Testimonial
My name is Sandra Salas, and I am honored to be the recipient of the 2025 Kimberly Perkins Award for Dedication to Academic Excellence. I could not be more grateful for receiving this award, which has supported me in moving out of state to pursue my Ph.D. in Neuroscience. As a systemically impacted individual, I have supported myself financially with multiple jobs while balancing school, internships, and family responsibilities. Because of these realities, it took me six years to complete my degree. In addition to these challenges, I built my own educational path and pieced together experiences that aligned with my long-term goal of pursuing neuroscience. This scholarship provided so much relief during a time when I felt as though I was at my wits’ end. Not only did it provide monetary relief, but it also reassured me that my efforts mattered, that no matter how tired I was, my perseverance and commitment to my education were recognized. I am sincerely grateful to the Perkins family for supporting students like me, and for continuing to honor Kimberly’s legacy. Her unwavering dedication to her education is truly inspiring, as she refused to give up and pushed forward even when everything seemed to be working against her. Supporting this scholarship keeps Kimberly’s courage alive by giving students the support to keep going during the hardest moments of their academic journey.
