We are excited to announce the December 2025 Financial Goals Scholarship winner is Leila! Congratulations!
"I am deeply honored to have been selected as a recipient of this scholarship. I will never forget how fortunate I am to have organizations like 1st Financial Bank USA that believe in me. Thank you for making the world a better place. I look forward to sharing this scholarship with my friends and keeping the scholarship committee updated on my goal. I am inspired and eternally thankful for your generosity."- Leila G.
As we begin a new year, it’s a good time to focus on your financial goals, like building your credit, saving up for a study abroad trip, or giving back to a person or organization who has helped you. In her essay, Leila shares a financial goal she hopes to accomplish in 2026 and her plans to achieve it.
"In 2026, I hope to accomplish my single most long-term goal. As a little girl I survived some horrible things that left me with the lifelong feeling of anxiety and a craving for stability. I remember sleeping in hotels and even in the car. I always shared a bed with my mom or dad, until I entered foster care and shared a room with up to 4 people. The majority of my adult life I couch surfed or lived in my car. I’d never lived anywhere where I felt welcome. Instead, I felt disposable or even burdensome.
For that reason, I’ve always been a little more obsessed with buying a house than the average person. Starting in middle school, I sold chips, gum, chocolate, fruit, etc. In high school I worked at a nonprofit for foster youth called Peace4Kids and I became the neighborhood nail tech. I cleaned houses, babysat, tutored, and took up furniture and car flipping. I saved every single penny. I can’t remember the last time I bought something that wasn’t used. My friends would joke that I was on a “struggle diet.” I would put water in the conditioner to make it last a little longer, and I declined every invitation to fancy restaurants, concerts, movies, vacations, etc.
While studying Business Administration with an emphasis on Management and Human Resources full time at Cal Poly Pomona, I was offered an HR position for L.A. County. Since then, I've been promoted three times, I was offered a second job as a podcast host for Peace4Kids, and a third job as a nanny! This meant my goal was nearer, but I was scared. The economy seems unstable even now. I know that owning a home has a lot of financial implications, good and bad. I always feared that if something went wrong, I would have to let go of school.
But on this last day of 2025, and at almost 21 years old might I add, I am preapproved and ready to go house hunting in L.A. I fought fear with the reminder that I have prepared for this much longer than anyone my age and most people way older than me. God is with me, I will not fail. I can’t afford anything fancy, but my home will be a loving, welcoming environment. I am in the process of becoming a foster parent and hope to take in teenagers just like I was seven years ago. Eventually, I also plan on building an Accessory Dwelling Unit to generate passive income. Although it’s very difficult to carve out the time, I am going to apply to every scholarship opportunity I cross paths with. I will be the first in my family to graduate college, to buy a home, and I will continue to show that little girl what breaking cycles looks like.”
Established in the year 1910, 1st Financial Bank USA (1FBUSA) provides quality community banking services in South Dakota, credit card and other financial services to college students and college graduates, and construction lending to builders, developers, and investors from coast to coast. 1FBUSA will award a $2,000 scholarship to a new winner each month. View full rules and eligibility at 1fbusascholarship.com.
