She was invited in while SDA was still being built
In her junior year at Carolina High School, Diana Hoyos-Lopez learned how many barriers stood between her and college. She told a few teachers she trusted, and they connected her with Hispanic Alliance.
She remembers a small meeting in the Carolina library with those teachers, school staff and HA. That’s where she learned she wasn’t the only student facing that uncertainty, and HA told her they were building a student leadership program and wanted her in it.
SDA gave her confidence in herself and her future, and in her friends’ futures too. Diana went to college on a full-ride scholarship and graduated with honors, earning a Bachelor of Science in Human Services with a minor in Spanish. She now works in public health and is pursuing her master’s in public health, with the goal of becoming a researcher.
“We are here to make a difference. We are here to unite as a community and, you know, just never lose hope.”
Diana Hoyos-Lopez
