Alanii Vargas was only a kid in middle school when she discovered her love for acting. Vargas lived for the thrill of being onstage.
Her upbringing was anything but easy. She didn’t have many people she could rely on growing up, making it hard for her to believe in herself and see her true potential.
“I was told by my own blood, by the people closest to me that I would never succeed and nothing I did would suffice,” Vargas said. “I never realized I carried that hurt even as I got older,” she continued.
This lack of a support system at home created doubts for her about various areas of her life, including the college application process. But having her boyfriend there to help her definitely made a difference.
“I cannot emphasize enough how less daunting the college process is when you are guided by someone…[my boyfriend] is currently a sophomore in college and his advice, tips, and most importantly, his reassurance truly helped me through it all, especially since he was one of the very few people who believed I could excel not only as a student, but as a person,” she said.
The Posse Foundation is the scholarship program that contributed to the success Alanii, as well as many other students, achieved. However, there is no doubt that it is extremely competitive. And knowing that it could mean the difference between going to college or not going to college adds all the more pressure.
“Posse has literally been a dream come true, and never in a million years would I have seen myself into such an incredible, well-fit dynamic. The most difficult part of Posse for me was probably competing with such brilliant minds all around the country,” she said.
Alanii’s reaction to getting accepted to Franklin & Marshall College was like that of many others: when she received her acceptance, she felt incredulous. It made all her struggles to get to that point feel worth it.
Alanii Vargas is a testament that all goals and aspirations are not as far people might think they are. All it takes is a little perseverance and self-love.
