Meet one of our remarkable 2025 scholarship recipients, Julisa Merwin.

Julisa’s journey to becoming a nurse began long before she ever stepped into a nursing program. As a first-generation Latina raised by her grandmother who immigrated from Honduras, Julisa took on the role of caregiver at a very young age. In grade school, she regularly missed school to help care for her abuela, assisting with daily needs, preparing meals, and accompanying her to doctors’ appointments. Even through difficult circumstances, her grandmother encouraged her to believe she could build a better future through education.

When Julisa was just 13 years old, her grandmother passed away. Suddenly, without her primary support system, she became homeless at a young age and remained so for two years. She entered the foster care system at the age of fifteen, facing instability and lack of guidance that many foster youths experience. For years, she carried a false narrative about herself and doubted whether higher education was even possible.

Everything changed when Julisa became a mother at 23. Determined not to repeat the hardships of her own childhood, she returned to school and set her sights on nursing. The path was demanding. Julisa balanced school, work, and parenting while navigating the pressures of a rigorous program.

“Having a goal gives you a sense of direction, because you will not live a life aimlessly,” Julisa shared. “I didn’t want to give my son the same life I had growing up. Living aimlessly led me down a chaotic path in my youth. I was surrounded by gang violence, dropped out of high school, and experimented with drugs.”

Throughout her journey, she learned how critical it is to find community. Support from neighbors, mentors, professors, and nonprofit organizations helped her stay focused and reminded her she wasn’t alone.

When Julisa received a $2,500 scholarship from the USC Credit Union Community Foundation at its inaugural scholarship dinner, it came at exactly the right moment. She was facing summer tuition costs, caring for her son’s medical needs, and recovering from a car accident that still causes her pain today. The scholarship helped relieve financial pressure and allowed her to stay on track to graduate in Winter 2025 without delaying her goal.

Today, Julisa is a registered nurse and is pursuing opportunities in pediatric intensive care. Her experiences have shaped the kind of nurse she hopes to be. Someone who understands resilience, compassion, and the importance of showing up for others when they need it most.

For Julisa, the scholarship meant more than financial support. It meant being seen. “Foster youths are often overlooked and feel invisible, yet filled with potential,” she shared. “However, when someone believes in you and gives the right kind of support, it can change everything.”

The USC Credit Union Community Foundation’s Pathway to Success Foster Youth Scholarship awards $2,500 scholarships to Los Angeles County foster or former foster youth graduating high school in who plan to attend a college or trade school in the fall of this year. Applications are open through April 30, 2026.

By supporting the USC Credit Union Community Foundation scholarship fund, donors help students like Julisa stay in school, pursue meaningful careers, and build brighter futures. And for foster youth considering college, Julisa’s story is proof that with opportunity, support, and community, extraordinary futures are possible.

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