UCI Commencement: graduates share their stories

Students visiting the UCI Commencement website this year were asked, "Do you have a story to tell?" Not surprisingly, along with pride in their achievements, students wanted to express heartfelt gratitude to parents and families.

Following are two of the stories received.

From Marisol Gonzalez
Psychology major, School of Social Sciences

I began my journey at UCI in the fall of 2005. It was a real challenge getting used to life on campus, dealing with culture shock and financial problems, on top of trying to get an education. Being the first in my entire family to attend a university, I felt a great deal of pressure to succeed. On top of all that, the need to have a job became a necessity.

Struggling to adjust to my new life, I added on a part-time job. With shifts that ended at midnight and having 8 a.m. classes, my education was losing its priority. Because of financial issues after my first year at UCI, I moved back home to Los Angeles and became a commuter. I then balanced a full-time job and being a full-time commuter student. Needless to say, this new strain took a toll on my education.

After considering taking a break from school and just focusing on working full time, my parents gave me a reality check. They are both students and work full-time jobs, working during the evening and going to school during the day. I was going to throw away a chance to receive an amazing education and live an unparalleled experience at UCI, until my parents inspired me to continue and strive for the best.

I worked on overdrive my last two years at UCI to achieve my goal. I discovered a passion for helping others achieve their educational goals, and have chosen to become a teacher. I received a minor in education, along with a Bachelor's in cognitive psychology, and I am planning to attend graduate school to get a Master's in education along with my teaching credentials.

I finished school in winter quarter but I am anxiously awaiting graduation day because I want to have my parents see me walk across the stage and show them that everything I worked so hard for was for them, because of them. They are the reason I have such an amazing life, and will continue my education because of their inspiration, dedication and hard work.

Look for the proudest, most overjoyed parents at the commencement ceremony and you will find Gloria and Miguel Ortega, my mother and father.

From Amina Choudry
Biological Science major, School of Biological Sciences

I am a transfer student and am going to be a first-generation college graduate in my family. I would like to share how hard the journey was without being able to get the help you need from your parents.

I came from Germany to America without knowing any English, and graduated high school with top grades. However, I didn't know how to apply to universities, and at that time no one had told me that our school had a career center. By the time I found out about the career center, the deadline for university applications had expired. This did not mean that I was going to give up, and just start working and forget about college. Instead, I decided to go to a community college and work my way to a university.

While I was going to school, I also worked to pay off my bills and books for school.
I decided to finish all the required classes to get my AA degree and transfer to a UC. I wanted to go to UCI since I was in high school. It took me a bit longer than my colleagues to get here, but I finally did it; and here I am.

Therefore, my lesson to everyone is that no matter where you come from or what you do, anyone has the ability to become successful in life. I am just one of the many examples. So good luck to everyone, and remember: don't ever give up in what you believe in.