Corona Del Ray resident Trinity Shaker, 19, said she’s destined to become a pediatrician. Born with a heart defect, her passion for the medical science that saved her life is unwavering and she wants to travel the world to bring the gift of medicine to children in impoverished nations.
She’s well on the way to accomplishing her goal, now that she’s majoring in biology at the University of California, Riverside. To offset some of the financial burden of attending a four-year university, she applied for and received $1,000 and a new laptop from Hope through Housing’s Building Bright Futures scholarship fund.
“It’s amazing,” Trinity said. “Now, I’ll be able to do my work without borrowing a laptop every single day. The money will definitely help because I’m going to be paying off student loans for the rest of my life! This will be a major financial help.”
Trinity was born with a type of congenital heart defect that left a hole in her atria. Luckily, her condition improved, and she has no more heart problems. She said knowing that the medical science that saved her could still be advanced was a major factor in her career aspirations. She also said that helping children became her specific focus after working as a Sunday school teacher at Saint Anthony Coptic Orthodox Church in Corona.
Trinity said she wants to be a beacon of hope for not just her local community, but to countless people all over the world. She knows her journey will be long and stressful, but that her future is now a little more secure, thanks to her new scholarship.
“The Building Bright Futures scholarship is very supportive,” she said. “It’s a huge help for people who want to achieve their dreams who have fewer resources than others. The UC system is so expensive, so with this scholarship I can focus more on my work so that I don’t have to think about money for a little while.”