The panel members who were involved in the selection process and ultimately made the decision of selecting the students, such as myself, who attended the conference representing the University of Arizona South. To them, I say thank you! I'm quite sure that each individual who was interviewed, would have done an outstanding job in representing the university, but not everyone was going to be able to attend.
I would also like to acknowledge the outstanding job done by our student escort during this trip, Ms. Elsie Estrada. She rose to the occasion and did an outstanding job during this trip! She had never been to Washington D.C. prior to this trip, so one can only imagine how she was feeling, yet alone serving in the role that she served in. I took the opportunity to publicly recognize her in the presence of Dr. Melody Buckner, Assistant Dean Sarah Wieland and Dr. Marla Franco, who were all in attendance at the time of the recognition.
Finally, I need to acknowledge and thank my fellow students who were in attendance with me at this conference. Angela Lucero, Adam Grant and Josue Becerra. They made this an unforgettable trip and experience for me. Believe me, when I say this was an unforgettable trip, it was indeed an unforgettable trip!
Adam Grant is an individual who possesses a level of self discipline, determination and dedication towards not only his professional goals, but also his educational goals, that is to be admired. He is going to succeed in life, regardless of the task or challenge presented to him, because he pushes himself and does not back down from any challenge. I would also like to thank Adam for his service to our nation. You are going to excel in your future role.
Angela Lucero is very passionate about her education, her career and her family. She understands first hand, the sacrifice one has to make to attain and complete a higher education, when you are raising kids, working, etc. I congratulate her for the drive that she possesses in pursuing her higher education goals and her future dreams. She will attain them, no doubt in my mind!
Josue Becerra, the youngest one in our group of attendees, made the trip very,very interesting! He has his own unique and interesting philosophies and points of views towards many things. He also possesses a commitment and a unique drive in completing his higher education, which also is to be admired.
Prior to this trip to Washington D.C., I honestly had no idea about what HACU represented or what its core values and/or mission was in regards to higher education, especially amongst Hispanic students. I'm very well aware of it now and as a higher education student, a parent and constituent, I know how critical it is to ensure that higher education continues to be supported and patronized at all levels. After all, higher education has been proven to provide a positive outcome in the lives of those individuals who seek it and ultimately complete a higher education degree. More needs to be done indeed, as the HACU administrators stressed to us during our conference to ensure that higher education is not placed in a position of financial vulnerability, because the long term effects would be unfavorably for future generations of higher education students.
To summarize, I'm delighted with having had been afforded the opportunity to attend this conference. While in Washington D.C., I took the opportunity to reflect on how fortunate I am of not only being a student at the University of Arizona South, but also of being an American. While in the city, you grasp the concept of what makes our country great and you see things from a different perspective. This is not going to be my last visit to Washington D.C. I plan on returning to the district soon with my family for a more lengthy visit and in the nearby future, I plan on becoming more involved in our democratic process. Stay tuned! Good luck to all with your future endeavors!
No comments:
Post a Comment