In Their Words: Patricia Zuñiga

Name: Patricia Zuñiga

Department: Education

What Award/ Scholarship did you receive? Kathryn Cheney Merriam Scholarship

What year are you? First Year Graduate Student

Where do you call home? I feel like I have two homes. The first is in San Bernardino, CA where my family lives. I am very close to my family, it was very difficult to leave them to attend UCSC. The second is here in Santa Cruz, CA. I have been here for six years since I did my undergraduate and currently my graduate program at UCSC. I met my closest friends and my significant other here.

With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out? Honestly, I chose UCSC for financial reasons. I applied to local Cal States because I wanted to be close to home. However, it was very expensive for me to attend a Cal State. Therefore, I chose UCSC not only because of financial aid but also because out of the UCs I applied to I felt that I would grow here both personally and academically.

What is your field of focus? I am Masters of Education/Credential graduate student. My credential is in biological sciences.

What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? After I graduate, I plan to teach science. Fortunately, I already have a position with the San Jose Unified School District at San Jose High School. I will be teaching biology to mostly 9th grade students. I will be starting there this Fall.

What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here? The most memorable moment is difficult to pinpoint. However, I think the most memorable moment was being accepted to the graduate program at UCSC. I remember when I got the email, I was having dinner with friends and I started crying. It was a very big deal for me. I am the first person in my family to attend a university. To be able to attend for a Masters degree is was something I had once thought was impossible.

How will this scholarship/award impact your academic life/research? Through the graduate program, I am a student and a student teacher. There is a lot going on as a student but, at the same time, there are students I am responsible for. It is all really overwhelming,  especially when I also work part time. Therefore, this scholarship will help me not worry about having to work so much and allow me to dedicate more time to being in the classroom and putting extra time into my lesson planning.