Azucena Garcia

NDSM Class of 2012
High School: DSHA Class of 2016
College: Marquette

A recent graduate of Divine Savior Holy Angels, Azucena Garcia, has a lot to be proud of. She is going to start her Freshman year at Marquette University on the Urban Scholars full-tuition scholarship. As she says “Through the education that I received at Notre Dame, it was made clear that I had the responsibility of taking my education seriously.” Azucena struggled finding herself and making the accomplishments that she has had a reality. It was not always an easy road, especially entering into DSHA. “I felt uncomfortable and insecure about myself when I was surrounded by people who were different than me. Later, I realized how absurd that was and became proud of myself and culture.” Additionally, she felt that more pressure was put on her both at school and at home. She struggled finding a balance between having enough time for her studies and her family. Despite the difficulties, the values that she learned at Notre Dame and her experience as an Urban Scholar has allowed her to find purpose.
“My four years there made me realize that by becoming an educated woman I could open so many doors for myself. Perhaps most importantly though, Notre Dame was a place where I felt confident because the teachers there believed in me. Overall, Notre Dame has helped shape me into the person that I am today, and for that I will always be grateful.”
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Azucena is a proud daughter of two hardworking parents who left behind their lives in Mexico in order to give her and her siblings a better and brighter future in the United States. Since she can remember, both her parents worked tirelessly to provide the most for their family. They believe that a good education is the most important tool to help us advance in life, so that is why they chose to enroll both her and her sister at Notre Dame Middle School. She states, “I am extremely lucky and grateful to have attended such a wonderful institution. The four years that I spent at NDMS were full of intellectual curiosity, academic challenges and discoveries, great teachers and friends.” She was a part of the graduating class of 2012 and with the help of NDMS she began high school at Divine Savior Holy Angels. Although her time at DSHA was definitely academically challenging, it was a rewarding four years. As of this fall 2016, she is attending Marquette University on the Urban Scholars full-tuition scholarship with double major in international business and marketing. Marquette was always a place she imagined calling a second home. Azucena can’t stress enough how the beginning of her academic success began with her parents’ decision to enroll her at NDMS. Through the help and support she received, there I was able to continue to go on to high school and now college. “I will always be grateful for the education that I received at NDMS and I will always be a proud alumna.”
Notre Dame has inspired me to live my life in accordance with the three “R”s of respect, regalo, and responsibility.