When Marcia Gonzalez was a child, one of her biggest inspirations was her younger brother, who struggled with speech challenges. Watching the care and support he received through speech therapy, special education and school psychologists showed her how deeply the right support system could change a family’s life.
Today, Marcia, 26, is pursuing a Ph.D. in school psychology at the University of California, Riverside after earning a bachelor’s degree in human health psychology with a minor in biology. She hopes to work with children and families, particularly those from immigrant and low-income backgrounds.
“I realized early on that everything I loved pointed toward helping people,” she said.
As she works toward completing her doctorate, Marcia is balancing the demands of graduate research, her academics and preparing for a career that will help vulnerable children and families.
Her journey received a boost this year through the Hope through Housing Foundation’s 2026 Building Bright Futures program, which awarded $45,000 in higher education scholarships to 35 students at National CORE affordable housing communities.
Marcia, a resident of Downey View, received one of two top awards of $5,000.
“Now I can focus on my research, my thesis and my future instead of constantly stressing about survival,” she said. “A lot of work at the Ph.D. level is expected of you without compensation. This scholarship gives me room to breathe.”
Born in Nicaragua, Marcia came to the United States with her parents when she was 5 years old. Like many immigrant families, they faced years of financial instability, moving between apartments and relatives’ homes to keep costs down while making sure Marcia stayed in good schools.
“Our housing instability shaped a lot of my childhood,” she said. “There were times we moved from apartment to apartment or stayed with family, but my parents were determined to keep me in good schools.”
Eventually, the family found stability at Downey View, a National CORE affordable housing community. For Marcia, having a stable home created room to focus on school, dream bigger and push herself academically.
She threw herself into AP classes, became a flautist and started building a future her parents sacrificed to make possible.
“If I could survive band, AP classes and sleepless nights in high school, then I knew I could do harder things,” she said.
Marcia said those experiences continue to shape the work she hopes to do as a school psychologist. She wants to help families understand and advocate for their children’s needs, especially parents who may feel overwhelmed navigating the school system in another language.
“I want to help parents who struggle with English understand what’s happening with their child, because I know how overwhelming those reports can feel,” she said.
For Marcia, success is not measured only by degrees or accomplishments, but by building a meaningful life while helping others along the way.
“Success, to me, is being happy with the life you’re building,” she said. “Not just the degrees you collect.”