SAN ANTONIO – Diana Long spent the summer before her senior year at Trinity University conducting research on school finance, trying to find better ways to fund area school districts and looked to support English-learning students.
Diana comes from immigrant parents and she said when growing up, it was hard for her to learn Spanish and English.
“I’ve realized just how much they have been through, all these years. Leaving their country couldn’t have been easy and they are coming to a place where sometimes they are just not welcomed. Just seeing how much I’ve accomplished and how proud I’ve made them is really rewarding,” Long said.
Rocio Delgado, an associate professor of education at Trinity University, said that Long’s accomplishments are representative of the people she hopes to serve in the future.
Long said her biggest goal is to help others just like her.
“I’m extremely proud of her, not only because of everything she has accomplished but because of everyone who she represents,” Delgado said. “She’s graduating from Trinity but that’s not where she is stopping. She’s gonna continue to do great things for herself, for others, for her community and for our students and professors.”
Long said she wants all struggling students to know they can do anything they put their minds to.
“I think I want to be remembered for having that resilience and overcoming barriers. Also, just as a person that never forgets where she came from, and appreciates the sacrifices of her family and her ancestors as well,” Long said.