Merarys \u201cMery\u201d Diaz knew she wanted to attend the University of Central Florida the first time she stepped on campus seven years ago as a high school sophomore.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the Cuban native who immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 4 months old, will become the first in her family to graduate from college when she receives a marketing degree from UCF College of Business.<\/p>\n
The future looks bright for Diaz, who plans to pursue a career in sales after graduation, but her journey to become a Knight almost ended before it began. In her senior year of high school, Diaz\u2019s father was losing his eyesight\u2014and his job as a truck driver\u2014to diabetes. With the family\u2019s primary breadwinner out of work, she said her family\u2019s home was headed into foreclosure.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe dream of going to UCF felt crushed when my father slowly began to lose his sight,\u201d said Diaz, who gave up her own extracurricular activities, such as swimming and water polo, to support her family. She took on the responsibility of paying bills and serving as a translator for her Spanish-only speaking parents.<\/p>\n
She said encouragement from her high school teachers along with witnessing her parents\u2019 struggles motivated her to move out of her hometown of Hialeah and apply to UCF two weeks before the enrollment deadline. She was accepted into UCF, but then came the hard part\u2014figuring out how to pay for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough the efforts of so many people who believed in me and a lot of hard work, I received multiple scholarships,\u201d she said, including the Virga Family Scholarship, a $10,000 annual scholarship available to full-time UCF undergraduates who\u00a0desire to be entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Virga Family Scholarship allowed me to be a Knight for four years and have the full college experience and not worry about living expenses or how I would pay for my groceries for the week,\u201d Diaz said.<\/p>\n
With her finances settled, Diaz focused her energy on her academic courses and getting involved in the college\u2019s many activities and student groups.<\/p>\n
\u201cMery served in an important leadership role as a student ambassador of the college by helping create and execute events to engage the students,\u201d said Jennifer Johnson, director of engagement and The EXCHANGE at the College of Business. \u201cMery has a strong dedication to her own professional development, and I have watched her blossom as an ambassador and participant in our\u00a0prestigious Professional Selling Program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bill Steiger, associate instructor and coordinator of UCF\u2019s national-champion Professional Selling Program, said Diaz may have enrolled in the selling program as a student but she\u2019s leaving as a professional.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer commitment to self-improvement was amazing,\u201d Steiger said. \u201cShe faced numerous obstacles and never gave up or complained. She will be a rock star in sales.\u201d<\/p>\n
For her part, Diaz credits UCF as \u201cthe best thing that has ever happened to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am leaving here with a diploma, but more importantly, with knowledge, a good network, valuable and transferable skills and an undefeatable mentality,\u201d she said. \u201cI am going into the world understanding so much about relationships, partnerships, team building, vision and creation.\u201d<\/p>\n