Give Alicia Perez a glass ceiling. She’ll smash right through it.
It’s only been one day since she graduated from Durant High School, but the 18-year-old is set for her future. In August, she’ll be starting as a mechanical engineering major and business and finance minor at the University of Central Florida. The first two years of her collegiate schooling are, for the most part, completely funded.
It’s not only a milestone for Perez, who grew up as a migrant student, but for her whole family.
“I’m the first female in my family to graduate from high school and go to college,” Perez said.
Let Me 'Atom'
“As a migrant (student), society sees you as ignorant,” Perez said.
It’s a stigma Perez faced most of her life, especially since she and her family traveled for work until she was in seventh grade. The family harvested crops, mostly tomatoes, in Florida, Georgia and Ohio.
Now, the family owns a produce stand at the Plant City Flea Market on Sam Allen Road. They also inspect tomatoes, and Perez was responsible for helping her mother get the necessary certification.
“We were all over the place,” Perez said. “There’s always the catchup game that you play.”
Growing up, Perez’s parents were strict when it came to schooling. As a kid, Perez did her homework on the way to the fields. Though Perez faced a language barrier because she lacked some of the fundamentals of the English language, she quickly caught on.
When her family stopped traveling for work, she was so used to learning at a fast pace, she grew tired of her honors classes. She enrolled in Advanced Placement classes to give herself a challenge.
“I like all subjects,” she said. “I try to do my best. I had the most struggle in English, but I still took AP lang and AP lit.”
Eventually, one subject stuck out from the rest: physics. Perez took every physics class she could, even asking the school to create a higher level for her — which it did.
Because of her success in math and science, Perez was invited to partake in a summer science, technology, engineering and mathematics program, or STEM.
From there, she went on to become the captain of Durant’s Planetary Lander Egg Drop Competition. The competition allows schools to create a contraption to drop an egg without breaking it.
But it’s not just about fun and eggs for Perez. With a degree in mechanical engineering, she hopes to help students and migrants who have faced similar challenges.
Big Bang
With her degree, Perez wants to start a program through new forms of technology that helps people who don’t have English as a primary language.
“There’s so much locked up in so many people that are considered immigrants,” Perez said. “People are more than just what they look like. Technology gets advanced. We have so many cultures in the United States. Why not have the ability to speak more than one language?”
She also hopes to build a mentorship program from STEM students.
“I don’t really let (stigmas) bother me. I’m just going to show them that I can work harder and I can do better. You lead by example.” –Alicia Perez
But first, she’s looking forward to the college experience.
“I’m excited to have a little bit more freedom,” she said. “Normally I’m either at school or work or babysitting my little brother. I want to see a little bit more of the world than what I’ve seen.”
She also plans on working throughschool. With scholarships covering her first two years, Perez wants to pay her way through the rest of her schooling while also helping pave the way for her younger brother.
“I don’t mind working,” Perez said. “I don’t mind getting my hands dirty.”
For Perez, funding her final two years is simply another challenge — one she’s looking forward to.
“If I say, ‘This is my limit,’ then I’m going to break it,” she said. “There’s no reason to have an end point with your limits. Just try to be the best person you can be.”
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.