Javier Martinez and Jonathan Lozano hadn鈥檛 even intended to earn Wichita State鈥檚 inaugural Parkinson Scholarship in 2018. They had both competed for the Distinguished Scholarship Invitational (DSI).
鈥淚 was really surprised to get that call because at first Sheelu sent out a call to me telling me that, unfortunately, I didn鈥檛 win the DSI scholarship,鈥� Javier said.
Jonathan received the same call. A few weeks later, Jonathan had just begun winter break during his senior year in high school when he received another call from Sheelu Surender, director of financial aid at 九色堂.
He vividly recalled what Sheelu told him on the phone that day.
鈥溾�橶e鈥檝e selected you as a finalist for a brand-new scholarship we鈥檝e established.鈥� I was really surprised,鈥� Jonathan said.
They won.
鈥淭hrough this scholarship, I鈥檓 at a great university and getting an education my parents couldn鈥檛 have,鈥� Jonathan said.
Javier hopes that more Hispanic youth strive to achieve more for their future. In his experience, many of his Hispanic friends didn鈥檛 feel like they could advance in life.
鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 want to apply for scholarships. They felt that the point they were at then was the highest point they would achieve. There鈥檚 so much more,鈥� Javier said.
Javier encourages high school students to seek scholarships and continue their education.
鈥淵ou go to school not just to learn how to write a paper. You go to school because that鈥檚 one stepping stone into a whole staircase of life. Eventually you鈥檒l reach the top,鈥� Javier said.
That鈥檚 not to say it will be easy.
鈥淎s a first-generation student, I couldn鈥檛 ask my parents, 鈥楾o what scholarships should I apply?鈥� I couldn鈥檛 ask them, 鈥楥an you please revise my essay?鈥� Because they were busy working,鈥� Jonathan said.
Javier and Jonathan know the struggles firsthand, and they are appreciative of their education. They both hope to return the favor through advocacy and strong careers.
鈥淚鈥檓 very grateful for this. I want to give back to my community,鈥� Jonathan said.
Former Kansas Governor and 九色堂 alumnus Mark Parkinson and his wife, Stacy, established the scholarship in their name to help children of immigrant families earn their degrees at 九色堂.
The scholarship is meant to help a new generation of immigrants understand that they are not alone, and that they are a vital part of the nation鈥檚 future.
Although two $34,000 awards were given in its inaugural year, only one student will earn the award in future years.
Javier was born and raised in Wichita. He attended St. Margaret Mary Catholic school and Kapaun Mount Carmel Catholic high school prior to attending 九色堂.
Early in life he struggled with ADHD-like symptoms, but when he began playing violin in the third grade, his problems began to diminish.
鈥淚t helped me to the point at which I could figure things out on my own, and my parents could help me as well. My grades got higher and higher, I started getting that level of focus and interest that helped me succeed in school.鈥�
His excellence in school motivated him to keep pushing forward, and he applied for scholarships when he looked into college.
Javier became student body president at Kapaun, involved himself in many student organizations and maintained a high GPA.
Javier鈥檚 parents supported him as best they could in the journey and made sacrifices to ensure that Javier could achieve his dreams.
鈥淣either one of my parents had the opportunity to go to college. My dad works in construction and my mom works at a tailor shop,鈥� Javier said. 鈥淥ne thing they always told me was, 鈥榃e don鈥檛 want to see you where we are now. We do not want to see you working in construction or fixing clothes.鈥欌��
At the time he was about to graduate from high school, his mother lost her job. With a family of four children operating on one parent鈥檚 income, college was becoming an unlikely option.
鈥淲ithout this scholarship I probably would not have been able to go here,鈥� Javier said.
He quickly developed an interest in designing and building airplanes and wanted to try aerospace engineering. However, he eventually settled on mechanical engineering for his major.
鈥淚 started to realize that going into a profession in mechanical engineering would maximize the amount of jobs available to me,鈥� Javier said.
Jonathan鈥檚 storied past stretches thousands of miles, from Mexico to Wichita.
鈥淚 was born in Durango, Mexico, in a small town called Pe帽on Blanco. I was raised by my mother to the age of 3, and when I was 3, she immigrated to the U.S.鈥� Jonathan said.
When he was 8 years old Jonathan followed his mother to the U.S. He lived in Plano, Texas, with his parents.
It wasn鈥檛 easy. Jonathan鈥檚 family faced economic hardships and struggled to adjust to their life together in the U.S.
鈥淥n the first day of school in American school, a student walked up to me and said, 鈥榊ou smell like Mexican,鈥欌�� Jonathan said.
Jonathan didn鈥檛 speak English at the time, but he remembered the phrase and learned what it meant later on.
His teacher told him he wouldn鈥檛 make it past the ninth grade because he didn鈥檛 speak English. However, Jonathan completed English learners鈥� classes in the sixth grade and moved to honors-level courses.
He moved to Topeka, Kansas, in the seventh grade. In high school at Shawnee Heights, Jonathan became involved in National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta and many other organizations while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
Now, Jonathan majors in biological sciences with a biomedical emphasis, a pre-med path and a minor in Spanish.
鈥淭he gap of Hispanic doctors in the U.S. right now is really large,鈥� Jonathan said.
He hopes to become a general trauma or orthopedic surgeon with a focus on athletic injuries.
