{"id":26709,"date":"2022-04-08T10:29:24","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T14:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nahro.org\/?post_type=journal_article&p=26709"},"modified":"2022-04-08T10:38:06","modified_gmt":"2022-04-08T14:38:06","slug":"student-spotlight-karen-medina","status":"publish","type":"journal_article","link":"https:\/\/www.nahro.org\/journal_article\/student-spotlight-karen-medina\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Spotlight: Karen Medina\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Stability was something Karen Medina craved her entire life. From a young age she moved around a lot, across several southern states before eventually spending an entire year in Mexico. It wasn\u2019t until her family settled in the town of Harlingen, Texas at the Harlingen Housing Authority, that she felt a sense of belonging and peace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe housing authority…it gave me a home,\u201d Medina said. \u201cWe were forced to move around a lot because of financial issues, so this place gave me stability. I consider that my home.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Medina is one of four, with two older siblings and one younger sibling. Her parents came to the United States from Mexico to better their lives and their children’s lives. Since she was a kid Medina said she\u2019s aspired to do well in school and go to a four-year college. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt didn\u2019t matter what I did, I always knew I\u2019d go to college,\u201d Medina said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One reason for her passionate ambition is because Medina skipped one year of schooling while her family temporarily relocated back to Mexico when she was 10 years old. The gap in schooling propelled Medina to succeed academically to catch up to her peers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Medina graduated top 10 in her class from Harlingen High School. Her dedication and hard work earned her the honor of becoming one of NAHRO\u2019s 2021 Merit and LDG Scholars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n