Education/ Educación
¡Si Se Puede!
First Generation, First Cousins Graduate from SPC
BY South Plains College FOR LATINO LUBBOCK MAGAZINE
hen twin sisters Deanne W (Jose) Calderon and Krystal (Victor) Saenz grew up, they LATINX VOCES: Texas Tech staff and community members joined to learn about the Latinx Task Force - the health branch of Latinx Voces, LLC that aims to bridge a health and information gap through collaboration for Latinx communities. Partnership with local, state, and national Latinx-serving and allied organizations is core to the work of the Task Force hence the visit to Lubbock.
Get vaccinated! ¡Vacunarse!
shared a special bond and a huge connection to their families. At that time, the twins didn’t know that the stars had aligned to bring their daughters, Adamari Calderon and Bianca Saenz, to a special day in their family's history. Adamari Calderon, 19, and Bianca Saenz, 18, will walk across the stage during the 64th annual South Plains College Commencement Ceremony on May 13 (Friday) in the Texan Dome. Calderon will take part in the morning ceremony at 9:30 a.m., where she will receive her Associate of Arts in Psychology. Saenz will participate in the afternoon ceremony at 1 p.m., where she will receive her Associate of Science. Although the graduation ceremony is a milestone itself, for Saenz, it will be doubly special. Currently, she is a senior at Whitharral High School and Valedictorian of the Class of 2022. She will earn her associate’s degree before she graduates from high school on May
20. She has already been accepted into the Engineering Program at Texas Tech University, where she plans to study Chemical Engineering in Fall 2022. "I’ve worked really hard, and I especially thank my parents for making me responsible enough to handle the dual credit courses and high school at the same time," Saenz said. "I chose to pursue chemical engineering because I see myself as a bit of an environmentalist. Also, I want my hard work to lead somewhere. Simply put, I plan to make daily life more sustainable and less wasteful." Calderon supports her cousin’s quest because they share so many "firsts." Both students are firstgeneration college students and the first ones in their families to graduate from college. She was accepted into Texas Tech, and she will be an undergrad studying clinical psychology. Saenz credits her academic achievement to her parents who provided extra study activities be-
yond what the school provided. She used those activities to learn how to work harder as a student. "In my future, I want to become stable and successful in my career," Saenz said. "I want to give back to my parents for all of the support they’ve shown me.” Calderon also credits her family for her success academically. She said she wants to become financially stable and live a happy life. "The older I get, I realize the sacrifices and all they’ve done throughout our lives," said Calderon. "We have had a really good circle of relatives around us. And this is just the beginning."
2022 Summer Reading at Lubbock Public Library Announced
he Lubbock Public LiT brary invites you to dive into summer
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reading from May 31- July 31. This year the theme is “Oceans of Possibilities”. We will have FREE activities for all ages, all summer long. Some activities include: crafts, movie nights, Nerf wars, musicians, laser tag, and many more. Plus, we are excited to offer an incredible slate of programs just for adults including: women’s selfdefense classes, an adult comedy night, crafts, gardening tips and a line dancing class. The 2022 Summer Reading Program is open to all ages with activities, weekly prize drawings, storytimes, a reading challenge, and more. To participate in the reading challenge, visit lubbock.readsquared.com or download the READsquared App. No library card is required to par-
ticipate!
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For those participating in READsquared, we will have some incredible prizes including: • PlayStation 5 Consoles • Oculus Virtual Reality Headsets • $100 United Supermarkets Gift Cards STEM Activity Kits Gift Cards to Local Businesses And More!
For a full schedule of our free activities, check out our 2022 Summer Reading Program Guide on our website or pick up a copy at your local library. Registration for “Oceans of Possibilities” begins on May 31. For more information, visit https://ci.lubbock.tx.us/departments/library/ summer-reading-2022
Latino Lubbock Magazine Proudly Advocates for Education/La revista latina Lubbock aboga por la educación
