Contact:
Linda Relyea
719-587-7827
lsrelyea@adams.edu
www.adams.edu/news
Angel Guerrero is an outstanding graduate of Adams State
ALAMOSA, CO. (June 15, 2023) – Angel Guerrero, Fort Collins, Colo., graduated Cum Laude from Adams State University, during the Spring 2023 Commencement Ceremony on May 13, 2023. Guerrero earned a Bachelor of Arts in secondary education: English education.
“Being the first in my family to earn a college degree is a great honor for me. I have had nothing but love and support from my parents and family. I feel the sacrifices that they have made for me to succeed and realize how I now stand on their shoulders. I can only hope to give them half of what they gave me.”
Guerrero is a very proud Grizzly. “I have met many incredible people at Adams State like friends, staff, and mentors and those are the things I’m taking with me when I graduate: not just a degree but relationships that I will cherish.”
After graduation, Guerrero is ready to begin his career as an educator. “I want to start living my life. I hope to find a job in the Valley as a teacher. My partner and I have found an apartment and we are really excited to make it into our home. It’s a little scary since I feel like I am at a crossroads in my life but excited nonetheless.”
Guerrero developed strong relationships with professors. “I didn’t disappear into the crowd. They got to know me more and I got to learn about them. My professors were always there to communicate with me whenever I needed assistance with anything; this included any problems I had outside of the classroom such as finding a job or other personal problems. I think that all led to a great system of communication with my professors so I was rarely in the dark.”
His work-study supervisor Tony Maestas, Computing Services electronics specialist I, was a very positive influence and mentor. “He immediately took me under his wing. He was the first person who made Alamosa feel like a home. I see him as a second dad.”
Guerrero was a recipient of the educator stipend for student teaching, developed by the State of Colorado. He is extremely grateful for the financial assistance.
It took Guerrero four years to graduate and he paid off tuition bills by working in the summer and saving up money.
Guerrero was president of the Educators of Tomorrow Club and the Pen and Inkwell Writers Guild vice president. He took a lead role on the committee that planned a day of events for author and poet Jimmy Santiago Baca to visit the campus. It was one of his proudest accomplishments.
“I have matured a lot since my freshman year. I feel like I was just a kid when I started my first year. I have a lot of empathy now toward myself at that time of my life. I missed home a lot and would often find it hard to make myself happy. Now, though I still see Fort Collins as a home with people I love, I found a home here in Alamosa as well. I met new friends and family. I have grown so much and not just in an academic setting; I have been shaping into the person that I want to be. I don’t know what’s going to happen next in my life and I still sometimes go back to that same kid from freshman year, but I find comfort in the fact that I can just take a breath and realize that everything is going to be okay.”
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Angel Guerrero works with Center High School students during his student teaching.