RECENT GRAD
Joselin Orta ('21)
When Joselin Orta came to the United States from Mexico at age 16, she had a dream to prove that everything is possible, and she had the drive to achieve it. What she didn’t have was the language.
“It was a frustrating moment. I couldn’t communicate with my teachers, with anyone. There was a point where I was like, ‘Ok, I need to learn English.’ Every word that I didn't understand, I would write it and translate it. I was reading books, listening to music, just trying to talk to my teachers.”
It took time, but with support from her teachers at Denton High School, Joselin overcame the language barrier to excel in AP and IB classes. When she graduated, she realized there was a critical need for increased support for students like her.
“I started volunteering with my teachers helping ESL students to learn algebra and English, with applying to college, applying for scholarships — just informing them about college and education opportunities.”
She continued to volunteer with the ESL program even after attending North Central Texas College in Corinth, where she worked in the Dean of Student Affairs office coordinating outreach efforts.
“We went to communities and schools and helped them with college applications, with FAFSA applications and scholarships,” Joselin says. “We were especially dedicated to helping first-generation college students in the Hispanic community.”
When she graduated from NCTC with her Associate of Arts, she applied to a handful of universities, but none felt like home until she visited UNT.
“When I came to UNT, they were always so friendly and so helpful, and I knew that the university had a lot of resources,” Joselin says. “I just wanted to be here.”
Some of the most important resources for Joselin were the Federal TRIO Programs, which are designed to help students overcome class, social and cultural barriers to higher education. The guidance and encouragement she received from her advisors in Student Support Services were instrumental to her success in navigating college as a first-generation student.
Joselin decided to pursue a Bachelors in Business Administration in marketing with a concentration in professional selling, a cohort-based degree program in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business culminating in an internship.
Under the guidance of senior lecturer Joy Houser, instructor Terrence Suber and professor Timothy Smith, Joselin continued to flourish.
“It's a wonderful support system,” she says. “They care. They impacted my life and prepared me with valuable skills to be successful in my career and personal life. They helped me tremendously to be who I am.”
The Professional Leadership Program was another vital resource for Joselin, particularly when classes went remote during the 2020-21 academic year. The program allows students to engage in corporate networking, employability development programs and a year-long industry professional mentoring relationship.
“They were so great to me during the pandemic. I look back and I'm like, thank God for this experience because it really helped me, especially my mentor, Les Ehrsam. He would reach out to me every week asking me how I was doing, what other things did I need,” she says.
In Fall 2021, Joselin joined G-Force, UNT’s student outreach initiative sponsored through the Texas Work-Study Mentorship Program, and became team lead at the Consulate-General of Mexico. As the representative of UNT, she leads her team in connecting the Hispanic and Mexican communities with information about educational resources.
“I have so many dreams,” she says. “I want to keep helping my community. Eventually, I want to go to law school to study immigration law.”
“I want to prove that women are able to do anything — especially Hispanic women.”
Joselin earned a scholarship for UNT’s Study Abroad program to Spain in 2020, but the pandemic delayed her plans. Now, with graduation on the horizon, she’ll finally be packing her bags for a post-graduation trip to Madrid and Barcelona.
She’s thrilled that her parents will be able to come from Mexico to watch her cross the stage, joining her two brothers and one of her sisters, who all live in Denton.
“It's so exciting to be the first one in my family to graduate,” she says. “I'm so grateful to my parents and my family for how they have supported me.”
Her advice for fellow first-generation students comes from her own journey. “Life is not going to be easy. We have to be determined, resilient and very committed to our dreams. Don't give up on your dreams just because one person says no. Knock on other doors until you find that yes because there are so many people that are willing to help you.”
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Published by UNT UBSC, Fall 2021
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