Mariana Lopez Baez

Mariana Lopez Baez has been focused on becoming a nurse since high school. She graduated from the Academy of Arts, Careers, and Technology, having demonstrated her determination and persistence. However, despite her success in winning admission to the University of Nevada – Reno (UNR) with a scholarship, obstacles stood in her way. She is a first-generation Mexican-American whose family struggles with basic living expenses: food, transportation, and rent. She had no one to prepare her for the special demands a university makes, beyond even examinations and assignments. She had to figure out which classes would qualify her to apply to nursing school. She needed to learn time management. She needed health insurance, groceries, and some help navigating the UNR landscape and figuring out which classes would help her qualify for admission to nursing school. On top of that, the pandemic made the learning environment far more challenging than she and most of her classmates anticipated, and adjusting to it could be a physically and emotionally exhausting experience.

But Mariana, who works very hard, is a high-potential, talented, curious and compassionate student. That is why the Foundation has paid for many of those expenses and provided mentoring and guidance. Mariana is now a sophomore at UNR, and is completing the prerequisites for entry into the University’s tough nursing program.