For Vail, Iowa, native Noelia Gonzalez, high school graduation was an experience beyond the traditional. As the first in her family to earn a high school diploma in the U.S., she wanted the milestone to reflect everything that led her to that moment. When she walked across the stage, she proudly draped an American and El Salvadoran flag over her shoulders to represent the two countries and family members who shaped her path.
“I wore a flag to represent the first generation of my family to graduate high school,” says Gonzalez. “I had half of America, half of my parents’ flag [El Salvador]. It meant so much to me to represent both countries and my family.”
From the very beginning, her parents worked hard to support her education and future career path.
“My parents came to this country to give me the education I needed, and I hope I made them proud. I’m very thankful for them,” she says.
Gonzalez’s parents inspired her to get her Certified Nursing Assistant certificate while in high school and to pursue a long-term degree in nursing.
“At the time, I wanted to do business, but they encouraged me to take the CNA course offered by DMACC and see where it goes,” says Gonzalez. “It was a lot of late nights and early mornings, but they were there to help me whenever I needed them.”
Fortunately, the course struck the right chord with Gonzalez. She received her CNA, graduated high school and was accepted into the nursing program at South Dakota State University. This summer, she’s interning in the emergency room at St. Anthony Regional Hospital — a department she hopes to continue in after becoming a registered nurse.
“I’m so thankful to be an intern in the ER this summer,” say Gonzalez. “I want to go into the ER after college. It’s a stressful place, and not a lot of people go into it. I want to be helpful and make an impact in people’s lives.”
The experience at St. Anthony, along with the Bob & Mary Lou Ware Memorial Scholarship she received through the St. Anthony Foundation, will help her prepare for that future.
“My counselor at Ar-We-Va [High School] mentioned the scholarship to me and told me I should apply for it,” says Gonzalez. “I found out I received the scholarship at graduation. It meant a lot to me, especially knowing the backstory of the scholarship.”
