Essence Marie Montoya

My name is Essence Marie Montoya.

I am a Biology Major at Metropolitan State College of Denver.

My date of graduation is 2015.

I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado although my family stems from

the San Luis Valley area and New Mexico area.
        I work at Servicios De La Raza which is one of the most dedicated neighborhood non-profits that I have worked for. At this non-profit I work with Fabien Ortega who is one the most unique guys I have met. The most exciting thing that I do is help in the food bank. I bring in all the groceries that were given to the non-profit for the community. Servicios has multiple resources available for the community such as the La Gente Program for HIV testing and other tests, GED classes, math tutoring and many other resources. This non-profit is an eye opener for me because I didn’t realize how much they do in such a small building. I was first introduced to this non-profit when I was looking for a summer job. I then signed up with the WIA program which helps youth from 16 to 21 get job, glasses, take courses and many other things that they provide.
        Another non-profit I work for is Denver Justice High School which is one of the best places I decided to volunteer at because I get to experience the high school life again. At Denver Justice I work in the office with all the paperwork that needs to be filed or sent to a classroom. I also serve lunch to the students which helps me bond with the students more. I have worked in the math classroom tutoring students and I find this very exciting which makes me see myself in the future tutoring students. Working with the youth has taught me to be free and live a little because when I first arrived at the school every day I was there I was asked if I was scared. I laughed it off but I soon realized in order to get to know the youth more I got to begin conversing and build a relationship with them. I now feel close to the youth and every Friday I spend with them is a great day well spent. When I graduated from Denver Big Picture High School I never thought I was going to set foot into another high school again but I’m glad I got the opportunity once again. I am going to Metro in order to begin my college life in order to become a Pediatrician. Becoming a Pediatrician is one of my life long dreams and it will come true in the near future. I previously worked at Denver Health as a volunteer and I noticed there were very few Latina as nurses and I didn’t see any Latina doctors so I personally want to say I will be one of the Latinas that were missing at Denver Health. I also want to become a pediatrician to help out the families in need that live in my community because I have viewed several people that have gotten great jobs and left the community and never came back to share their wealth or expertise in the field. I have a big vision of opening a doctor’s office that will be for families who need a little helping hand with their or their child’s health instead of going to another hospital and being discriminated against.