Yesenia Sanchez Cruz
Yesenia Sanchez Cruz is a recipient of three NCCF scholarships, the Lossie Grist Clark Memorial Scholarship, the Mary Ferebee Howard Scholarship, and the McBryde Scholarship Endowment. She hails from Pinetops, NC, in Edgecombe County and is attending North Carolina State University.
Sanchez Cruz hopes to become an attorney or legal assistant after earning her bachelor’s degree at NCSU, joining the small percentage of Latinas who pursue higher education. She’s motivated by the goal of giving back to her Hispanic community and families and youth in smaller communities like hers in Edgecombe County. Sanchez Cruz says that recent changes in the legal system have created a lot of uncertainty and challenges in her communities, and she’s inspired to make improvements.
As a first-generation college student, she credits her parents as one of the biggest influences on her educational journey. Her father was only able to attend school through fifth grade before dropping out to help support his family and her mother was unable to finish college because her family did not have the financial means. Sanchez Cruz says her parents deeply inspired her by deciding to return to school in recent years. Her dad received a certification in mechanics while her mom became a CNA and is now studying to become a nurse.
“The language barrier, advanced technology, and their age were some limiting factors in going back to school, but it hasn’t stopped them from pursuing the education they have worked for,” Sanchez Cruz said. “I know that if they can do it, there is nothing that can stop me. Each day, I work and study, knowing that I can achieve my goals after seeing how hard they have worked.”
“My motivation to push forward is that I am the one breaking the generational cycle, pursuing a higher education to pave the way for future generations.”
Yesenia Sanchez Cruz, 2025 NCCF Scholar