Eddie L. Castanon – March 2011 Scholar of the Month
CHCI-UnitedHealth Foundation Scholar Intern
Hometown:Los Angeles, CA
School: California State University, Long Beach
Major: BS, Health Administration
1. What field of study do you intend to pursue if you receive the CHCI Scholarship?
After all the late nights of finishing homework, staying home on Friday nights to finish assignments, stressing over tests, I can see that it was all worth it at the end of the day. My philosophy is, “play hard, work harder. ” If you are focused, success will not be hard to reach.
I plan on entering the medical field. Majoring in Healthcare Administration would help me achieve my long term goal of becoming a part of the health care industry by giving me the tools needed to be a better health care professional. I love the idea of making a difference in a person’s life and giving them a feeling of hope as they leave my presence feeling helped.
In high school, I volunteered at the local hospital and gained an idea of how the business works, the demands, and the environment of a health related profession.
My goal is to help make life easier for Hispanics in the healthcare industry. I want to leave behind a legacy of greatness. To inspire and be a role model for young people who have the same life experiences I did. Being the first in my family to graduate high school and attend a four year university is a great achievement. Thankfully I have people in my life that contributed positively in my upbringing and have helped mold me into the person I am today.
2. How Has the Scholarship Changed Your Life?
CHCI has helped me achieve my goals by relieving some of the stress that comes along with having to pay for college. I am grateful for the help that CHCI has given me. I never owned a laptop before. It has increased my independence. I am able to write papers with ease as opposed to going to the university library or borrowing a laptop from a friend.
I have more time to research projects and work on assignments in class.
Unfortunately, my tuition was not fully covered by financial aid. Even though I had my parents’ assistance, I still felt stress about how to pay tuition so that I could register for the spring semester.
The money that I was awarded went straight to my tuition and definitely helped me and my parents feel a little better. I think CHCI is an amazing organization that helps the Latino community achieve greatness. I hope they continue to award deserving students in the future and I hope to live up to the expectations of the organization.