A single mother of two college students, Maria Saenz is a freshman student working on her prerequisites for the Western New Mexico University School of Nursing program while her children attend NMSU. “I always pushed my kids so hard. I want to push myself too,” she said. “I’m proud of my kids. I want them to be proud of me.”
Saenz enrolled at WNMU – Deming after getting divorced and took just one or two classes a time at first. But she had already noticed her vision becoming a reality. “I want my kids to see that hard work and grit can get you to surpass dreams,” she said.
After completing her FAFSA, she was notified that she would be supported in her educational journey through the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship. “When I got it, it was very nice for me. The Opportunity Scholarship helps me to finish sooner, because I can take more classes,” she said.