Nataly Morales Villa, a first-generation college graduate who obtained U.S. citizenship in 2017, said she never expected to get accepted into the Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

After her plane landed in Mexico on a trip to see her grandparents, Villa said she received the congratulatory email. Her immigrant mother, Veronica Morales, was sitting beside her.  

“I immediately started crying, and I hugged my mom,” Villa said. “I was reflecting on all of her sacrifices. It was beyond overwhelming.” 

When Villa was 5 years old, she said her mother immigrated to the U.S. to leave behind a life of extreme poverty in El Mezquital, Durango, Mexico.  

Villa stayed with her grandparents in Mexico at first but months later moved to North Carolina to live with Morales. 

Villa said she grew up in a low-income home as an only child being supported by her mother, who currently works at a poultry plant in Gainesville. On her 11th birthday, Villa received her first green card, which she describes as one of her most memorable presents. 

Nataly Morales Villa, a first-generation college graduate who obtained U.S. citizenship in 2017, said she never expected to get accepted into the Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

After her plane landed in Mexico on a trip to see her grandparents, Villa said she received the congratulatory email. Her immigrant mother, Veronica Morales, was sitting beside her.  

“I immediately started crying, and I hugged my mom,” Villa said. “I was reflecting on all of her sacrifices. It was beyond overwhelming.” 

When Villa was 5 years old, she said her mother immigrated to the U.S. to leave behind a life of extreme poverty in El Mezquital, Durango, Mexico.  

Villa stayed with her grandparents in Mexico at first but months later moved to North Carolina to live with Morales. 

Villa said she grew up in a low-income home as an only child being supported by her mother, who currently works at a poultry plant in Gainesville. On her 11th birthday, Villa received her first green card, which she describes as one of her most memorable presents. 

“You get a cake, I get a green card,” Villa said. “I got the key to the American dream.” 

Ten years later, Villa became a U.S. citizen, and her mother has permanent-resident status. 

“Because of all her sacrifices and her raising me on her own, I made it to Harvard,” Villa said. 

Villa has spent most of her life in Hall County, graduating from Chestatee High School and going on to earn a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Georgia. 

While at UNG, Villa was accepted to the prestigious McNair Scholars Program, which is a federal Department of Education initiative to prepare undergraduate students for doctoral studies through research and academic inquiry. Through the program, Villa said she decided to conduct research on Hispanic-serving institutions to see how Hispanic enrollment has grown. 

This month, she will begin taking online Harvard courses to pursue a master’s in higher education with a focus on education policy. After Harvard, Villa said she is considering earning a doctorate at Emory University in Hispanic studies. She said her current goal is to become a professor and conduct research involving the Hispanic community.  

“Who knows, one day maybe I could be a dean or a vice president of a university,” she said. “If that’s at a Hispanic-serving institution, that would be my dream.” 

While at UNG and in high school, Villa said she has never had a Hispanic teacher, counselor or professor. She said the first time she met a Hispanic white-collar worker was during her first year of college.  

“When I was in high school, even though I graduated with a 4.0 GPA and multiple scholarships, I lacked the role model who could tell me that I have potential to at least apply to UGA or an Ivy League college,” she said. “Just seeing that lack of representation is what really inspired me to obtain my master’s to pursue a PhD and be a role model for the coming generations of Latinx students.” 

Villa said she never considered applying to Harvard until attending a Latina empowerment and development conference on its campus in February. After touring the diversity and initiatives office and meeting some of the education graduate school’s staff, she decided to “at least give Harvard a shot.” 

Villa applied on July 13 and got accepted July 31. Without the support of her mother, grandparents and UNG professors, she said this achievement wouldn’t have been possible.  

If she could give advice to other first-generation college students and Hispanic immigrants wanting to dream big, Villa said she would encourage them to “apply for everything and anything” and find a mentor.  

“In my community, I’m wanting to change the narrative on what it’s like to be a Hispanic and immigrant, 
she said. “That’s been one of my biggest motivations.” 

To help pay for her $85,000 per year Harvard tuition, she has set up a GoFundMe account. Villa said she recently earned a $19,000 grant, which will go toward the costs. Unfortunately, because of her course load, Villa said she will no longer be able to work as an admissions officer at UNG to help offset the costs. So far, she has raised $2,517 of her $45,000 goal.  

To view the online fundraiser, visit gofundme.com/f/help-me-obtain-my-masters-from-harvard-iamhgse.