Dear family,

First of all, I want to thank you for spending some of your time reading my letter. I am Cristina and I’m here to tell you a bit about me.

I am 15 years old and my parents got divorced when I was a baby, so I have always had two homes, although I live a little more time with my mom. At my mother’s, we live by ourselves (except for my cat Nala, who I love). She makes me feel so comfortable, and I love how she encourages me when I am anxious. On the other hand, at my father’s I live with him, my stepmother and my stepbrother. There things are different, but it’s ok, I normally spend more time on my own. We use to watch a movie during dinner time and my father is always making jokes, which cheers me up so easily. I also have a dog there to play with him, whether I want it or not, since he seems like he doesn’t run out of energy. In addition, I have two brothers, who are much older than me: one is married and the other one already has two sons (they are so cute and I love watching them grow up and learning new things). I really appreciate my brothers, I can’t see them so much, but they are there when I need it.

Focusing more on myself, you may be wondering why I applied for this scholarship. Well, I had always believed that I was so mature, but nothing compares to this last year. The simple fact of preparing all the tests and paperwork for this experience is helping me with my organization of tasks, something I struggle a bit with. Furthermore, I think I have always been very responsible and kind, since the base of my education is respect: I will always respect the people that respect me. This is what makes me so open-minded and also why I always take care of the people that are close to me. Maybe sometimes I am hyper empathetic and I try to solve everyone’s problems, though I am slowly realizing that I cannot do that. I am also attempting to reduce my stress and self-demand, something that has been with me since I was a child. It is hard but I do my best to improve everyday.

If you ever have a conversation with me, you will easily guess my interests: they will appear for sure as one of the topics. They can be divided into two groups: arts and science (although I love doing and learning a lot of things). I will include in the first one my passion for music, both playing (percussion, piano and a bit of guitar) and listening (pop, latin music…); and drawing (above all, pencil sketches). In the second group, I will highlight physics and mathematics: that’s the reason why I want to be an architect.

Last but not least, I would like to mention my expectations for this experience. Well, since the beginning I looked forward to achieving this scholarship because I’m determined to make the most of every moment. I know this is the perfect chance to meet new cultures and people.

Thank you a lot for reading my letter.

Best wishes,

Cristina