job raising their children. Ana’s mother has helped Ana to become independent and self-reliant, pushing her to work hard and not give up on her dreams, while also making sure that she has the love and support she needs to be a wonderful mother to Mateo. 

Ana is an optimist who hasn’t let challenges dampen her enjoyment of life or her desire to accomplish great things. She has many interests, including singing and fine arts, and she has big plans for her future. After she graduates from high school, she will attend Utah Valley University, with the goal of earning a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. Ana would like to eventually become an immigration lawyer and assist struggling families, especially those who are navigating the complicated path to citizenship in order achieve their own version of the American Dream. 

Despite the obstacles, Ana feels very strongly that Mateo has enriched her life in ways that she wouldn’t trade for anything. She has treasured even the most difficult aspects of motherhood, cherishing the feeling of holding her son in her arms, even during long sleepless nights. Ana has already accomplished so much by raising a happy and healthy little boy, while also earning good grades and planning to attend college, and she should be very proud of her hard work. We are confident that with her continued determination and ambition, and with a little help from the Little Bundle Supermom Scholarship, Ana will absolutely achieve her dreams.

The winner of our college scholarship is Alethia Johnson. Alethia is a highly driven, goal-oriented “supermom” who strives to be an outstanding role model for her kind and intelligent five-year-old daughter, Kailani.

Alethia is looking forward to returning to college this fall, after four years out of higher education. She will be attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham and majoring in Accounting. After college, she plans to open her own business, with the goal of educating others about financial literacy. She also hopes to found a non-profit organization devoted to helping single mothers succeed.

In her free time, Alethia enjoys reading, teaching Sunday school, and leading a small group of young adults. One of her greatest joys is teaching her daughter about the importance of compassion, forgiveness, and charity, and she has been helping Kailani learn Spanish, as well.

Alethia hopes that “this scholarship will allow me the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of my daughter, my family, and my community.”

We are thrilled that Alethia Johnson is the first-ever college recipient of the Little Bundle Supermom Scholarship. We sincerely look forward to updating you on her progress as she pursues her college education and works towards achieving her dreams.

The winner of our high school scholarship is Skyler Clemons. Skyler has been accepted to West Virginia University, where she will soon be pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree in Forensic and Investigative Science.

Skyler wrote her scholarship application essay about her amazing “supermom,” a single parent who works hard to support Skyler, her twin sisters, and her little brother while instilling great values and teaching them about the value of hard work. Skyler recently graduated from East Syracuse-Minoa Central High School with an advanced diploma, having earned distinctions in math and science. Besides her academic success, one of Skyler’s proudest accomplishments has been receiving her second-degree black belt in karate. She praises her mom for helping her to achieve these goals and always cheering her on.

Skyler is now working full time, saving for her college education while helping to care for her younger siblings. In her free time, Skyler loves to read and paint. During the winter, you can find her skiing, while in the summer she enjoys hiking with her dogs.

After graduating from WVU, Skyler hopes to attend medical school, with the long-term plan of becoming a medical examiner or joining a government agency. She plans to let nothing stand in the way of her dreams and will work as hard as she can to attain them.

We are excited to watch Skyler blossom and achieve her goals, and we’ll be sure to update you on all of her trailblazing progress.