91短视频

Not until coming to the United States did Keyri Lopez-Godoy begin to enjoy school. In El Salvador it had been just something she had to do, but after her parents brought her to the U.S. when she was eight years old, it was a requirement that she came to love, thanks to a litany of encouraging teachers.

This spring, so many years later, Keyri (pronounced 鈥淜atie鈥�) has been back in the elementary school classroom, this time as a student teacher, offering students the same 鈥渟trength and oomph鈥� that has fueled her own journey. And even though for years college was an unfamiliar word, Keyri will graduate from 91短视频 on May 6 with a degree in elementary education. Along with nine others, she will wear 91短视频’s Cords of Distinction in honor of her impact on the 91短视频 and local communities.

鈥淜eyri is truly an inspiration wherever she goes,鈥� said Professor Cathy Smeltzer Erb, education department chair. 鈥淪he has a remarkable ability to remain positive in face of very challenging circumstances, and her effervescent personality, warm spirit and hopeful outlook promise to transform the lives of her students just like her teachers transformed her life.鈥�

Graduation聽will be another moment of having achieved what once appeared impossible, another opening door to remind Keyri of 鈥渢he people who have made an impact and who have changed my perspective and the way that I carry myself,鈥� she said recently. 鈥淚t has been because of those relationships that I have gotten this far.鈥�

That perseverance and support has resulted in a chance to give back聽鈥� in an anticipated position in a local elementary school beginning this fall.

Fifth grade: graduation day

Keyri鈥檚 elementary school years in her new hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia, provided the first of many teachers she remembers with heartfelt gratitude, among them an English as a Second Language teacher, who she said 鈥渓iterally took me by the hand and said 鈥楰eyri, you are going to learn to read and write, and we鈥檙e going to do this together.鈥欌��

Adjusting to the new environment, though, took time, and a celebration at the end of her fifth-grade year caught her off guard. That day was 鈥渟trange,鈥� she remembers, as the classroom filled with grandparents, relatives and parents. Her own parents, though, weren鈥檛 there. The whole family was still figuring out the new education system, and even she hadn鈥檛 realized there would be a 鈥済raduation鈥� ceremony.

鈥淚 remember just feeling lonely,鈥� Keyri remembers, until her teacher came over to her with a gift and a letter.

鈥淪he knelt down 鈥� she was a tall lady 鈥� and looked straight in my eyes, and she said, 鈥楰eyri, I am so proud of you. You are my bright star. I鈥檓 really excited for what you will do in the future. Please come back and visit me.鈥欌��

Seventh grade: new word, new label

In seventh grade, Keyri learned of her undocumented status at the same time she learned that new word, college.听鈥淚 just kept hearing that word, and I was like, What is that? What does that mean? Is that a thing? Is that a person? What is that?鈥�

When she showed her mother an application for a college preparatory support class, however, her mom explained why she would not be able to attend college: she was undocumented.

Though the moment was 鈥減robably very hard for my mom,鈥� Keyri said she was not to be discouraged.

鈥溾�楾his is a label,鈥欌�� she told herself. 鈥溾�楾his will not limit me in any way.鈥� Even though in reality it did, I guess in my 12-year-old self, I said 鈥楾his is not going to prevent me from working really hard and going to college.鈥欌��

Math backbone

That year, she 鈥渨orked and worked as hard as I could,鈥� and started taking more challenging classes. In eighth grade, she took a ninth-grade algebra class, and 鈥渟truggled 鈥� but made it through鈥� thanks to math tutoring that her teacher and principal arranged.

Every morning for an hour before school, she met a tutor, Louise Gallagher, and when Keyri learned that the work had brought her grade up to an A, she ran through the school to find her.

鈥淚 just hugged her and I said, 鈥業 did it!鈥欌�� Keyri remembers. 鈥淲e are still very close friends. She is one of my mentors. She is even helping me get through school. She has been a backbone.鈥�

High school: 鈥楥an I succeed more?鈥�

In high school, she began taking even more advanced courses, but still wasn鈥檛 satisfied.

鈥淚s there more that I can do?鈥� she asked herself. 鈥淐an I succeed more?鈥�

Yes, she could 鈥� but that option, Advanced Placement (AP) courses, for college credit, revealed a twofold disadvantage.

