Zaida Mejia

Zaida Mejia is a charter school graduate. She wrote the following after receiving her bachelor’s degree from Mills College.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude for giving me the opportunity of receiving a higher education. I finally graduated! Thanks to your generosity I became one of the first in my family to graduate from college. I am honored to have graduated with a B.A. in Mathematics and a minor in Computer Science from Mills College, a college that produces strong, proud, and intelligent women. My family was very proud of me and overwhelmed by emotions seeing me at graduation. They too are grateful to you for giving me this opportunity.

These past four years at Mills were very challenging, and the knowledge and experiences I have obtained have changed me in many ways. Mills gave me the opportunity to explore different subjects. Mills also made me a more open-minded and understanding person towards the views of diverse people.

I was very happy to be a member of Mills Leadership Action of Tomorrow, a student-run organization that focuses on raising awareness of immigration policies and helping AB-540 high school students through the college application process. I was also a member and treasurer of Mujeres Unidas, a club that focuses on Latina sisterhood and culture. During my senior year, I co-founded the collective for Women of color in Mathematics and Computer Science to support underprivileged women in computer science and math.

My immediate plans include going to grad school. Mills offers a program in which students from majors other than Computer Science can obtain their Masters in Interdisciplinary Computer Science. Since I already have a minor in computer science, I can complete the program within a year.

Upon receiving my Masters, I want to teach underprivileged children in public schools about the wonders of innovative technology. I have always wanted to give back to my community for the help and support I have received throughout my educational career. Again, thanks to you I will be able to take this extra step to achieve my goal.

Thank you again for positively changing my life.