From Sacrifice to Success: Dental Assistant Student Awarded CAPPS Scholarship

For much of her life, Evelyn Chamu put her own dreams on hold so her younger siblings could pursue theirs.

Growing up in Escondido, California, she shouldered responsibilities most children never face. While her mother worked long hours to support the family, Evelyn cared for her younger siblings: cooking meals, helping with homework, taking them to appointments and making sure they had what they needed. Sometimes that meant missing school herself.

Today, Evelyn is a Dental Assistant graduate of UEI College Oceanside, a dental assistant at San Marcos Dental Studio and a recipient of the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools (CAPPS) Mike Mikhail Memorial Scholarship.

To her, the scholarship means far more than financial support. It is proof that her family’s struggles do not have to determine their future.

“Growing up the way I did, I just thought my life would stop,” Evelyn said. “I thought there wouldn’t be so many opportunities because I was so limited.”

With encouragement from her family and the support she found at UEI, she discovered her story was far from over.

A Childhood Defined by Responsibility

Evelyn’s parents immigrated to the United States from Guerrero, Mexico, hoping to give their children opportunities they never had. Her father worked as a butcher at a restaurant, and her mother cleaned houses. But their pursuit of a better life was complicated by her father’s struggle with alcoholism, which brought instability throughout Evelyn’s childhood.

As the oldest sibling, Evelyn became the family’s anchor. By middle and high school, she was balancing her education with responsibilities that often resembled a parent’s. When her father’s health declined and he could no longer work, the family’s finances grew even tighter.

After high school, Evelyn went straight into the workforce, at times working two jobs, seven days a week, to help support her family. For years, her own ambitions came second.

Eventually, she began to imagine a different future, one in which she could keep helping her family while building a career of her own. Inspired in part by her godmother, who introduced her to the dental field at a young age, she enrolled in the Dental Assistant program at UEI College Oceanside.

It was a decision that would change her life.

Finding Support and a New Direction

From her first day at UEI, Evelyn felt welcomed.

“It was amazing,” she said. “Most of all, the support that I received from everyone here, from my teacher, from Miss Crystal, from Sadie, from Miss Jackie. I had a lot of support from them.”

That encouragement mattered all the more as she navigated challenges outside the classroom, including ongoing family responsibilities and the deaths of her cousin and uncle. Through it all, she stayed focused on finishing her education.

“I’m really thankful that she pushed me to never give up,” Evelyn said of her instructor. “She understood everything I was going through, and she never gave up on me.”

Her determination did not go unnoticed. Jaclyn Marquez, executive director of UEI College Oceanside, nominated Evelyn for the scholarship after witnessing her resilience firsthand.

“Her journey is a powerful example of perseverance, resilience, and selfless determination,” Marquez wrote in her nomination. “Despite facing significant hardships throughout her life, Evelyn has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to her education, her family, and her future.”

Marquez pointed to Evelyn’s eagerness to learn, positive attitude and commitment to helping others.

“She has overcome extraordinary personal and financial hardships without allowing them to define her,” Marquez wrote. “Instead, she has transformed those experiences into motivation to succeed, support others, and create a brighter future.”

From Externship to Employment

That hard work is already paying off.

During her externship at San Marcos Dental Studio, Evelyn made such a strong impression that the dentist offered her a job before she had even completed her required hours.

“The doctor told me that he would be proud to have me be part of his team,” she recalled.

What began as hands-on training became the start of her professional career. Next, she hopes to earn her Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) license.

Even as she celebrates, Evelyn remains focused on the people who motivated her from the beginning: her family.

“Thankfully, with the support from my mom and my dad and my siblings most of all, I persevered,” she said. “I mostly did everything for them, and for myself as well.”

Perhaps her greatest accomplishment is the example she is setting for her younger siblings, showing them that even the most difficult circumstances don’t have to stand in the way of their dreams.

“I’m happy to prove to my siblings that even though we went through a lot, being the older sibling, I can do better and set a good example for them,” she said.

For Evelyn, the scholarship recognizes how far she has come. More than that, it marks the start of a future she once feared was out of reach, and lights the way for her siblings to follow.