Sunday Funday Moment: Santa Teresa senior first in family to attend college, accepted into multiple Ivy League colleges

Santa Teresa, NM-- Today’s Sunday Funday moment is a reminder that Moms really are our biggest cheerleaders.

Santa Teresa High School senior, Paloma Del Valle, will be the first in her family to attend college and it was a simple gesture from her mom that helped keep her dream alive.

"I started wanting to go to prestigious institutions when I was six years old and It was because my mom, I remember she printed out pictures of places like Harvard and Yale and she would put them in my room to motivate me,” said Del Valle.

Those pictures that would the inspiration Paloma would need to become the first in her family to attend college.

“I made sure to start getting involved even at the elementary and middle school level because I always knew that it was my dream to go to a top institution,” said Del Valle.

She spent her high school years taking advantage of the resources and opportunities that were available to her.

“I was a part of the NJROTC program for four years and I am the Commanding Officer this year. I was a part of the technology student association chapter and state president for New Mexico,” said Del Valle. “I was also a part of the National honor society and the HighQ team."

This past April Paloma's dream to attend a prestigious university would come true. She was accepted into several prestigious universities including Cornell, Rochester University, Yale, and Harvard to name a few.

“That feeling was literally unparalleled and it was definitely the best day of my life when I received those notifications,” said Del Valle.

She credits her grandparents, little brother and of course her mom for helping her stay motivated.

“I always cried to my mom about all the obstacles that I've encountered to get to where I’m at and how badly I wanted to do something I've always dreamt of,” said Del Valle.

Her advice to other young student’s is simple.

“Dreams really do come true and if you persevere through life’s obstacles and if you're able to have a passion for what you do you'll be able to get to where you want,” said Del Valle.

She has not made a decision on where she wants to go to college yet, but one thing she is certain of is that she wants to pursue a career in science as a geneticist.