The Emerald Newsletter | Kappa Delta Chi Sorority The Emerald Fall 2019 | Page 33

Espinosa attended high school at Dove Science
Academy and worked after school to save for college.
She started a community service club and volunteered
in the community. Graduating as Dove's salutatorian,
and with an ACT score of 30, the young woman saw her
efforts pay off in a variety of ways. Her senior year of
high school, she was awarded a scholarship from the
student serving as Mr. Hispanic OU, as part of his
pageant platform. She attended a camp on the OU
campus sponsored by Latinos Without Borders and
eventually earned a scholarship from that organization
as well.
The young woman said she was thrilled when she was
selected to participate in the OU President's Leadership
Class, a program for OU freshmen designed to
encourage outstanding Oklahoma high school students
to remain in the state for their college careers. Espinosa
also became a scholar with the Multicultural Engineers
Program at OU and obtained another scholarship. Last
summer, Espinosa successfully competed against
numerous college students around the country for a
summer internship with Goldman Sachs in Utah.
On the flight to Salt Lake City, her first plane ride, she
could hardly believe that she'd earned such a
prestigious opportunity. Then she remembered that
she'd waited tables the previous summer to earn money
to continue her college classes. And she thought about
all the obstacles she had to overcome. "Everyday, I go to
class and say, 'I've come this far. I'm a first-generation
college student," she said."Not letting the 'no's' define
me, I can actually implement change. I look at the 'yes.'"
 "I went to the camps and I had the resources and
guidance but some people don't have that," she
said. "I think it is possible to make a way, it's just
so important for us to tell our stories. "Nanette
Hathaway, director of OU's President's Leadership
Class, said she remembers Espinosa as a freshman,
riding her skateboard from class to her multiple
jobs. "She's a rock star — a young woman with a
great big heart and a lot of grit," Hathaway said.
Matt Cancio, assistant director for OU Student Life
and the Latino student life adviser, agreed."I've
had the opportunity to be in her sphere of
influence.
She's a very impressive young lady," he said. Gene
Rainbolt, philanthropist and BancFirst founder,
said he, too, was impressed with Espinosa when
she and another student gave him a tour of their
high school. She is now one of several young
adults that he helps continue their educational
pursuits.
"Rosalinda just shone like a star. She was
enthusiastic, bright and insightful. She was just so
special that it was clear to me that this young
woman needed more opportunities," he said. "She
would not let the impediments of being
undocumented stop her. If anything, it may have
inspired her. It makes you want to help people like
that. There are others like her and our objectives
Inspiring others
Espinosa said her high school Physics and English
teachers nudged her toward a STEM major and she
thinks it's a good fit for her skills. She sees herself
guiding other Hispanic women to consider the same
route and she hopes her story will serve as a positive
example.
should be determining how are we going to make
opportunities available for these young people
who will impact their own communities as well as
the nation."
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