By Donna Gray
Two students who received college degrees May 3 at Colorado Mountain College Vail Valley’s commencement have cleared significant hurdles in their lives. Today, they are looking forward to futures in education and the medical fields.
Diana Loera Pompa, with an Associate of Arts in elementary education now in hand, is on her way to becoming a teacher. Patricia Herrera has now earned a third associate degree – Associate of Applied Science in medical assisting – following an Associate of Arts and an Associate of Science in chemistry. Each graduate is thankful for the encouragement they’ve received from support services and staff at the CMC campus in Edwards.
The students were among more than 1,000 receiving degrees and certificates from Colorado Mountain College this week, at 10 different graduation ceremonies held throughout the CMC district. The Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek hosted the commencement in Eagle County.
From no English to college graduate
Loera Pompa has always wanted to be a teacher. Even as a little girl growing up in Mexico, she said she played “mini school” with her friends.
In 2012, when she was in eighth grade, her parents moved the family to Colorado. Here, the young girl had the opportunity for the education she says was not available to her previously. “In Mexico it’s hard,” she said. “There are not a lot of educational options.”
There were challenges. “We didn’t know the language and my parents didn’t have jobs,” she said. Circumstances improved after about six months. When the family started to learn English, Loera Pompa’s parents began working.
Loera Pompa knew that in order to become a teacher, she would have to learn and understand English. She constantly worked to improve her language skills throughout high school, getting As and Bs in her classes. She was accepted into the honor society and set her sights on Colorado Mountain College.
What got her through college, in addition to her strong will to succeed, was the help she received from teachers and counselors, and notably the federally funded program TRIO Student Support Services. TRIO helps students like Loera Pompa with everything from filling out financial aid applications to learning to balance life’s demands.
“Diana came to Colorado in 2012 with no English,” said Katherine Osten, TRIO coordinator at CMC Vail Valley. “Now she is graduating with an associate degree in elementary education. I think that’s amazing.”
“I really love teaching,” Loera Pompa said. Her strong drive to become a teacher will undoubtedly see her in a classroom in the Vail Valley in the near future.
She said that an associate degree is not her final destination. “I want to get a bachelor’s,” she said, “and after, if I can get the money, then go to grad school.”
‘Putting yourself out there’
Patricia Herrera graduated from CMC Vail Valley with an Associate of Applied Science in medical assisting, her third associate degree. She’s also working on a bachelor’s degree. Getting to this point has taken a strong will and laser focus.
Born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Herrera had an extremely difficult childhood, filled with inordinate amounts of family turmoil. Her teen years were equally traumatic.
After finishing high school, she decided she wanted to go to college. “Deciding on CMC was probably the best decision I ever made in my life,” she said. She found help with staff members such as college counselor Paula Hauswirth-Cummings, who helped her find her way.
“She is an amazing person,” Hauswirth-Cummings said. “She has worked full time the whole time in she’s been in school. She’s had to really work for everything.”
“I decided to change my life, to be a better person, to contribute to my community, to make a difference in people’s lives,” Herrera said. “The only way you can do that is by putting yourself out there and not be afraid to hear the word no.”