Hi! I’m Vanessa Leal
I’m working hard to raise money for the Fund Scholar's Summer Experiences fundraiser led by SEO Scholars Class of 2020.

My goal

$375 of $350 raised

107% completed. Raised by 7 donors

This fundraiser concluded on Friday, June 8, 2018

Help Vanessa on her Quest to Become a Mechanical Engineer!

This fundraiser is organized by SEO Scholars Class of 2020

Fundraiser goal

$67,134 of $65,000 raised

103% completed. Raised by 1202 donors

This fundraiser concluded on Friday, June 8, 2018

About

Hi. My name is Vanessa Leal and I'm a junior at Central Park East High School. Looking back, there is no better place to have grown up in then in New York. This is because of the all the resources, opportunities, and experiences here, shaping my perspective of the world around me. Living in New York, it has not been easy to get by as being part of a low-income family. However, with so many resources available, there has been so much support that I have received, granting me endless opportunities to grow as an individual. For example, being part of a small minority dominant high school in Spanish Harlem has provided me access to various opportunities to help low-income minorities like me through programs, including GOALS for Girls, an intensive six week program at the Intrepid Museum that provided 50 girls with experience in careers in STEM, The Opportunity Network, a highly selective career development program that provided access to career opportunities, professional networks, and college preparation, and especially Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), a non-profit organization helping students from disadvantaged backgrounds get into and graduate from college. These programs have opened doors for me, granting me endless possibilities to surpass my limit and participate in life changing and eye opening experiences such as speaking at the first ever Girls in Science Forum at the United Nations. Being one the most diverse and liberal states, New York has shaped my mind into that of a very open one as well, not minding change and being very resilient to anything that comes my way.

What I’m Raising Money For

I have always aspired to become a mechanical engineer -- one of the oldest and broadest forms of engineering. Thus far, I have been able to take different math and science courses in school and in a program I attend called Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), a highly selective program providing 40+ hours of SAT prep for low-income students. Some courses I’ve taken include algebra, trigonometry, a bit of statistics and precalculus, chemistry, etc. However, I have yet to take the two classes essential to engineering: physics and calculus. Through that a pre-college program that I applied to through SEO, I can get a head start with these classes, preparing me to grasp the basic concepts taught to me when I take calculus and physics. This program also offers an Engineering Design elective course that I can take and finally know what it means to build something functional with my hands. I want to break boundaries by excelling in all of my classes, and cultivate as much knowledge as possible. Through my academic accomplishments, I can pave the road of success for others to follow. I aspire to be the best that I possibly can, so that others can aspire to do the same as well.

Why You Should Give

I want to further develop my collaborative and leadership skills and capacity to complete a project with a group. I wish to interact with more people and get to know them because group activities are some of my favorites. Additionally, not many women are in the STEM field which is motivates me to become a role model for young girls and women: if I can persevere through the adversity that comes with pursuing a career in a male dominated field, so can they. Now, I want to keep pursuing mechanical engineering: so long as I make the world a better place through something I created or innovated as a mechanical engineer, and so long as I can set an example for those who come after me, I will be happy. However, coming from a low-income family, that is not possible unless I can somehow gather enough funds to pay for programs like the one that I previously mentioned. Therefore, any contribution, no matter how big or small, will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!