As a first-generation college student, Migdalia Cerda had no one to answer her list of questions when she enrolled at UTA in 2018.
Most of her friends were also first-generation students, so she turned to Girls Inc. of Tarrant County.
Girls Inc. of Tarrant County is an organization founded in 1976, dedicated to helping young girls reach their full potential in their education and future careers.
As a member since middle school, Cerda participated in activities that helped build up their self-esteem and relieve stress from class.
Cerda said she graduated as valedictorian of her high school class. During her senior year, she applied to the Girls Inc. of Tarrant County’s Boost Mentorship Program, which pairs high school graduates with women in the community who will mentor them in their first year after high school.
Cerda was paired with fellow Maverick Faith Geiger, who was working on her social work degree. Cerda said she felt she could look up to her and ask any questions she had during her college education.
“If she can do it, I can too,” she said.
Suzana Delgado-Gray, chief operations officer for Girls Inc. of Tarrant County, said the organization and UTA have worked together for decades. On April 9, the UTA Extension and Extended Campus and Girls Inc. of Tarrant County signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at college-ready youth in Tarrant County.
Like Cerda, many of the members are first-generation college students, and the organization hopes to show them a path to move forward in their education and career goals, Delgado-Gray said.
“If a student doesn’t have that support system in their first year of college, they’re more apt to drop out of college and enter the workforce and/or do something else,” she said. “It was really important for us to stay connected and bridge that gap.”
Cassandra Smith, assistant vice president for UTA’s Extension and Extended Campus, said the partnership brought Girls Inc. of Tarrant County to the campus to establish connections with various departments, including the College of Engineering, Student Activities and the Office of Admissions.
“Really, it’s about exposure of what’s available to them post-high school graduation and things that they might be interested in,” Smith said. “A lot of times, these girls are not necessarily exposed to this on an ongoing basis.”
Cerda graduated from UTA in 2021 with a degree in criminology and criminal justice. Now, she works as a property and evidence/crime scene forensics technician for the Burleson Police Department.
Without Geiger and Girls Inc. of Tarrant County, she said she wouldn’t have the opportunities she has now.
Smith said the organization is looking to create a student organization to connect incoming Girls Inc. students with current UTA students, who have also gone through the program.
“If more students come from Girls Inc. and they actually come to UTA, they would have a soft place to land,” Smith said.
This is the second official Memorandum of Understanding signing with a Tarrant County university, after Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, and Delgado-Gray said there are plans for more.
“Anywhere our girls are going, we want to stay connected to them,” she said.
Cerda started college with many questions. Now, she can answer questions for others like her.
Cerda said she was called back to her elementary school in Fort Worth to speak at the graduation ceremony. Like her, most of the students were a part of a minority and she hoped to inspire them by sharing her story.
“If I can do it, you can also do it,” she said to them.
