伊芙琳Nunez

伊芙琳Nunez put all of her eggs in one basket when she applied 和 was accepted to St. galaxy银河娱乐场app – without so much as a single campus visit.

然而, a chance meeting 和 a big welcome-to-our-Ambrosian-family hug from admissions counselor Karen Eden gave Evelyn a good idea of what the next four years would hold. "It was my first SAU experience 和 it warmed my heart. 她仅仅从我们往来的电子邮件中就知道了我的名字. It felt nice to get that recognition 和 it was like wow, this is the school for me,她说.

这是无条件的, consistent Ambrosian support that helped Evelyn realize her power to work through a series of obstacles 和 finish her education.

"One thing I've learned is everyone struggles with looking at their strengths,她说, “有时候很难说, “是的, 我做到了. 我为此感到自豪.“但我确信，看着我自己，我很坚强. 我确实这么做了."

Evelyn is the daughter of immigrants 和 the first in her family to graduate from high school. 5月9日，她从圣. galaxy银河娱乐场app文学学士学位 法医心理学 和 西班牙语.

弗里曼·波拉德奖学金获得者, 伊芙琳从塔摩来到明尼苏达大学, 爱荷华州, 有点害羞, 百分百专注于学业. A great first roommate unveiled the value of college friendships 和 she began to branch out 和 enjoy campus activities.

伊芙琳当了四年 学生会协会 代表, was on the executive board of the Multicultural Affairs Committee for Community Action, 和 the SAU chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens. Evelyn used her voice to promote equality, social justice, 和 civil rights.

她在Taste of St. galaxy银河娱乐场app, 参加校园和galaxy银河娱乐场app领导会议, 全国学生多样性领导大会, completed an internship at Davenport Central High School, worked in the SAU Student Success Center 和 the IT department, 大三时担任同侪助理, 和 spent spring break on a 校园部 service trip.

在她的学术和活动中, Evelyn faced a string of challenges that tested her determination, 从大二开始. "All my life, I watched my parents living paycheck to paycheck. 我知道他们想帮助我完成学业,她说, adding she worried her education was a financial weight she didn't want them to carry. “我告诉他们，我觉得我再也做不下去了. 我父母不同意，我不能离开学校. 我已经走了一半了，”她说.

在她大三的冬季学期结束时, Evelyn learned her Godmother had become ill 和 had to leave the U.S. 然后返回墨西哥. Her parents wanted her to complete finals before telling her. Then, months later, her uncle had a seizure that took his life. 伊芙琳很难承受每一次的损失.

This past fall, right before leaving to study abroad in South America, Evelyn's dad lost his job. “我不想离开. 我想留下来. 我的父母告诉我:“不. 你为此付出了那么多，你需要继续.' I left for South America with the scholarship I had knowing it had to take me through the whole semester. It so was hard being away from family when I knew they were struggling,她说.

然而, Evelyn's experience abroad led her to realize her independence 和 resilience are strengths. "It helped me see that sometimes what I see as a setback isn't really a setback,她说. "I became more determined 和 grateful for what I'd learned so far 和 I began to appreciate things more."

在她的教育过程中, 伊夫林被支持者包围, 包括心理学教授, 西班牙语, 和 妇女与性别研究 programs, 和 staff in Student Activities, 校园部, 和 the Student Success Center.

"The people I've connected with pushed me forward to keep moving on, 继续前进，走出我的舒适区. If I had not had that, I do not think I would have been as successful,她说.

现在，她说她的目标是支持其他人. Evelyn plans a career working with at-risk youth who face a language barrier.

“我会想念很多关于圣. galaxy银河娱乐场app, 家外之家的感觉, 的人, the other students I grew up with these last four years,她说.

Evelyn plans to reconnect with them this fall when she returns for commencement ceremonies. Her mom told her to order her graduation regalia 和 decorate her cap so she could wear it for a small family celebration on May 9. "You are going to get dressed up 和 take photos so you can tell you kids one day: I did this,伊夫林说。, 回忆起母亲的话.

And, Evelyn is proud that yes, she did push on 和 achieved her goal.

“今天，我更加坚定了. My freshman year, I was nervous 和 uncertain about things, not willing to take risks. 现在我长大了，我知道我能做到这一点. No matter what happens, I need to put myself out there. Whatever I have gone through does not make me weak or set me apart; if anything it makes me stronger 和 I can use that to my advantage,她说. “我能做到这一点，因为我经历过."