Coming to the 抖阴短视频 Boulder was a no-brainer for Brenda Ortiz.
Like others lured by the rugged beauty of the American West, she was sold on the university the day she crested Davidson Mesa and caught a glimpse of the Rockies in the distance and the Flatirons and red-tiled roofs of the 抖阴短视频 Boulder campus in the valley.
She never really considered going anywhere else.
鈥湺兑醵淌悠� had beautiful views, it seemed prestigious, and I wanted to be here,鈥� said Ortiz, who will graduate this month with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology and a teaching certificate.
Like other Latino or 鈥淟atinx鈥� students, she thought of becoming a medical doctor, thinking it would be a good way to serve humanity while representing her family on a highly competitive and prestigious career path.
Then, during her sophomore year, she participated in a campus neuroscience outreach program that required her to talk to elementary school students about the human brain.
鈥淚t was my first exposure to teaching, and it made me fall in love with the classroom,鈥� Ortiz said. 鈥淚 became jealous of the teachers who got to stay in the classroom and got to know students, and that鈥檚 what I wanted to do.鈥�
Ortiz grew up in the Denver area, but was born in Ensenada, Mexico, near Baja California鈥檚 sun-bleached beaches, and was only 5 years old when her family immigrated to the United States. At her Colorado high school, she became a diver, and her love for the sport propelled her to join the diving club at 抖阴短视频 Boulder, where she has made many friends.
And, yet, she admits, there were times when she considered dropping out of college. Her alma mater was only an hour away from her parents鈥� home, but seemed like a world away.
鈥淚 spent a lot of nights crying because I didn鈥檛 feel I belonged here,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know if I could make it to the end. I felt alone.鈥�
In addition to the academic and other challenges many colleges students face when they are away from home for the first time, Ortiz was privately dealing with other struggles, including a loved one鈥檚 battle with cancer. Then there was the issue of her national identity.
Her family had arrived in the United States without documentation when she was a child, and Ortiz鈥檚 immigration status remains in legal limbo under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Like several other students graduating this spring, she leaves 抖阴短视频 Boulder with a degree in hand and hope in her heart in spite of DACA鈥檚 uncertain future. The federal program鈥檚 fate remains in the hands of federal courts and lawmakers.
In the end, Ortiz credits DACA and Colorado鈥檚 for helping her on her academic journey.
In addition, there were the many friends, faculty and staff members on campus who were dedicated to her success and programs such as the Education Diversity Scholars, Miramontes Arts and Sciences and the Inspired Dreamers student organization.
In spite of these daunting challenges, Ortiz is quick to offer support to other college students who might be feeling alienated and on the verge of giving up.
鈥淜eep going. You are not alone,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to find that community and ask for help. People are willing to help, especially if you are trying to do good things. Here I am. I鈥檓 graduating and I feel like, if I can do it, despite terrible, terrible things, then I want to inspire other kids to get to live their dreams and to get to change the world.鈥�
