Maria-Soledad Velasquez was the first graduate of Texas Tech Online’s $10K Degree Completion program in El Paso.
In early February 2025, El Paso native Maria-Soledad Velasquez was driving when she heard it the first time: a radio ad about Texas Tech University’s El Paso $10K Degree Completion program. Later that same day, as she scrolled through Facebook and Instagram, the message appeared again.
She laughed to herself. “Okay, God,” she thought. “I get it.”
By the end of that evening, she had already looked up the program and submitted an inquiry. The very next day, she was contacted by Jennifer Serna, a Texas Tech advisor in El Paso. What felt like a coincidence quickly became a path forward.
Maria had had her shot at college, more than once, but she was never able to finish. The nudges from seemingly out of nowhere caught her attention.
Alex Garcia, director of TTU El Paso, recalls the first time he met Maria, sitting in on her Zoom advising session.
“After she was given all the information, her immediate response, without hesitation, was, ‘Great, where do I sign up?’” Garcia said. “We immediately registered her for the microcredential classes. And the rest is history, as she became our first El Paso $10K graduate.”
Maria started the microcredentials piece of the program in late March – four short courses held onsite in El Paso, tailored to meet the needs of working professionals – and completed them by June.
She was then able to formally enroll for the online portion of the program, officially becoming a Red Raider with the help of Texas Tech Online Student Advocate Brianna Adkins.
By December Maria had done what once felt impossible: she completed her Online Bachelor of Science in Leadership Studies, with a focus on human resource (HR) development. Her concentrations included leadership studies, organizational management and interdisciplinary studies. She graduated cum laude.
Like many post-traditional students, Maria’s academic path didn’t follow a straight line. She began her college journey at Texas A&M University right out of high school, with plans to become an accountant. Math came easily to her. Her father was an accountant, and she had even worked alongside him as an intern at Johnson Controls in Juárez the summer between high school and college. Accounting felt practical, stable and familiar. But once she was deep into her coursework, something still hadn’t clicked.
“I realized I didn’t want to look at numbers for the rest of my life,” she said, shaking her head at the irony. “Which is funny, because I still ended up looking at numbers anyway.”
Recognizing that accounting wasn’t the right fit, Maria shifted her major to HR development. The change aligned more closely with her strengths — working with people, managing operations and keeping organizations running smoothly. She completed much of the coursework for her bachelor’s degree and built a strong foundation in HR. But life, as it often does, had other plans. School was put on pause, but work continued.
Years passed.
“It just snowballs,” Maria said. “One day you look up, and before you know it, you’re in your 30s with kids and you didn’t finish school.”
During those years away from the classroom, Maria built an impressive professional resume. She managed four different companies under one umbrella, gaining hands-on experience that many graduates only encounter years after earning a degree.
One of those roles placed her in the middle of an intense and high-stakes challenge: helping stabilize a general contracting company after a previous contractor took payment and disappeared before finishing the job.
The financial strain was significant. Nearly a million dollars had to be repaid and managed as the project moved forward. Maria helped oversee subcontracting, tracked cash flow and ensured payments went out as money came in.
“It was a very sketchy time in the business,” she said. “I didn’t want to do numbers, but there I was, crunching them week to week just to make sure everyone got paid.”
Despite how demanding the work was, Maria had mastered it. The company owner noticed how efficient she became. He noticed something else, too.
“He kept telling me, ‘You’re bigger than this place,’” Maria recalled. “‘You’re never going to have space to grow here. It’s time to get that degree.’”
That encouragement stayed with her. When she decided to return to school, she tried exploring closer options. She discovered the first school she enrolled at wouldn't apply her previous credits in the way she expected. Courses she had completed years earlier didn’t align cleanly with degree requirements, meaning more time, more repetition – and more tuition would be necessary.
“It just didn’t feel right to start over after everything I’d already done,” she said.
She even reached back out to Texas A&M, hoping to finish her degree virtually, but that didn’t quite work out either. However, the process reinforced something Maria already knew: she needed a path that made sense for where she was in life now, not where she had been as a first-time student all those years ago.
Then there came that radio commercial. And the scroll-stopping ad on her phone.
Through the El Paso $10K program, Maria found an institution willing to meet her where she was regarding her previous coursework, her professional experience and her responsibilities as a working parent. Just as important, she found people who believed finishing was not only possible, but close.
Serna, who had first contact with Maria, emphasizes the qualities that helped the post-traditional student forge her path and inspire others in the process.
“Maria will always stand out as a motivated and optimistic force who spearheaded student success in El Paso,” Serna said. “She not only inspires us as administrators, but her story has encouraged students toward following their own dreams, and it will continue to do so for years to come. We are extremely proud of her.”
At first Maria planned to take it slow, one class at a time. But when Adkins reviewed her record to enroll Maria in her remaining required classes, she offered a surprising suggestion: take all four remaining required courses at once, and she could graduate in December.
“I remember thinking, ‘I’m a full-time grown-up,’” Maria said. “‘I work full time. I’m a mom. How am I supposed to do all of this at once?’”
Still, she trusted the guidance and decided to try.
What followed was one of the busiest but most meaningful semesters of her life.
Maria’s days started early with work from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Evenings were devoted to taking her daughters, Erika (12) and Alicia (9), to their activities. Alicia, a competitive dancer, spent three hours twice a week at the dance studio. Erika’s cheer practice fell during the same hours. Instead of sitting on the sidelines watching her younger daughter practice, Maria began bringing her laptop. She studied, wrote papers and completed assignments while Alicia danced in the background.
“It really felt like everything aligned,” Maria said. “I was exactly where I needed to be, doing exactly what I needed to do.”
The dance studio community even noticed her determination. The director purchased small rolling desks for Maria and other parents so they could comfortably work while waiting through practice. Weekends were for finishing anything still on her list. It wasn’t easy, but it worked perfectly. Ahead of the December graduation date, she was finished.
As her former boss expected and hoped, not long after graduating, Maria found her place to grow, stepping into a new role as an academic administrative coordinator at the Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine at TTUHSC El Paso. In her position, she supports professors, proctors exams, enters grades and tracks student progress, helping identify when students may need additional support. Maria says the program motivated her to find a place where she can help other people achieve their dreams and complete their education.
Her work reflects the same care and organization she brought to managing businesses and completing her degree. And while she’s considered returning to school for a master’s degree, Maria is thoughtful about timing. She wants to make sure she’s giving 100% to her job first and doesn’t bite off more than she can chew.
Looking back, Maria sees her journey as proof of Texas Tech’s promise: From Here, It’s Possible™.
“For students like me – working parents, transfers, people who’ve been out of school for years – Texas Tech makes space,” she said. “They look at what you’ve already done and help you move forward.”
From fleeting ads that could have been ignored and a moment of curiosity-turned-inquiry, to graduation and a new career path, Maria’s journey is a reminder that progress doesn’t require perfection, just the willingness to take the next step when the opportunity arises.
And sometimes, that opportunity finds you right when you’re ready to hear it.