Today we’d like to introduce you to Claudia Villa Moore.
Claudia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It has been a long road since my family immigrated to the United States from Mexico. I’m the youngest of eight children and was too young to remember but I’m told the 10 of us shared a two-bedroom apartment after arriving. Some of my siblings completed high school in Mexico and some here in the U.S. They went directly into the workforce because post-secondary education was considered a luxury our family couldn’t afford. The majority of my brothers and sisters joined my parents in the fields and warehouses to help provide for the family. I grew up on a farm just outside of a small football town in Washington, by then all but one of my siblings had either married and/or moved out. When I wasn’t in school, I spent the days helping my parents make ends meet by moving irrigation pipes across our 25-acre farm, harvesting apples, cultivating the land for crops, and hauling alfalfa bales.
I’m lucky to now have a rewarding career working for the company of my dreams, Edwards Lifesciences, where I get to contribute to the development of life-saving medical devices. I appreciate my families’ sacrifice, I’m thankful for the doors that have opened and closed, and I’m excited for everything we have yet to accomplish.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I excelled academically but school life was far from easy or comfortable as a first-generation student from a low-income background. My dad’s broken English only got him so far, I often found myself translating and helping him complete forms when he had the time to show up to parent-teacher conferences. I was hurt by the remarks made to make us feel inferior so I adapted by leaving my culture and native language at home. Little did I know that many years later, I’d land my first career job in biotech straight out of college because of my ability to speak Spanish.
I was lucky to have many siblings working together for the good of our entire family, reinforcing our Latino cultural values and reminding me that achieving a higher level of education could improve my quality of life. When I learned about the FAFSA, I took it upon myself to collect all of my parent’s financial information to complete the application and I searched for every scholarship available at the time. I worked full-time to get through college and made time for an internship just before my undergraduate coursework came to an end. After I received a B.S. in Biology from the University of Washington, I went back for a M.S. in Biomedical Regulatory Affairs. As I walked across the stage with my family cheering from the stands, I thought to myself ‘we did it, we’re living the American Dream.’
What were you like growing up?
According to my mom, I was an introverted, strong-willed child but I enjoyed helping and mentoring classmates.
I want to encourage my nieces, nephews, first-generation students, immigrant students, foster students, and anyone else that needs to hear this right now not to give up on themselves. Remember that the right perspective, mindset, and attitude will help you accomplish things you never imagined were possible.
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