Angela Peragine

As a facilitator in TCC's Embajadores de la Comunidad program, Angela Peragine taught Spanish-speaking immigrants about the United States' educational system and the road to higher education. She took that road herself. Now, the Venezuelan-American is a junior at The University of Texas at Arlington.

She notes that her journey began at TCC when she lost her fear of returning to college. "Attending TCC was a huge step for all of what I do now, academically and in the community. For older students like I am, who decided to go back to school or start a new career, TCC is the perfect place."

When Peragine and her family sold their businesses and left Caracas during political and economic tumult in 2000, they set a course for better life in the U.S. 

For her, that has meant pursuit of higher education while teaching bilingual students at Crouch Elementary School in Arlington. Peragine is enthusiastic about her work at Crouch, where she helps Spanish-speaking students to overcome either language-related difficulties or lack of help at home.

She is "very excited about starting a new semester at UTA." She is majoring in Spanish with a minor in psychology and hopes to graduate next year.

There is nothing to fear and everything to celebrate, Peragine said. "I can see my first academic goal (a baccalaureate degree) approaching."