As Meidi Reyes pondered what to do after high school, she wondered where she belonged. Born in Mexico, she’d been in the United States since age 5, was undocumented, and unsure what came next. Despite excelling in high school, her immigration status cast a cloud of doubt over her future.
Then she found Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the cloud evaporated. Reyes, graduating with a degree in World Languages with a concentration in K-12 education and a minor in elementary education, is this year’s recipient of the University’s Provost’s Award.
The University stood out from the beginning, she recalled. “MSU Denver’s initial application was the most accessible and easiest to fill out,” she said. “Everything that they advertise and say they are, they are.”
As a first-generation Hispanic student, Reyes said she was impressed by the support and encouragement at the University despite her immigration status. “There were a ton of resources and clubs to serve first-generation Hispanic students,” Reyes said. “All of the scholarships that they have to offer played a really big role.”
That didn’t mean it was easy: Reyes watched her documented friends pursue opportunities that were closed off to her because of her immigration status. “It held me back in some ways,” she said.
But she also found allies and support at MSU Denver. When she couldn’t get a job at the orientation office due to her status, she said. “They created an internship position for me.” It’s just one example of how the University “has gone above and beyond to ensure students like me are seen, valued and included.”
Along the way, Reyes decided to focus on language justice, helped by faculty like Lunden MacDonald, Ph.D., a professor in the World Languages Department who became a crucial part of her support system. “She’s my go-to person,” Reyes said. With the support and encouragement of her friends, family and school community, she kept pushing, maintaining a 3.93 GPA, attending the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institution Educators conference and serving as president of the Spanish Club.
Another inspiration? Reyes’ mother, who brought her to the United States along with her siblings after their father was killed in Mexico. “She completely gave up her life for us,” Reyes said. “I just want to do everything I can to pay it back to her — I know that seeing me succeed makes everything worth it for her.”
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What’s next for Reyes? “I’ll be subbing from January to May, and in August I’ll be doing my first year of teaching,” she said. MSU Denver is in her future, too, as she pursues a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction.
Oh, and she’ll be doing it with documentation. “I recently became documented,” she said. As she reflects on that shift in her identity, she said she feels inspired to help others. “I’m really proud,” she said. “It has made me who I am.”
So has MSU Denver, she added. “When I first arrived at MSU Denver, I very quickly discovered that (it) was exactly where I belonged.”
