[image 1]Diane Gutierrez is a Liberal and Fine Arts major at Northwest Vista College who recently graduated this May. A returning college student, she originally attended NVC 14 years ago and later transferred to pursue her bachelor’s degree at a university.
During that time, Diane was not only a student, but a single mother working full time and raising a daughter. For Diane, like many people, juggling family, work and school proved to be challenging. Ultimately she made the decision to put her education on hold while staying focused on work and family.
With her daughter now in college, Diane felt it was time to return to the classroom herself.
[image 2]“I realized I had over 71 semester credit hours and it was taking so much time to get a bachelor’s degree,” she said.
Seeking the best options, Diane met with an NVC advisor who informed her she only needed four classes to earn an associate’s degree.
“I decided to make that my goal because I had been working 25 years and needed a degree to get ahead,” she said.
Diane, who currently works at the University of Texas at San Antonio, says that earning a degree will help advance her professional career. She says support from professors such as Jessica Liska (Photography/Art) and Dennis Gittinger (Math), along with the evening classes at NVC, has made earning her degree a reality.
Based on her own life experiences, Diane encourages fellow NVC students to stick with their plan of achieving an associate’s degree.
“A degree is for life! No one can take that away from you,” she said.
This year will be one of dual celebration for Diane, as she and her daughter will both be earning college degrees. Diane is also a recipient of the 2013-2014 Gorman Foundation Scholarship at Northwest Vista College.
Favorite Vista Touchstone(s): Caring, Joy, Learning and Creativity. See the list at www.alamo.edu/nvc/about-us/touchstones