Dyane Velazquez, an aspiring pediatric brain surgeon, was one of 260 first-generation students (nearly 50% of the Class of 2024) who graduated from Vanguard University (VU) this year, achieving Summa Cum Laude honors with a B.S. in Biology, a concentration in Neurobiology and a minor in Chemistry — quite impressive!
Recently, VU took its academic competition by storm in a report from the Education Trust by earning a 97% score for enrollment of Latino first-time, full-time undergraduate students. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution, VU has sought to reflect and support the belonging and success of local students, helping them to pursue their passions and develop their potential – just like Ms. Velazquez! Sharing her story was the perfect way to showcase the university’s achievements and how it impacted her future path.
Dyane flourished at VU. As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant family, she worked as the university’s first student Spanish translator to bridge language barriers for other Spanish-speaking families. She also realized her love for learning about the brain and spent her free time as an organic chemistry tutor and participating in a scholar program at St. Joseph Hospital, among other activities.
During an interview Reveille secured with the Daily Pilot, Dyane shared that only 3% of doctors in the U.S. are Latina — a group she hopes to join. Reveille was honored to share Dyane’s inspiring story and highlight her bright future and motivate those who may look up to the strong young woman. In addition to the heartwarming story in the Daily Pilot, KABC Eyewitness News showcased VU’s graduation, interviewing Dyane and highlighting the school’s special emphasis on first generation students.
