She is the first. 

Soccer player Tessa Arreola will become the first person in her immediate family to go to college.  She committed to Texas A&M University for the women’s soccer team after playing the sport since she was 3 years old. 

“When I was able to commit to A&M, it made me feel so proud of myself,” Tessa said. “Coming from not having much when I was younger, it means a lot to show my parents [that] all the effort they put into me [was worth it.] When I committed, it felt like I proved my name to the world.”

To maintain her connection with her religion, Tessa prays before each game. When she found out that A&M does the same, it was an added factor that made her feel right at home. 

“When I had just come from dinner with all the girls and was sitting in the coach’s office, it felt like I was already on the team even though I was trying to be recruited,” Tessa said.

Tessa will be graduating at the end of the fall semester and getting an early start at A&M in January. She said she is excited to get a head start practicing with the team and to be a semester ahead in her core classes. Tessa will major in business management and aspires to become an anesthesiologist.  

“I go home and my parents remind me that I’m the ‘first of the first’ to carry this out,” Tessa said. “I’m proud to represent my family in a positive light.”