STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Selina Alvarado’s parents made it clear from the beginning that she would go to college. On Friday the first-generation Tarleton student will not only get her diploma in biomedical science, she’ll deliver the commencement address in the 6 p.m. graduation ceremonies.
“I’m actually the first in my family to go to college, and I will be the first to graduate,” she said. “My parents grew up in Mexico and didn’t have the opportunity for an education. So ever since I was a child, they told me that education is important and I was going to college.
“I’m happy they pushed me. It made me value education because I saw they valued it.”
Growing up in nearby Lingleville, Selina ran track and cross-country and was part of a state champion 800-meter relay team as a senior. Her time at Lingleville High School was a big part of her decision to go to Tarleton.
“I picked Tarleton because it’s basically in my hometown,” she said. “There were 13 people in my graduating class. I felt comfortable there. I felt like I would be comfortable at Tarleton, too.
“I definitely got the university experience, but my classes were smaller than at most other universities. I liked that. It was easier to talk with my professors and to build relationships with my peers.”
She enrolled with a plan to become a dentist but soon discovered a passion for another healthcare-centered career. “I found out I had very limited knowledge of other medical careers. I started talking to my advisors and eventually took a seminar, and I found the master’s of science in anesthesiology.”
She wants to continue her education and become a certified anesthesiologist assistant.
“I thought it was the perfect career for me. You get to be in the operating room, but you’re kind of behind the scenes. I had the opportunity to shadow two CAAs at Baylor Scott & White in Round Rock, and I absolutely love it.”
Selina has started the application process and hopes to have a spot in a two-year program by the end of the year. She began preparing for her career by interning in Tarleton’s biochemistry and molecular biology lab, where she worked closely with other students.
She counts her three years in the lab as one of the most enriching aspects of her time at Tarleton.
“I’ve grown through my experience doing research here,” she said. “Not just academically and professionally, but also as a person. That may be the thing I’ll miss most — the excitement of coming in for a new semester. Getting to meet new students, teach them and help them.”
In her commencement address, she plans to detail her time on campus.
“I just want to tell about my experiences. How I came to Tarleton and what it has meant to me. I’ll talk about the things I’ve done and how those things have made me the person I am now.”
She’s keeping her speech a secret from her family and hopes to surprise them when she takes the stage to share what their guidance has meant on her educational trek.
“I have become very independent,” she said. “That’s something my parents instilled in me, too. I’m independent and knowledgeable.”Just like they wanted her to be.
A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of nearly 17,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. True to Tarleton’s values of excellence, integrity and respect, academic programs emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.