Alejandra Espejo applies for scholarships every year. She likes to make sure she sees them early so she has time to craft the perfect application. “I like prepping for and drafting my responses to the prompt and then having time to get feedback.” Even with all her practice applying for scholarships and the lead time she gives herself she wasn’t expecting this one. “It was really a surprise and I'm very honored to have gotten it.”
A senior at George Mason University, Espejo is a native of Puerto Rico who came to Mason from Texas. “My stepdad is in the army and he had the opportunity to move to Virginia. I thought I would stay in San Antonio, but I always kind of dreamed of living in the Washington area. A family member told me about Mason. I looked into it and was impressed by how expansive their marketing degree is.” Marketing has been an interest of Espejo’s for a long time. She talks about how her parents were close friends with a woman who owned a salon and how she used to spend a lot of time there. “That friend really had a big impact on me in terms of how to run a business, a successful business, and the ups and downs and what it takes to manage your business. At the time her marketing was really word of mouth—clients who had a good experience told their friends. We’ve come a long way since then.”
Espejo aims to work in a research department at a private-sector company specifically researching Hispanic population segments and trying to help create advertisements that attract consumers from that demographic. “I believe that sometimes Hispanic consumers are misunderstood and it's because there's not a lot of research done into their culture, into their backgrounds. I see myself contributing to a team that does that.”
Winning the EagleBank Scholarship was a confidence booster for Espejo. “I know that it had to do with my academics. And you know, every student can admit that even if they do well, it's nice to get a confirmation of that from somebody,” she says. “Having a donor to the school say that I was good enough that they wanted to make this investment in my education showed me that others believe in me. It definitely gave me confidence.”