UA Yuma Welcomes First Family Studies Cohort

The family studies and human development program is the newest addition at UA Yuma and has just welcomed its first cohort of five students.

The first cohort of students in a collaborative academic program based in Yuma, Ariz. share a similar story: Each was devoted to studying at the University of Arizona but also felt a bond so strong to their families and communities that making it to Tucson proved to be difficult. 

And for some in the family studies and human development program newly offered at UA Yuma, the financial strain of uprooting and moving 240 miles away was another deterrent. 

But each is now completing a UA bachelor of science degree in Yuma through a partnership between the UA and Arizona Western College, AWC.

Aryca Arizaga Marron, a UA alumna and AWC instructor who works with the cohort, said it is "very important" that the students have the ability to pursue a higher education in their home communities, and that it helps them to have an on-the-ground impact. 

"It's a full circle process," Arizaga Marron said. "You see yourself in these students as they are following in your footsteps, going back to the community to help others." 

The program is run through the UA's Outreach College and requires students to spend their first two years at AWC, completing the last two at UA in Yuma.

The program is comparable to others being offered to undergraduate and graduate students at UA Yuma in areas that include computer science, nursing, crop production, agricultural education and optical sciences.  

For the family studies and human development students, the AWC courses were offered in person while the UA classes are now being offered online.

The Internet-mediated environment enables the UA Yuma cohort to connect with students and faculty members from the John & Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences on the main campus. 

The new offering is part of the UA's plan to expand its course and program offerings to students throughout the state. For students like Graciela Coronado, the collaboration offers a tremendous educational opportunity.  

Coronado said formal education for both her Mexico-born parents ended when the two were in elementary school.

Both have spent much of their lives working in the fields, picking cotton, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and the like. All the while, the two sacrificed for the betterment of their six children, encouraging them to take education seriously. 

"I made a promise to my parents and to myself that I would graduate from college," said Coronado, who aspires to be a nurse working with children. "I respect their work, but I wanted something better for myself and also for my parents." 

Stefani Herrera, one of the students in the initial cohort, said she believes the opportunity could not have came at a better time. 

"I am so grateful for this opportunity, I feel like I didn't have to sacrifice my education," said Herrera, who said her degree ultimately will lead to more career opportunities.

After being contacted by Tanya Hodges, the UA's outreach program coordinator in Yuma, Herrera said she was pleasantly surprised by the availability of options and how well the program coincided with her career interests.

"Growing up in a close-knit family, I was so fortunate in that I never had to want or ask for anything," she said. "I want everyone's child to feel this and be given those same opportunities."

Indeed, the program is preparing students to work with individuals and families, whether for nonprofits, in the private or government sectors or in community-based settings.

For UA Yuma junior Angey Guynn, the supportive atmosphere created by her faculty members, peers and others makes all the difference. 

"Our advisers have been great, whether it be through applications, scholarships or the whole pre-requisite process, they really have helped us along the way and made sure we (students) got to know each other," Guynn said.

Similar to Herrera, Guynn also wants to help families and believes she can do this with a degree in family studies and human development.

"Nutrition is my emphasis, I want to teach families how to feel better," said Guynn, who has volunteered with Washington, D.C. based foundation, The Cancer Project.

Guynn, who has helped teach cooking and nutritional classes for cancer survivors, understands that it is not only nutrition knowledge but awareness that is crucial to helping people of all ages receive vital health information.

While she was raised in a healthy household, Guynn said she has developed her nutritional knowledge through reading, studying and involvement with The Cancer Project. 

Paula Ramirez, who also has a strong connection to her family and community, has been encouraged by the UA Yuma program to fulfill her strong desire to study marriage counseling and eventually become a therapist. 

"But I needed something local," said Ramirez, adding that she wants her 5-year-old son, Miguel, to remain close to family. 

And she especially enjoys the structure of the program, saying she and the other students meet and speak often about assignments and expectations. 

"We are all trying to make this work, but as a team," Ramirez said. "There are more chances of making it."