Cosette Schulties

Student Life Editor

Student Spotlight: Luz Nieto
As assignments receive their final touch-ups and students organize summer plans, the senior
class has more to look forward to than simply another year ending. Graduate schools may attract
some, but very few plan to spend the rest of their lives in a classroom. For Early Education major
Luz Nieto, moving from a college campus and into an elementary school is not just a short-term
goal, but represents the significance of familial accomplishments.
“My parents are first-generation immigrants, so they really value education,” Nieto says. “They
see that without an educational background you’re basically nothing. You either break your back
physically working or you have an education and do something you’re passionate for. You don’t
want to be drained by something you don’t want or like.”
As the daughter of a part-time factory worker, part-time field hand, and housekeeper, Nieto is
well aware of alternative options that were available to her instead of a college education. Her
decision to earn her undergraduate degree allows her to express her passions while bringing
honor to her parents’ dreams.
“I will be the first in my entire family to graduate. I was the first to graduate high school as well
so it’s going to be a super important and proud moment in my life,” Nieto says. “Education is
something that, I knew I had the opportunity take, but it was also hard to accomplish given the
circumstance that my family is in.”
Nieto admits that enrolling in college wasn’t simply a matter of deciding between schools but
whether or not to attend anywhere at all. With five kids, Nieto’s parents find themselves
stretching every dollar. Between groceries, remittances, emergency funds and other expenses, the
cost-benefit analysis of higher education included much more than the tuition’s price tag.
When discussing the future with her parents, Nieto says the debate fluctuated between short term
and long term benefits.
“Seeking higher education was them saying ‘you have the opportunity to go because we are in
America and we came here for this,’” Nieto says. “A lot of people back home in Mexico have
their kids – as soon as they’re done with high school – work. They live at home and they help
out.”
Better opportunities for Nieto and her siblings motivated her parents to leave their families in
Mexico and relocate to the United States. By coming to Messiah, Nieto interrupted a long history
of entering the workforce immediately after the completion of mandatory education
Nieto adds, “[My dad] said that would be more beneficial to him because I would be bringing in
money and helping out. We could make more money when there’s three people working in the
household. Instead of going to college and spending money, pulling out loans and getting into
debt, he could keep me home, but that would be selfish of him.”
When Nieto still lived at home, she helped her family around the house while her parents were
both away at their full-time jobs. Her roles as first born and a female brought on the adoption of
many responsibilities. In addition to cooking meals for the family, Nieto often tutored her four
younger siblings with their ESL assignments.
“These weren’t things that my parents demanded from me but things I wanted to do because I
saw how hard they were working. So, I helped them out in that way. Me leaving was a struggle
for them but they had to adjust like every family does,” Nieto says.
“I’m happy my parents encouraged me,” Nieto adds. “They wanted me to seek higher education
in a sense like, ‘we want you to, but it’s going to be really hard on us.’ You feel guilty about
coming to school when you know your parents are struggling, but I wanted to do something I
actually love and something that is meaningful to me.”
The high expectations and support from her parents allowed Nieto to take advantage of
opportunities the United States offers. Unfortunately, with Spanish as their sole language,
Nieto’s parents struggled to complete necessary college-related forms available only in English.
“I had to seek help from teachers so that’s why I think they are so important,” Nieto says. “That
wasn’t their job requirement or duty. They went out of their way to help me fill out forms
because my parents didn’t speak English, so they weren’t able to do that. The teachers I had in
my life really impacted and believed in me.”
Nieto credits luck for her record of inspirational teachers throughout her life. During senior year
specifically, she received guidance from college applications to FAFSA forms. As she knows
that not every student is as fortunate as she is, Nieto hopes to continue the cycle and leave a
positive impact on her future students.
Though the significance of completing a degree is a prominent step forward for every graduate,
Nieto recognizes that her accomplishment speaks more to the importance of representing a
minority population.
“I’m going to be really proud. Not a lot of people like me are in college,” Nieto says. “There’s
more diversity now but whenever I first came in as a freshman, there was a lot less and it was a
real struggle for me.”
Nieto says she found refuge in core relationships that blossomed from the Multicultural Council.
As she reflects on the highs of her college career, those relationships helped Messiah feel more
like home and further motivated her to chase her dreams.
“I loved meeting those people who had the same views as me in terms of wanting to go out into
the world and changing it in a way that will benefit humanity as a whole,” Nieto says. “As the
years went on, I was blessed to know more people who have a passion for their own roots and
culture, but also an ability to open their mind and seek others who need support.”
Serving her second year as president of La Alianza Latina, Nieto is able to inspire the next
generation of leaders on campus and pass on the same contagious excitement that was given to
her years ago.
In addition to motivating underclassmen, Nieto wants to pour into the children in the same area
she grew up in. The demographic population of New Oxford, Pennsylvania mainly consists of
two people groups: Caucasians and Mexicans. She feels a strong connection to the people there,
as she has lived in the area for practically her whole life.
“I want to go back home and teach just because of the population back there,” Nieto says. “There
are a lot of migrant workers and students that I relate to and want to inspire. But I also live 35
minutes away from Messiah so anything around the area here is an option – Harrisburg,
Gettysburg, anything within an hour away from my home.”
Working full-time – possibly even with former teachers – while living at home will alleviate the
pressure of additional expenses for Nieto. Like most students, she looks forward to getting her
loans paid off and helping her parents around the house again when she can.
“I can’t believe I was here for four years, and now we’re how many days away from
graduation?” Nieto says. “It’s nerve-racking but I’m excited about it. And, I’m excited to see that
my siblings are seeking higher education too.”
The importance of education instilled in her from a young age inspires Nieto to leave her unique
impression on future students. Although the journey of working towards her undergraduate
degree challenged her in many ways, Nieto looks forward to applying what she has learned here
to real life.
“Being a college student is draining but becoming a life-long learner is so important,” Nieto
says. “That’s what I’m going to be teaching my kids: Be a life-long learner and love it.”