DALLAS — For as long as she can remember, 18-year-old Wendy Beltran says her parents have been focused on sending her to college.
But when she was younger, she was focused on anything else.
“When I was in third grade, second grade I did not care,” she said. “Not as much as I do now. No, definitely not.”
Wendy’s parents really wanted her to get an education, because they couldn’t. Her mom and dad immigrated to the United States from Mexico 30 years ago.
For them, college was never an option.
But they worked hard hoping they could give their kids that opportunity.
Wendy’s mom often worked two jobs to save up the money. Her dad, a carpenter, travels the country wherever he’s needed.
Wendy says partly because of that, she started caring a lot more about school.
By the time she got to high school at Cedar Hill Collegiate Academy, her grades had improved significantly.
That’s why it came as no surprise to her parents that this fall she’ll be the first in her family to go to college. What they didn’t expect, however, is how she got there.
When she goes to the University of Texas at Austin, she’ll be going as valedictorian.
“I want to be in the top of my class, I want to do all these different things, but I didn’t imagine I’d be valedictorian,” Wendy said. “I did not imagine that.”
Technically, Wendy is already enrolled in college classes at Cedar Valley College as part of her high school program.
Before she even steps on the UT campus, she’ll have enough credits to be a junior.
“We don’t have the words to describe how we are proud of her,” said Wendy’s mom, Luz Beltran.
Wendy says it’s only possible because her parents had a dream.
That’s why she plans to study political science and maybe one day run for office. She says there are many other kids full of dreams who just need to be shown the way.
“If other people of color can look at me and say, ‘if she can do it, I can do it, too,’ that’d really mean a lot to me,” Wendy said. “That’s what I want to do.”
She believes if she can do this much, it may inspire another child of immigrants to do even more.
Because when one door opens another door opens further.