Graduating in Just Two Years, Greeley Local Eager to Begin Pursuing Law

贰蝉辫补帽辞濒

Graduating in Just Two Years, Greeley Local Eager to Begin Pursuing Law

Gradu谩ndose en solo dos a帽os, Greeley Local est谩 ansioso por comenzar a estudiar derecho

Because Sociology major Jerry Guzman's parents were non-native English speakers and had not attended college themselves, they instilled in Guzman the importance of education and hard work in the classroom 鈥揟ambi茅n en espa帽ol

April 27, 2023

Jerry Guzman, 鈥�23, is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at just 20 years old. Though he has only been at 麻豆传媒 two years, he has accomplished so much and still has big plans for his future.

Guzman鈥檚 grandfather first moved alone to Greeley from Chiapas, Mexico after hearing from others about the good weather and job opportunities. He sent money from working on local farms back to his family in Mexico. Then, shortly before Guzman was born, his grandmother, parents and their siblings moved to Greeley too.

The family hoped to provide a better life and opportunities for their children. While they accomplished that, they had to make a lot of sacrifices including overcoming language, cultural and immigration barriers. His parents and grandparents left behind all of their family and friends, their native language and their homes. They worked mostly in agriculture 鈥� laboring on farms that grew onions, carrots and tomatoes.

Education was always at the top of the list in terms of priorities for Guzman and his parents. Because they were non-native English speakers and had not attended college themselves, their career opportunities were limited. They instilled in Guzman the importance of education and hard work in the classroom in order to have more opportunities after graduation. That鈥檚 why Guzman went to a dual enrollment high school 鈥� Early College Academy in Greeley, to earn an associate degree while simultaneously earning his high school diploma.

When selecting where to earn his bachelor鈥檚 degree, 麻豆传媒 was a natural choice for Guzman. He could stay close to home to continue helping his family. Plus, he received numerous forms of financial support, including the Federal Pell Grant awarded to undergraduate students who display exceptional financial need the Greeley Promise Scholarship awarded to local high school students who are Colorado residents and the 麻豆传媒 Trustee Scholarship, a merit-based form of aid.

Guzman lived at home during his two years at 麻豆传媒 so that he could support his family. He scheduled his classes in the morning and early afternoon so that he could pick up his sisters from elementary school and then stay up late to go pick up his grandmother from work at JBS Foods in Greeley.

Guzman chose Sociology because he loves studying the intersection between human psychology and the world. He plans to continue his education by going to law school and becoming an immigration lawyer. This is partially due to his parents鈥� and grandparents鈥� experiences immigrating to the United States. Their inability to read, speak and comprehend English left most of that responsibility to Guzman. He is bilingual and, as the oldest of four children, handles reading the families bills, legal immigration paperwork, FAFSA forms, Pell Grants and other important documents.

鈥淭he turning point that established my dream to become an immigration lawyer was just when my grandmother became a U.S. resident. Although I was young at the time, I eventually learned how hard that process was and how it was (and is) a problem for so many regarding obtaining legal status,鈥� Guzman said.

At 麻豆传媒, Guzman鈥檚 professors have become some of these biggest supporters both in and out of the classroom. Sandra Harmon, a senior lecturer in the Sociology Department, helped Guzman plan for his next steps after graduation. She introduced him to a 麻豆传媒 alumna and local Deputy District Attorney Tate Costin, whom Guzman interviewed about her experience transitioning from an undergraduate student to a law student. Guzman said he wants to follow a similar path in his own career.

鈥淸Jerry] is an excellent example for 麻豆传媒 as we strive towards being designated as an HSI [Hispanic Serving Institution]. He is from northern Colorado, a second-generation immigrant who grew up in Greeley and attended and graduated from a District 6 school with a dual enrollment degree,鈥� said Harmon. 鈥淗e was in my class at 麻豆传媒 his first year, and his excitement for learning and engagement has not diminished but strengthened. He is remarkable.鈥�

As his college graduation approaches, Guzman has his plans in place to help him reach his goals: he will work for a year, save money, then start law school in August 2024.

