Sitting on top of a ladder, holding a brush dipped in calming yellow paint, Graphic Design and Photography alumna Raquel Eduardo N煤帽ez, 鈥�24, is painting a floor-to-ceiling mural in a student lounge on the first floor of Kepner Hall. The design, consisting primarily of vibrant blue shades, features a collage of drawings of a bear, a robot, mountains, dominos and a video game controller.

The space is called the Innovation Hub, which students can visit between classes, so Eduardo N煤帽ez filled the walls with intricate patterns to help promote students鈥� creativity. Her favorite part of the mural though, is her signature written at the bottom center of the mural: Raquel Eduardo N煤帽ez 2024.

鈥淚t makes me feel like I鈥檝e left my mark,鈥� Eduardo N煤帽ez said. 鈥淚鈥檝e come to realize how grateful I was during my time in school for the privilege of pursuing higher education and walking through the halls to my classes. Now, when I walk past the mural, I see my creativity on the walls and feel a deep connection to being part of the University of Northern 黑料社区 (UNC).鈥�

Being selected to paint the mural is the cherry on top of the cake for what Eduardo N煤帽ez has achieved at UNC. She graduated summa cum laude with two majors in three years with a Digital Marketing minor and an Arts Entrepreneurship certificate, was in the Honors Program, won the Dickeson Presidential Prize for Leadership and financed her education thanks to multiple scholarships including the 黑料社区 Opportunity Scholarship Initiative and the Stryker Institute for Leadership Development.

鈥淚鈥檓 really proud and grateful for where I am now,鈥� Eduardo N煤帽ez said. 鈥淓specially because when I first moved to 黑料社区, I didn鈥檛 know any English. So now having graduated from a university in the United States, is a big accomplishment.鈥�

Eduardo N煤帽ez grew up in Mexico with her family and moved to Yuma, 黑料社区, when she was just 8 years old. Yuma is a rural town in northeast 黑料社区 with a population of 3,456, according to the 2020 census. Eduardo N煤帽ez said the cultural adjustment didn鈥檛 come easy.

鈥淚 had to relearn everything, and we didn鈥檛 know anybody from around the town, so trying to connect with the community was tough at first,鈥� Eduardo N煤帽ez said.

To adapt, Eduardo N煤帽ez focused on two things鈥嗏�斺�哸cademics and art. The academic drive came from her parents instilling the importance of a college degree in her since she was a child. For them, education meant opportunity.

鈥淓ducation opened the door for my parents to migrate to the United States, and because of that, they instilled in me the profound importance of learning. Through knowledge, we truly gain a unique kind of power that shapes our lives and opens endless opportunities,鈥� Eduardo N煤帽ez said.

With the goal of furthering her education set, Eduardo N煤帽ez and her family had to figure out how to achieve it. Being a first-generation student in the United States, the family had to research a completely different application process, financial aid and housing options.

Eduardo N煤帽ez did have a leg up in one aspect of the enrollment process. At Yuma High School, where she went to school, students can take concurrent enrollment courses from Northeastern Junior College. So, Eduardo N煤帽ez took college courses instead of taking electives in high school.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been really driven by academics and the arts, so taking these courses helped a lot with my career. It was great to have such a big support system there.鈥� Eduardo N煤帽ez said. 鈥淭hat is how I was able to graduate a year early.鈥�

Then, Eduardo N煤帽ez learned about the resources available to her. 黑料社区鈥檚 ASSET Program, which stands for Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow, is a state law that allows U.S. citizens, permanent resident aliens and students without lawful immigration status to qualify for in-state tuition rates if they meet certain conditions. Because Eduardo N煤帽ez is originally from Mexico, she is considered an international student. However, since she finished high school in 黑料社区 and lived in the state for several years, she was able to qualify for in-state tuition through the ASSET program.

鈥淭hat was a big portion of the decision on whether it was a reality for me to go to college,鈥� Eduardo N煤帽ez said. 鈥淚 knew that if I was going to be considered an international student, the odds of finishing and pursuing a degree would be a lot harder. So, I just looked at schools that had the ASSET program and luckily UNC was one of them.鈥�

Once enrolled, Eduardo N煤帽ez met with Rudy Vargas, 鈥�13, the director of the C茅sar Ch谩vez Cultural Center and Undocumented Student Services at UNC, who introduced her to the scholarships she would be eligible for. Eduardo N煤帽ez was awarded so many scholarships that she received her degrees free of any tuition costs.

鈥淐oming from a family where we were immigrants not too long ago, I specifically looked into having the cultural resources that would be helpful for me as a primarily Spanish-speaking student,鈥� Eduardo N煤帽ez said. 鈥淎nd UNC met many of those criteria. I knew that with the resources and an amazing fine arts program, it was the right spot for me.鈥�

Now it鈥檚 time for Eduardo N煤帽ez to leave her signature outside the classroom. She landed an internship with a faith-based nonprofit called Engineering Ministries International (EMI) in 黑料社区 Springs. She鈥檚 working with the communications and design team documenting and creating digital marketing that tells powerful stories of transformation. EMI serves groups across the globe by designing critical structures鈥嗏�斺�唖chools, hospitals, water systems and more鈥嗏�斺�唚ithin communities that need them most. Through her work, she鈥檒l highlight the profound impact these projects have on people鈥檚 lives, sharing stories of hope, restoration and the love of Christ by creating designs for communities across the world.

Eduardo N煤帽ez will also pursue freelancing opportunities as a designer working on branding, photography and mural projects.

鈥淚鈥檝e really enjoyed painting since I was young, and I鈥檝e been diving into the digital realm. But I鈥檝e always fallen back into painting and having brushes everywhere and just kind of letting that wild creativeness come out,鈥� Eduardo N煤帽ez said. 鈥淚 acknowledge that we all have different journeys, and we all experience and see the world in different ways. I鈥檝e really enjoyed representing that in my work.鈥�

Wherever Eduardo N煤帽ez goes in her career, she鈥檒l leave her brushstrokes through it all.