First-generation student Michelle Alvarado Gonzalez began her University of North Georgia (UNG) journey through college with the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) on the Gainesville Campus, where she received coaching, mentorship, and a recruitment internship.
"I would go to high schools and try to recruit students to come to UNG," Alvarado Gonzalez said.
She is now in the McNair Scholars Program with the goal of continuing her education to the doctoral level. The McNair Program is designed to prepare sophomores, juniors and seniors from all UNG campuses for post-graduate studies through involvement in research and scholarly activities. Participants are either first-generation college students with financial need or members of a group traditionally underrepresented in graduate education who have shown strong academic potential.
Alvarado Gonzalez credits her mentors, Dr. Tanya Bennett and Dr. Valerie Surrett and Alejandra Cruz, interim associate director of the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) at UNG. Bennett and Surrett are faculty members in the English Department. The Cornelia, Georgia, resident is pursuing an English degree with a literature concentration with a scheduled graduation date of December 2022.
"They've been very supportive of me, helping me with research and learning more about academia," Alvarado Gonzalez said.
These mentors have contributed to her interest in studying multicultural literature including Chicano, Mexican, and Mexican American literature, something Alvarado Gonzalez hopes to teach one day.
"The help that I've gotten with these programs at UNG really has helped me flourish as a leader, as a student, and somebody who's going into the world of the academia because ideally, I want to be an English professor teaching Mexican American literature," Alvarado Gonzalez said.
As a recipient of the Goizueta Foundation Scholarship, Alvarado Gonzalez was able to focus more on academics and let go of a part-time job she had taken to fund expenses like books, gas, and electronics.
Alvarado Gonzalez has been grateful for the support she has received and wants to give back to the Nighthawk community. She is currently a peer mentor for CAMP.
"It is really important for me to go back because I wanted to make a difference for the students," Alvarado Gonzalez said. "After everything I've accomplished, I want to give thanks to CAMP because they saw a leader in me. They saw the potential in me."
Alvarado Gonzalez said being a leader has made her more confident, and she hopes that when other CAMP students see her graduate, they will realize that their effort is worthwhile when they face obstacles.