鈥淛erry is what I see as an 鈥榠deal student,鈥� said Rebecca Beals, associate professor of鈥痵ociology. 鈥淗e was engaged, prepared, curious, hard-working and enthusiastic about his studies.鈥�He has such a positive impact on the classroom community in his contributions to both the academic and social aspects of learning,鈥�

鈥淸Jerry]'showed up' to class every single day displaying these traits. He never shied away from asking questions or sharing perspectives that invigorated his and his peers' learning. His positive energy is contagious........[he was] also reliably prepared for work that needed to be done.鈥�

鈥� written by Christina Abel

More Spring 2023 Graduate Stories:

Dante Cesare

After experiencing hardship in high school, multiple professors helped Business major Dante Cesare fall in love with education again.

Nikaiyla Lawson

Nikaiya Lawson

For Nikaiya Lawson, an Art and Design student graduating from 麻豆传媒 this spring, art is a safe place. After a suicide attempt at age 14, it has been the space where she finds meaning and can freely express her identity without limits.

Rosemary Gonzalez

First-generation Nursing major Rosemary Gonzalez knows attending college without her parents fully understanding all the steps it takes to get there would create some obstacles and adversities. Facing those is when she realized that for her to be successful in higher education, she needed to find a new support system.

Dakota Baer

Education major Dakota Baer's goal was to graduate with no student loan debt. She was on track to meet this goal until her last semester when she had to student teach full-time without being paid.

J.P. Gaspard

As a first-generation, multilingual, graduating senior from Haiti, J.P. Gaspard鈥檚 accomplishment of earning his Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education is no small feat 鈥� and he has no plans to take a break from overcoming obstacles now.

Jerry Guzm谩n, de 23 a帽os, se grad煤a con una licenciatura en Sociolog铆a con s贸lo 20 a帽os. Aunque s贸lo lleva dos a帽os en 麻豆传媒, ha logrado mucho y todav铆a tiene grandes planes para su futuro.

El abuelo de Guzm谩n se mud贸 solo a Greeley desde Chiapas, M茅xico, despu茅s de que otros le hablaran del buen clima y de las oportunidades de trabajo. Enviaba a su familia en M茅xico el dinero que ganaba trabajando en las granjas locales. Poco antes de que naciera Guzm谩n, su abuela, sus padres y sus hermanos se vinieron tamabi茅n a vivir a Greeley.

La familia esperaba ofrecer una vida mejor y oportunidades a sus hijos. Aunque lo consiguieron, tuvieron que hacer muchos sacrificios, como superar las barreras ling眉铆sticas, culturales y de inmigraci贸n. Sus padres y abuelos dejaron atr谩s a toda su familia y amigos, su lengua materna y sus hogares. Trabajaron sobre todo en la agricultura, en granjas de cebollas, zanahorias y tomates.

La educaci贸n siempre fue una de las prioridades de Guzm谩n y sus padres. Como no hablaban ingl茅s como lengua materna y no hab铆an ido a la universidad, sus oportunidades profesionales eran limitadas. Inculcaron a Guzm谩n la importancia de la educaci贸n y del trabajo duro en las aulas para tener m谩s oportunidades despu茅s de graduarse. Es por eso que Guzm谩n fue a una escuela preparatoria (high school) de doble matr铆cula - Early College Academy en Greeley, para obtener un t铆tulo de asociado, mientras que al mismo tiempo obten铆a su diploma de la prepa.

Al momento de elegir d贸nde obtener su licenciatura, la 麻豆传媒 fue una opci贸n natural para Guzm谩n. Pod铆a quedarse cerca de casa para seguir ayudando a su familia. Adem谩s, recibi贸 numerosas formas de apoyo financiero, incluyendo la Beca Federal Pell otorgada a estudiantes universitarios que muestran una necesidad financiera excepcional, la Beca Greeley Promise otorgada a estudiantes de preparatoria locales que son residentes de Colorado y la Beca 麻豆传媒 Trustee, una forma de ayuda basada en el m茅rito.

