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My favorite word is “resilience”. First and foremost, I am a biracial woman of Filipino and Scotch-Irish descent that grew up in a small town in Appalachian Kentucky. I have always heard, “Isabella, you’re so quirky” or “Isabella, you’re different.” This was not about my ethnicity. I am a biracial woman from Appalachian Kentucky that grew up dreaming of exploring the world and, not just reaching but, joining the stars. I remember thinking, “I am a visionary. I’m meant for something greater, something more.” I started dreaming this at the ripe young year of fourth grade. The time that followed included many moments of being brought back down to Earth and the cliché “sitting at my classroom desk and staring off into the stars hoping that I would someday join them”.
I have never attended anything other than a public school. My educational experiences were limited but turned out to be exactly what I needed. My parents and grandparents were the first to tell me to reach for the stars. As a kid who loved Disney, this made complete sense to me. Also, I grew up with parents that constantly emphasized college and big dreams, so I was reinforced that the stars were a tangible reality. That being said, there were many times that I plummeted back to Earth. In fifth grade, I wanted to go to Harvard and I let everyone know. One of my teachers that made sarcastic comments about my questions in class and my Harvard talk pulled my parents aside after school one day. He told them, “She needs to stop this Harvard talk. She needs to be more realistic and is going to discourage the other kids.” My parents were speechless. I was knocked straight back down to Earth again. However, my parents talked to me once more and said, “You are being realistic! Shoot for the stars.”
While I am not at Harvard, I am somewhere more extraordinary than I could have ever imagined in fifth grade. In high school, I was a faithful biology student that enjoyed learning about Russian and Soviet culture. I was chosen for the Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP) to study international relations. Being a Governor’s Scholar gave me a newfound view of how I wanted to chase my dreams of exploring the world with encouragement from family, friends, and teachers that I had throughout the years. Now, I am a Political Science major with minors in Russian Studies and Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) at the University of Louisville. I am attending college on a full-tuition scholarship and have been given opportunities that I would not have thought imaginable. I have been able to explore my long-time interests in Russian culture and international affairs. My education led me to want to pursue a career in security law in the Department of Defense and eventually hope to serve as Kentucky’s 5th District Congresswoman. During my undergraduate career, I have been granted leadership opportunities in organizations that I am wildly passionate about. The University of Louisville has shown me that my biracial and Appalachian cultures are equally and uniquely beautiful. My public university has taught me that I am not only capable of being a world citizen but, with my education, I can change the world.
I am “quirky”, and I am “different”. I am a biracial woman that is a Daughter of the American Revolution and a granddaughter of Filipino immigrants. I am a product of the public-school system in Appalachian Kentucky that grounded me and propelled me forward at the same time. I am a world citizen that has never left the United States. I have learned, and continue to learn, that being knocked back down to earth is different from staying grounded in my roots. I am eager to be propelled into the next chapter of my life and into the stratosphere. I am a girl from Kentucky that cannot wait to go the distance.
Isabella Martin is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2021. She is studying political science, Russian studies, and PPE at the University of Louisville.