AMBER RICHARDS, Alumna

"My experience at Heritage University has been life changing. When I first entered Heritage, I was hesitant to pursue higher education. I felt like a college degree was something for other people—not me.  I was spiritually broken and struggling to survive.  I was a teen mom with no education or marketable skills to get the type of job I needed to support my son.

Even though I was unsure that college was for me, I chose to attend Heritage University because I wanted to provide a better life for myself and my son.   What I found was something more than an education; I found my belief in my own worth and an aspiration to succeed. My goals grew from earning a bachelor’s degree so I could get a decent job to earning my Ph.D. in Literature and becoming a college professor."

Today, Amber is one step closer to fulfilling her goals. She graduated with honors from Heritage in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She is now enrolled in a graduate program at another university where she is working towards a Master’s in English Literature.

Maria Martinez-Escobar, Alumna

Heritage student Maria Martinez-Escobar is driven by a passion to help others find their own successes in life.

Maria is a junior majoring in accounting with plans to one day earn her law degree. While pursuing her academic goals, she divides her time between her children and her work with at-risk youth at a local high school. She is equally devoted to her community having served as a foster parent, domestic violence victim’s advocate, and Guardian ad Litem.

Maria’s background is not so different from those that she tries to serve.

“There are thousands of stories like mine in the Yakima Valley. I plan on reaching those kids,” she said. ”I tell them ‘if I can do it, so can you.’”