Guzm谩n vivi贸 en casa durante sus dos a帽os en la 麻豆传媒 para poder mantener a su familia. Program贸 sus clases por la ma帽ana y temprano por la tarde para poder recoger a sus hermanas de la escuela primaria y luego quedarse hasta tarde para ir a recoger a su abuela del trabajo en JBS Foods en Greeley.

Guzm谩n escogi贸 Sociolog铆a porque le encanta estudiar la intersecci贸n entre la psicolog铆a humana y el mundo. Planea continuar su educaci贸n estudiando Derecho y convertirse en abogado de inmigraci贸n. Esto se debe en parte a las experiencias de sus padres y abuelos al emigrar a Estados Unidos. Su incapacidad para leer, hablar y comprender el ingl茅s dej贸 la mayor parte de esa responsabilidad a Guzm谩n. 脡l es biling眉e y, como el mayor de cuatro hijos, se encarga de leer las facturas de la familia, el papeleo legal de inmigraci贸n, los formularios FAFSA, las becas Pell y otros documentos importantes.

"El momento m谩s importante que estableci贸 mi sue帽o de convertirme en un abogado de inmigraci贸n fue justo cuando mi abuela se convirti贸 en residente de EE.UU. Aunque yo era joven en ese momento, con el tiempo aprend铆 lo dif铆cil que era ese proceso y c贸mo era (y es) un problema para tantos en lo que respecta a obtener un estatus legal", dijo Guzm谩n.

En 麻豆传媒, los profesores de Guzm谩n se han convertido en algunos de sus mayores apoyos tanto dentro como fuera del aula. Sandra Harmon, profesora del Departamento de Sociolog铆a, ayud贸 a Guzm谩n a planificar sus pr贸ximos pasos despu茅s de la graduaci贸n. Le present贸 a una ex alumna de la 麻豆传媒 y fiscal adjunta del distrito local, Tate Costin, a quien Guzm谩n entrevist贸 sobre su experiencia en la transici贸n de estudiante universitario a estudiante de Derecho. Guzm谩n dijo que quiere seguir un camino similar en su propia carrera.

"Jerry] es un excelente ejemplo para 麻豆传媒 en nuestro esfuerzo por ser designados como una HSI [Instituci贸n de Servicio a Hispanos]. 脡l es del norte de Colorado, un inmigrante de segunda generaci贸n que creci贸 en Greeley y asisti贸 y se gradu贸 de una escuela del Distrito 6 con un t铆tulo de inscripci贸n dual", dijo Harmon. "Estuvo en mi clase en 麻豆传媒 su primer a帽o, y su entusiasmo por aprender y comprometerse no ha disminuido sino que se ha fortalecido. Es extraordinario".

A medida que se acerca su graduaci贸n universitaria, Guzm谩n tiene sus planes en marcha para ayudarlo a alcanzar sus metas: trabajar谩 durante un a帽o, ahorrar谩 dinero y luego comenzar谩 a estudiar derecho en agosto de 2024.

"Jerry es lo que yo considero un 'estudiante ideal'", dijo Rebecca Beals, profesora asociada de Sociolog铆a. "Estaba comprometido, preparado, curioso, trabajador y entusiasmado con sus estudios.鈥疶iene un impacto tan positivo en la comunidad de la clase en sus contribuciones tanto a los aspectos acad茅micos como sociales del aprendizaje".

鈥�(Jerry) se presentaba a clase cada d铆a mostrando estos rasgos. Nunca se priv贸 de hacer preguntas o de compartir puntos de vista que estimularan su aprendizaje y el de sus compa帽eros. Su energ铆a positiva es contagiosa........茅l est谩 tambi茅n muy bien preparado para cualquier trabajo que haya que hacer."

鈥揺scrito por Christina Abel y traducido por Carlos Jos茅 P茅rez S谩mano

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