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For sociology major Carla Rodriguez-Gonzalez, the sense of accomplishment that will soon come with donning her graduation cap and gown will be a family affair.
The youngest of five, Carla is the only one in her family to have been born in the U.S. Shortly after her birth, her family moved back to Mexico. After struggling to find a place to live, they had a tough decision to make.
"We were living out on the street in Tijuana," Carla says. "We had few, if any, options."
Her mother, at the urging of her older brothers and sisters, sent Carla to live with her extended family near Long Beach. For the last 19 years, Carla has shuttled back and forth between her life in the U.S. where she lives with her grandparents and uncles and went to school daily, to her life in Tijuana where poverty and crime are rampant.
"It was hard growing up separated from my family, but they all loved me enough to make a sacrifice so I could have a better future," she says. "I saw that my brothers and sisters didn't have the same opportunities that I had back in the U.S., so, I made it my goal to take full advantage of the opportunities I had been given so I could help them and others who are faced with a similar situation."
As an undergraduate at UCI, Carla has made good on her promise. She participated in a number of national conferences throughout the country focused on U.S. Mexico border relations, a topic she studied at length in her honors research as a participant in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), Sociology Honors Program, and in the School of Social Sciences Summer Academic Enrichment Program (SAEP).
"I grew up with a foot in Mexico and a foot in the U.S., speaking both languages and feeling an attraction to both countries," she says. ""How the two countries work together is very important to me."
As part of UCI's study and education abroad programs, she studied in France, Mexico, Peru and Argentina and traveled to a total of 15 different countries. The experiences, she says, further helped shape her global view.
"While I come from an immigrant family, I didn't personally experience what it would be like to have to learn another language and adapt to a new place," she says. "I didn't fully comprehend what it felt like to be an immigrant until I studied abroad."
Back on campus, Carla helped organize youth conferences to promote college awareness and preparedness to high school and in-coming university students as a member of the Latino Business Student Association and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlan. The opportunities, she says, provided her a way to give back to others in much the same way others had done for her.
"Carla is not only an exemplary scholar but also someone who is imbued with a strong sense of social responsibility. She represents the type of well-rounded student that UCI aims to develop," says Ramon Munoz, social sciences academic counselor and mentor to Carla.
"To me, being accomplished means being able to contribute and have a positive impact in the lives of others," she says. "I didn't make it to where I am today alone. My family, my teachers growing up, my mentors at UCI, my friends - there are many individuals who have helped shape me into the person I am today, and I'm very appreciative for their guidance and inspiration."
After graduating in June, she wants to attend graduate school for her master's degree and eventually pursue a Ph.D. so that she can have a broader impact on border relations and the lives of future generations as a college professor.
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