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First-generation college
student Elizabeth Reyes says she isn't going to let the COVID-19
pandemic stop her from achieving her academic goals.
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DENVER Overcoming obstacles is part of the human experience.
At 18 years old, Elizabeth Reyes has overcome more than most.
Reyes' father is serving time in prison. She has faced homelessness
and stereotypes about Native American and Latina women, but through
it all she has persevered.
"I've honestly lived a lot in the last 18 years. I don't live with
my mother. I live with my friend and her family and that was a big
decision to make on my own," Reyes said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has added its own set of challenges to her
life. Reyes finished out her senior year with virtual classes, which
was a struggle for her, particularly in math.
"I missed out on high school. I missed out on prom. I missed out
on graduation," Reyes said.
Despite this, Reyes graduated from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Early
College in May with honors. The walk across the stage she and her
peers had looked forward to for years was reduced to a virtual event
she helped emcee.
While some of her peers decided to take a gap year in the midst
of the pandemic or attend school virtually, in August, Reyes left
Colorado to attend Arizona State University for in-person classes.
Reyes says after all of the obstacles that she has overcome in
life, she's not going to let a pandemic get in the way of her academics
and she trusts that schools are doing everything they can to keep
students and staff safe.
Reyes has six siblings and will be the first person in her family
to attend college. She says she's trying to set an example for her
siblings about perseverance.
"I feel in a way it paves the way for my siblings to look up to
me and be like, 'Wow, during a pandemic, the coronavirus, where
at one point everything was shutting down and we had to wear a mask,
you still managed to not let that obstacle get in your way and go
above and beyond.' I feel like with all the stuff that I've been
through, it's just like paving another way," Reyes said.
Reyes has dreams of attending law school one day at a prestigious
university and become a lawyer.
Now, two weeks into her college experience, Reyes tells Denver7
she feels she made the right choice to attend classes in person.
Arizona State University recently had a COVID-19 outbreak among
hundreds of students, but in-person classes are continuing. The
school has given students the option to attend either in-person
or virtually. Some days, Reyes says she decides to stay in her room
and attend classes that way. But overall, she likes living on campus
and interacting with other students in class.
She hopes her story will inspire others to pursue their passion
no matter the obstacles they have to overcome to get there.
"I was able to bloom and blossom from the hardships that I faced
in my life," Reyes said.
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