35 COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES Gudelia Contreras Flores Natália Martins Schmidt GUDELIA CONTRERAS FLORES is graduating with a bachelor's in Spanish, a minor in Black Studies and a certificate in World Language Pedagogy. For her, language is one of the main representations of a culture and she says obtaining a degree in Spanish provides her with an opportunity to keep her Hispanic culture alive. Born and raised in Veracruz, Mexico, her path to earning a college degree began more than 30 years ago. Flores says two lessons from her parents have stayed with her through the years: “No matter what others tell you, always fight for what you want because you are strong,” and “Never leave anything halfway; if you start something, finish it.” Flores has had to overcome a lot of obstacles before and while at PSU, but credits the support of her professors with helping her to succeed. She's been accepted into the Spanish graduate program and is ready to start a new adventure. Flores would like to thank God; everyone at Clatsop Community College for the support they gave her, especially Eileen “Percy” Purcell; her parents, who unfortunately passed away before they could see her dream come true; and her children, Miguel and Daisy. NATÁLIA MARTINS SCHMIDT is graduating with a master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. A teacher for more than a decade, she sought out opportunities to promote equitable education and inclusion in the English teaching field and found that Portland State’s program was the best fit. Schmidt is a first-generation college student from Brazil who was raised by very strong, hardworking women who always told her to prioritize education and did their best to support her. In addition to completing half of her graduate program remotely amid the pandemic, she had to overcome cultural, language and financial barriers to reach this point. She credits her village of family, friends and mentors for helping her to be successful. After graduation, she's planning a visit to Brazil — her first in four years — before heading to Asia to work as an English teacher in academic programs. Schmidt would like to thank her mother, grandmother, and aunt, who raised her; her husband, who reminded her every day that all of the hard work would be worth it; her professors, who challenged her to become a better educator and researcher; the University Studies community; and her peers in the Applied Linguistics department for their collaboration, laughs and fostering a loving and respectful community. STUDENT SPEAKERS
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