Honors Academy student heading to Temple University

Fourteen years ago, Viviane Altuzar was a Mexican high school dropout. 现在, she's heading to Temple University following her graduation from 圣安东尼奥学院 and being part of the Honors Academy program.

Altuzar plans to earn bachelor's degrees in criminal justice and history at Temple in Pennsylvania. And she already has her sights set on becoming a civil rights lawyer, where she hopes to help underrepresented people.

"I was born and raised in a very different country, 大多数人都很穷的地方,阿尔图扎尔说. "Having all of these opportunities here in the United States, like being able to go to college and having the opportunity to have this quality education, 让我有种想要回报的感觉."

Laurie Lopez Coleman教授, SAC荣誉学院院长, called the 31-year-old Altuzar "a go-getter" whose life experiences have given her "a very informed outlook on the world."

“薇薇安不怕问，‘那是什么?和“那是谁??' and find out and make sure that she is getting the most out of what is here, 无论是圣安东尼奥学院, 或者圣安东尼奥市, 国家, 或者这个国家,科尔曼说。. "She genuinely wants a full experience and she's not afraid to put herself in places that are unfamiliar or uncharted.

“她总是渴望这些东西."

Altuzar's path hasn't always been a straight one. 四个孩子中最小的, she worked for a couple of years in Mexico before moving to Texas about 10 years ago to help a sister and her nieces. Over time, Altuzar learned English and earned her GED.

三年前, 在她拿到绿卡后不久, Altuzar took the next step in her journey by enrolling at SAC. 她主修社会学和工程学.    

"My dad raised me with the idea of going to college and 'don't get stuck with a minimum wage job,’”阿尔图扎回忆道, whose father works as a hospital administrator in Mexico. "It's not that bad to work for that (minimum wage), but he raised me with that ambition of being a little bit more."

曾经在SAC, Altuzar also got a job doing part time clerical work in the office at the Honors Academy. The academy gives students a deeper understanding of subject matter in SAC's core requirements through additional class assignments. It also provides them with a place where they can drop into study and connect with classmates and teachers.

在SAC的第一个学期之后, Altuzar applied for admission and was accepted as an Honors Academy student. Altuzar said the academy's academic and personal challenges and benefits motivated her to join the program.

"We all have very different backgrounds and very different histories and stories," she said. “我认为这就是我们SAC如此特别的原因. 我们就像一个小家庭."

SAC的入学人数约为18,000名学生. 荣誉学院的平均分是275分. 学生必须保持3分.25 GPA or higher and complete a final Capstone project in their fourth semester.

Coleman said Altuzar served as a role model and mentor for her classmates, frequently intervening with a soft heart and a sympathetic ear whenever someone had personal problems or mental health issues they needed to discuss. All Honors Academy students are required to submit a "mission statement" as part of the program.

Coleman recalled that Altuzar wrote "my mission is to pursue a career based on kindness, 完整性, 和正义."

科尔曼说:“我完全被震撼了。. “在这方面，她真的是一个特别的人.  

“她有一颗仆人的心. 她想为她的社区服务."   

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