{"id":48944,"date":"2023-05-10T08:03:17","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T13:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/?p=48944"},"modified":"2023-05-05T13:38:53","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T18:38:53","slug":"first-gen-graduation-speaker-credits-parents-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/first-gen-graduation-speaker-credits-parents-support\/","title":{"rendered":"First-Gen Graduation Speaker Credits Parents\u2019 Support"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 Selina Alvarado\u2019s 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\u2019ll deliver the commencement address in the 6 p.m. graduation ceremonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m actually the first in my family to go to college, and I will be the first to graduate,\u201d she said. \u201cMy parents grew up in Mexico and didn\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy they pushed me. It made me value education because I saw they valued it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Selina
Selina Alvarado<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI picked Tarleton because it\u2019s basically in my hometown,\u201d she said. \u201cThere were 13 people in my graduating class. I felt comfortable there. I felt like I would be comfortable at Tarleton, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She enrolled with a plan to become a dentist but soon discovered a passion for another healthcare-centered career. \u201cI 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\u2019s of science in anesthesiology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She wants to continue her education and become a certified anesthesiologist assistant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought it was the perfect career for me. You get to be in the operating room, but you\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s biochemistry and molecular biology lab, where she worked closely with other students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She counts her three years in the lab as one of the most enriching aspects of her time at Tarleton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve grown through my experience doing research here,\u201d she said. \u201cNot just academically and professionally, but also as a person. That may be the thing I\u2019ll miss most \u2014 the excitement of coming in for a new semester. Getting to meet new students, teach them and help them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her commencement address, she plans to detail her time on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just want to tell about my experiences. How I came to Tarleton and what it has meant to me. I\u2019ll talk about the things I\u2019ve done and how those things have made me the person I am now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have become very independent,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s something my parents instilled in me, too. I\u2019m independent and knowledgeable.\u201dJust like they wanted her to be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 Selina Alvarado\u2019s 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 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":48946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[382,423,427],"tags":[441,439,445],"class_list":["post-48944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homepage","category-academics-research","category-science-health","tag-college-of-science-mathematics","tag-division-of-health-sciences","tag-division-of-research-innovation-and-economic-development"],"acf":{"image":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"priddle","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/author\/priddle-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2023\/05\/Selina-Alvarado-8241.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["_Homepage<\/a>","Academics & Research<\/a>","Science & Health<\/a>"],"unlinked":["_Homepage<\/span>","Academics & Research<\/span>","Science & Health<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["College of Science & Mathematics<\/a>","Division of Health Sciences<\/a>","Division of Research, Innovation and Economic Development<\/a>"],"unlinked":["College of Science & Mathematics<\/span>","Division of Health Sciences<\/span>","Division of Research, Innovation and Economic Development<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 3 years ago","modified":"Updated 3 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 10, 2023","modified":"Updated on May 5, 2023"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 10, 2023 8:03 am","modified":"Updated on May 5, 2023 1:38 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"Young woman smiling in front of Tarleton State University logo.","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48944\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}