Hi! I'm Stella from Peru. I come from a little town located in the Peruvian jungle. It is an Australian-German colony where four cultures coexist: Asháninka, Andino, Austro-german, and Yánesha. Also, Oxapampa is well known for its tourist areas and gastronomy. I am currently 18 years old, so I have grown up here all my life, and I feel that multiculturalism formed a fundamental part of who I am today and also helped me to be able to find a purpose in life. Furthermore, thanks to the light-polluted skies of Oxapampa, I discovered my love for stargazing and ancient astronomy. I come from a public high school called Institución Educativa Emblemática Divina Pastora. I studied there since I was seven years old, and in the third year of high school, when we switched to virtual classes, I got a scholarship to study in COAR Pasco, an IB school, where I studied for the third and fourth years of high school and then returned to Divina Pastora when the classes returned to be face-to-face.

The decision that changed everything

I planned to enter a national public institution since my parents did not have enough resources to pay for a good private one. I was in a preparation academy for entering the Universidad Nacional Hermilio Valdizán in Huánuco. During those months, I realized that my dream was to study abroad for my ideal career: Astronomy. I have been in love with Astronomy since I was eight years old; however, due to the economic, social, and geographical barriers and the fact that, in Peru, there is no such career, I decided to put it aside. Nevertheless, I heard through online interviews that there was the possibility of studying in the United States through scholarships. Therefore, I started to get more involved in the world of leadership: I applied to the Latin American Leadership Academy (LALA), became a volunteer in the SEIPAD Community, and started to get in touch with people who are also in the context of university applications. I decided to leave the academy in Huánuco to focus on the college application process, and it was challenging. In the beginning, almost my whole family thought it was a waste of time, except for my parents. They told me: If it's your dream, you should pursue it.

My first gap year

Throughout my first sabbatical year, I dedicated myself to strengthening my extracurricular profile and enriching the one I already had. While I was at COAR, I founded an NGO called Mentes del Futuro (Minds of the Future) with a peer. This project focused on giving virtual science classes to children in Oxapampa and other rural regions. While living in Huánuco, I continued this work, organizing classes and expanding our activities to include talks aimed at university students.

At the same time, I applied for the Crimson Access Opportunity scholarship, although I decided to postpone the process for the following year because I felt I was not yet ready. In the last few months of the application cycle, I decided to take a chance and apply by myself. My application was vague and had several shortcomings.

However, I received invaluable support from a girl I met through the SEIPAD Community called Arly and people who dedicated their time to reviewing my essays, extracurricular activities, and other documents. Thanks to that support, I managed to get waitlisted at five colleges, including Hamilton, Wellesley, Reed, Swarthmore, and Williams College. Finally, I was admitted to Hampshire College with a full tuition scholarship, one of the two scholarships they award annually.

I had to reject the offer because my family did not have the resources to cover the other costs of attendance.

My second gap year

I learned about the opportunity to apply for University Placement, a scholarship offered by LALA to support international applicants. I was accepted into this program and the Opportunity Funds program by EducationUSA. Additionally, I was able to utilize my Crimson Access Opportunity scholarship. This year, I applied with greater confidence in my profile, having built a strong foundation and developed a deeper belief in myself as both a leader and an individual.

Initially, I did not plan to apply to Stanford through Restricted Early Action, as I had been told it was particularly challenging to gain admission through this route. Ultimately, I decided to follow my heart, as Stanford was the university of my dreams. I will not deny that a month after submitting my application, I regretted my decision.

Feeling anxious about the possibility of rejection, I continued with other applications during the Regular Decision round. Then, on Friday the 13th, I received my acceptance letter from Stanford. I reviewed the financial aid details and saw that I had been awarded a full scholarship.

Why Stanford

I feel that Stanford is my opportunity to get out of my comfort zone, to be able to grow as a person, and fulfill my dreams, but in a way that I also enjoy the journey. I'm used to sacrificing maybe part of my youth, but I didn't want to make sacrifices like that anymore, of having to spend hours in front of the computer and only study. Stanford has a perfect balance between social life and sports. I have been playing basketball since I was eight years old, and I am also a javelin and discus athlete. I love going out to watch basketball games, volleyball games, and all of that. However, I also wanted an innovative university that would allow me to develop projects with the resources I had. It is the perfect university for me.

My essays

I was very strategic with my essays, especially the ones for Stanford, as the university requires several. Each essay, along with my statement, gave me the chance to truly showcase who I am. To me, this was another sign that Stanford was the ideal place for me.

In my Common App Essay, I wrote about founding Mentes del Futuro, the experiences I had related to my culture, and the lack of opportunities in Oxapampa, my hometown. I reflected on the challenges of developing in underexplored fields like astronomy, chemistry, and biology—the subjects I began teaching through my project. I also included legends from my culture and explained how these teachings helped me overcome the challenges I faced while growing the project. This approach highlighted how the traditions of my ancestors shaped my resilience in overcoming obstacles.

One aspect that stood out was the structure of my essay: I designed it as a cycle. I began with a powerful sentence and concluded with the same idea, incorporating a conversation with my brother in the final paragraph. I ended by emphasizing that while I have been an influential leader in my community, I will not be the only one. I have planted seeds so that other children can also become leaders. I believe this made my essay especially impactful.

Despite my initial insecurity, especially due to the vulnerability I shared in my essay, the feedback I received was positive. Those who read it told me it was a beautiful, authentic essay that reflected my culture, my future goals, and my essence as a person.

Regarding the short essays, I focused the first one on education. I described how, in rural areas, many children are forced to follow in their parents and grandparents' footsteps, performing physically demanding labor like harvesting coffee or fruit to sell. I reflected on how, through education, these children could pursue their dreams by using their minds instead of being limited to physical work.

In the second essay, I adopted a more humorous tone to balance the seriousness of the rest of my application. I wrote about my birthday when I went stargazing with friends, about the interactive classes I continued teaching, and about cultural activities like harvesting coffee with my grandparents. This essay allowed me to highlight aspects of my life that I had not mentioned in the extracurricular activities section.

Another essay was about an event I would have liked to attend: a symposium on ancestral astronomy. I reflected on how I would have liked to share the perspective of Indigenous youth and explore how ancestral astronomy can complement modern science.

I also wrote about taking care of my brother, who was born during the pandemic, and how that experience taught me to be more self-sufficient. Another essay addressed the most important aspects of my life: my family, the nature that surrounds me in Oxapampa, and how these experiences have shaped me.

Finally, the essay I loved the most was about ancestral astronomy. I described how I initially thought it had no connection to modern science, but when I participated in Astroclases at the National University of San Marcos, I discovered that many ancestral legends explain astronomical phenomena in accessible ways for Indigenous communities. This inspired me to dream of creating outreach projects at Stanford that link these traditions with modern learning.

I ended my application with this essay in a powerful way, showcasing a unique profile that contributes significantly to the diversity and enrichment of Stanford’s community. I believe the admissions officers saw in my essays someone truly one-of-a-kind, capable of bringing valuable contributions that cannot be found in any other applicant.

My stats

• GPA: 18.9/20

• Valedictorian

• DET: 130

• SAT: Test-optional

Awards

• National Astronomy Medals

• National medals in sports

• Scholar in Take Action Lab program

• Oxapampa's Women Leadership Award

Extracurriculars

• Astronomy outreach workshops in rural communities

• CHOCOHIERRO project to combat anemia in rural areas through chocotejas with an iron-fortified filling

• Mentes del Futuro NGO for sharing science opportunities

• COAR Pasco Science Club to help IB students

• Playing basketball and coaching other players

• Javelin and Discus Throwing