Maritza Zaragoza is graduating with a degree in bilingual education from Texas Wesleyan University.

Zaragoza graduated from Chisholm Trail High School in 2016 and she decided to attend Texas Wesleyan University which is near her high school. 

Zaragoza also is looking forward to celebrating her achievement of graduating from Texas Wesleyan with her family, but wishes she could have even more family and friends with her to celebrate. 

“Before Covid, I would have had a big party to celebrate my graduation, but now I will only be inviting close relatives,” said Zaragoza. 

After graduating Texas Wesleyan, Zaragoza plans to become a teacher with the hope of having a strong impact on the lives of the future students she teaches.

“I want to make a difference in the lives of my students,” said Zaragoza.

A huge reason why she chose to major in Bilingual Education was to help kids feel accepted.

“I want to empower the kids with knowledge and acceptance,” said Zaragoza.

Zaragoza says her mom has a had a huge impact on her life and motivated her to reach her goals she set for herself.

“The most influential person who motivated me to reach my goals was my mother. She supported me and taught me never to give up,” said Zaragoza.

Zaragoza knows that her achievement of being a first generation college graduate is so important to her family. 

“Being a first generation college student means taking risks, stepping outside my comfort zone, and doing something that has never been done by anyone else in my family,” said Zaragoza. 

Zaragoza has faced many challenges, such as the switch to virtual learning, while being a student at Wesleyan, but she has made it through and looks forward to life after graduation.

“It was really hard to adapt to virtual learning because I had never had to do it before. Working from home with two kids is very challenging,” said Zaragoza. 

 “I am motivated to never give up in any aspect of my life and look forward to empowering the minds of young students,” said Zaragoza. 

Zaragoza will become a teacher after graduation and looks forward to the next chapter of her life.