2023 Hamilton Scholar Marissa Arana, from Dallas, TX, is committed to changing the world, all while remaining unapologetically herself as a first-generation college-bound student. Her goal: work on Capitol Hill after majoring in Public Policy and minoring in Spanish.

As a proud Latina, Marissa deeply values her work within the League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC); spurred on by the pride and joy of her Hispanic heritage, Marissa dedicates her work to her mother. As her district’s 2022-2023 Youth Deputy Director for Women, Marissa brought awareness to women’s issues by donating to women’s shelters and educating teens on sex health as Texas continues to restrict teens’ sex education. She also brought awareness to Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW) to her school throughout March via presentations and infographics hosted around campus. Now, as District III’s Youth Director, Marissa plans to re-mobilize her district’s youth after inactivity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout high school, Marissa participated in extracurriculars ranging from art club to robotics. Her love for fine arts shines through in her service as Vice-President of Art Club and co-founder of her school’s chapter of the National Art Honor Society; finally, since sixth grade, Marissa expresses her long-term love of cello through performing in Varsity Orchestra and as part of the National Conference on Magnet School of America.

Marissa also has a keen eye towards helping her community. Her service includes: being a student of Peer Assistance Leadership Service (PALS), Secretary of Rainbow Rangers, Irma Rangel’s Gender-Sexuality Alliance, and a member of the National Honor Society. Always in pursuit of being well-rounded, Marissa served as a member of the Robotics Thunderchicks team and was co-founder of Irma Rangel’s ESPORTS team; in addition to competing, Marissa ensured all robots and game tokens followed protocol.

As a child, Marissa faced many challenges, including a toll on her own mental health as a result of an abusive household and taking on responsibility for her family at a young age. However, despite being called worthless, Marissa only worked harder. She now focuses on ending domestic abuse and providing a healthy environment for the children to come. Although life in an immigrant single-parent household is often full of hardship, Marissa is incredibly proud of her mother and heritage. She strongly believes that her family built her from the ground up and any work she accomplishes is theirs.