One big happy family

Amanda Cruz won the 2019 Family of the Year contest, with an essay about her journey as a nontraditional student and the impact relatives had on her life. 

The contest was coordinated by the Office of Student Involvement and requires applicants to write about how their family’s love and support helped them through their college journey. 

Cruz, an interdisciplinary studies sophomore, received a certificate alongside her family at the UTRGV Homecoming game in February and was also given $500 in VBucks. 

Additionally, she was given the opportunity to throw the first pitch at the UTRGV baseball game April 6. 

Cruz’s essay tells the story of her nontraditional collegiate career.

When she graduated from high school in 2012, she began working at Peter Piper Pizza, which led to a six-year break from school.   

Her co-workers helped spark her interest in school again.

“[My co-workers] would talk about school,” Cruz said. “They would get together to study for finals and talk to each other, so I kind of felt left out from their conversations.”

They continued to encourage her to enroll in school.

“I would ask them questions about school, and they were the ones telling me, ‘You could still do it,’” she said. “I was like, ‘I missed my chance,’ and they would be like, ‘You’re still young.’ … They were just, every day, constantly encouraging me that it’s still possible and [I asked myself,] ‘Do I really want to make pizzas the rest of my life?’ I’m like, ‘No, yeah, you guys are right.’”        

The birth of her son also contributed to her motivation to continue school.

“[My son] actually played a big role because of the fact that I didn’t have anybody in school, as far as in family,” she said. “I hadn’t seen anybody go to school, but they still made it, so I was fine without the idea of school. I thought, ‘You know, I could make it, too.’”

Cruz aims to inspire her son to strive for nothing less than greatness.

“When I had him, I remember being on maternity leave,” she said. “I was constantly with him and I was, like, ‘Man, I don’t want him to just think that [since] nobody in his family [went to college], he didn’t have to do it.’ So that was a big motivation. I was like, ‘I’m doing this for him.’”

As of today, her son is still motivating her.

“Even now, he sees me with my backpack, so we got him a little backpack because he wants to have [one too],” she said. “He sees me doing homework. So he’s sitting there, coloring with me, so he’s keeping me going. He really is.”

For future applicants of the Family of the Year contest, Cruz advises they take the plunge and give the essay a try.

Cruz is working to apply to the Early Childhood Education program in the fall and thanks her family for helping her get this far.

“I started at the university in Spring 2018, and I have been a full-time student from the beginning,” she said. “So, with all of my family’s help, I managed to make it this far, so fast, and am able to apply [for the program] in the fall semester.”