First-Generation Student Is 开辟自己的道路
Civil engineering major Kiara Moya-Prera is on a mission to succeed
马蒂·马登，21年
To say that Kiara (Keke) Moya-Prera has a lot on her plate is an understatement. The 最靠谱的网赌软件 freshman is a civil engineering major, a member of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program and a first-generation college student. While these labels tell you a bit about Moya-Prera, they don't begin to tell her full story.
Her mother was just 15 when she immigrated from Guatemala.
"She did the whole walking-across-the-border thing for three months, 实际上就,莫亚-普雷拉说. "She came because her dad passed away, and he was the one maintaining everything. He was the provider of the family. My grandmother was already sick, so there was no one else who could provide for her medications."
一次是在美国, Moya-Prera's mother found work as a painter to provide for her family in Guatemala. From there, she met her husband, an immigrant from Nicaragua. 他们一起有了可可. But he changed after she was born.
"He became an alcoholic and started abusing my mom,莫亚-普雷拉说. "She didn't want that environment for me because she always wanted the best for me. She didn't want me to go through what she went through.
"My mom and I have been through so much together. We were kicked out of the house by my dad. 我们有一段时间无家可归. 一直都是我和她."
Moya-Prera grew up with her mother in Richmond. As a first-generation student, making her mother proud is a huge priority.
"When I started high school, I saw how proud my mother was when I joined ROTC. Everything I did made her proud,莫亚-普雷拉说. "Ever since I started school, everything I do has meant the world to my family. 成为后备军官训练队的领导者, graduating from high school and even something simple like me getting my driver's license was a big deal for my family because, being in a family of immigrants, it was like I'm making history. I have to set a bar for my future family."
Moya-Prera said she was drawn to the military because she recognized how many doors it could open for her. Being a part of her high school ROTC program led to a scholarship to Old Dominion.
After graduating, Moya-Prera hopes to transfer from the Navy and become an officer in the Marines. She's also considering minoring in something that could help her learn more about immigration.
最重要的是, Moya-Prera wants to continue to make her family proud and give back to them for the support and sacrifices they have made.
"In order to be financially stable, get my education and provide for my mom, 我有一定的目标要实现. One of my main goals is to make sure I can take care of her and my little sister," she said.
Meet Keke Moya-Prera in this brief video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHYsAqS0dWA