鈥淚 had everything going against me,鈥� she said of her first AP class, history, which she took in tenth grade. 鈥淭he work itself, the amount of work, the reading, the vocabulary I wasn鈥檛 used to. It was a whole new language for me, and I was like, 鈥楬ow do I tackle this class?鈥欌��

The college prep program had equipped her with note-taking and organizational skills, but she hadn鈥檛 been taking honors classes, which typically fed into the AP courses. And she felt like she came to school with less academic savvy than her classmates.听鈥淎 lot of the kids had parents who had gone to college, who had very advanced conversations at home. In my household, we had conversations when we were able to, but my parents worked day and night to provide for us, so it was tough.鈥�

Again, having a teacher rooting for her made the difference. On the day of her first AP exam, her teacher Amber Roberts brought each student a goody bag of cookies and candy and a note that said, 鈥淵ou will rock this exam.鈥�

鈥淭hat was the strength and the oomph, the confidence booster that I needed to say, 鈥業 got this,鈥欌�� Keyri remembers.

It took her all morning to finish, but she passed the test.

鈥淚 go back to the moment鈥� 鈥� this would have been the previous year 鈥� 鈥渢hat I went up to her and I asked her, 鈥楧o you think I can do AP history? And she did not lie to me. She said, 鈥榊es, you can.鈥欌��

Ultimately Keyri earned enough college credits through high school AP courses that she鈥檚 finishing her bachelor鈥檚 degree at 91短视频 in three years, not the typical four.

That word again

That year 鈥� 2012 鈥� also marked an opening of possibility for Keyri through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. It allowed people brought to the United States as children and without documentation to reside, work and study legally here under renewable two-year permits.

Keyri would go on to be accepted into six colleges, but wasn鈥檛 sure how to pay for this next step. DACA, after all, didn鈥檛 qualify her for federal financial aid.

One of those six colleges in particular 鈥� 91短视频 鈥� seemed determined to help work out the money, though. And, her high school counselor Keri O鈥機onnor told her about the Emily Couric Leadership Scholarship, worth $30,000.

鈥淎nd this is where I also go back to relationships,鈥� she said: Not only was she nominated for the scholarship 鈥� each area high school could nominate just one female student 鈥� but the administration team at her school helped her prepare for the interview, in front of 20 people in downtown Charlottesville, Keyri said.

Another school counselor bought her an outfit for the interview. The principal Jay Thomas pulled together a team of teachers and community members for mock interviews. And on the day of the interview, O鈥機onnor came to her house to take her.

鈥溾�楢re you ready to do this?鈥欌�� Keyri remembers her asking that morning. 鈥淚 said, 鈥楴o, I am not. But I will do it.鈥欌��

That evening, when she received the phone call congratulating her for being chosen the scholarship winner, she and her mom both started crying, there in their kitchen. So did her dad, when he came into the room, even though 鈥渕y dad never cries,鈥� she said.

Keyri traces her successful interview back to her school counselor鈥檚 assurance to her: 鈥淪he was just there with me and said, 鈥榃e will get through this together.鈥欌��

College: New uncertainty

From the time she found out about her immigration status until DACA began in 2012, Keyri knew her life could change at any moment. There was always uncertainty 鈥渂ecause one day I could be here, and another day I could be back in my country.鈥�

With President Trump鈥檚 2017 rescission of DACA 鈥� and the ongoing debate about the program 鈥� Keyri doesn鈥檛 know her future in the U.S.听She continues to rely on the encouragement offered by the people who tell her, 鈥淜eyri, we back you up. No matter what happens, we will be there to support you.鈥�

It鈥檚 part of what 91短视频 celebrates: global perspective. She points to one of the education department鈥檚 objectives: to prepare teachers to work 鈥渨ith diverse populations in an ever-changing cultural and global context.鈥�

鈥淭o me that means you work in a global mindset. You have students from all over the world, from different backgrounds, from different experiences of life, and that does not make them less or more of a human,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat just makes them, them.鈥�

While she has a teaching position lined up now, she may not know where she鈥檒l be in three or five years. But, she said, 鈥淚 do know that in whatever it is that I end up doing, it will be in service, giving back to people, educating, doing advocacy, and standing up and using my voice for the things I believe in.鈥