COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – In some ways, Maria Baltazar’s journey to working at Tennessee Tech University was a short trip down the street and, in others, an international trek marked by selfless sacrifice and love.
A Cookeville native, Baltazar’s earliest memories of Tech stem from the fourth grade, when fire damage at her elementary school caused her class to be temporarily relocated to Tech’s campus. Baltazar recalls how the university made the displaced students feel at home, even giving them t-shirts that said “Little Eaglets” – a nod to Tech’s identity as the Golden Eagles.
In later years, Baltazar’s parents, who did not have the opportunity to pursue higher education, would drive by the university and proclaim to their young daughter, “You’re going to go there someday.” Baltazar did exactly that, becoming the first generation in her family to attain a college degree, along with her sister.
The daughter of working-class Guatemalan immigrants, Baltazar recalls how her parents’ journey to the United States laid the foundation for the success she would later discover.
“They literally came here with maybe a plastic bag with some extra clothes in there, just looking to have a new life … hoping that, for my sister and me, we could have a different future and different path,” Baltazar explained on a recent episode of Tech’s “College Town Talk” podcast.
Baltazar’s mother worked during the day, so her father, who worked a night shift job, would often be the one to attend events during the school day with Baltazar.
“Thinking back now, it makes me emotional because I’m just so appreciative,” said Baltazar. “I know he was tired and I know he had long nights, and he would sleep less, but he would be present. And then same with my mom … Their jobs were physical. The labor was different than me coming home after sitting in an office or at school.”
Baltazar went on explain that, while her cultural heritage had emphasized household work for young women, her parents determined from an early age that she would be afforded opportunities to get a formal education.
“Culturally, a lot of the times for a female, for a daughter at a young age, they’re having to cook and clean, and then you can do your homework, but that was kind of on the back burner,” said Baltazar. “My parents didn’t do that with us. They always were like ‘No, you need to make good grades, you need to do your homework.'”
When Baltazar graduated with her first of two degrees from Tech’s College of Education, she knew it represented a milestone for not only herself but her entire family. So, when it came time to take part in the Tech tradition of decorating her mortarboard for commencement, Baltazar knew just what to say.
While many students opted for humorous messages, the top of Baltazar’s graduation cap read, “For my parents. They came with nothing and gave me everything.”
Following graduation, Baltazar fulfilled her goal of becoming a kindergarten teacher at the very place where her love of education first took hold as a young child: Jere Whitson Elementary School in Cookeville.
The school is known for its caring faculty and staff, deep sense of community and sizable population of students from immigrant and non-English speaking households.
“My heart was very much at Jere Whitson whenever I wanted to be a teacher – just wanting to go back and inspire those students, that school specifically, and kind of give back to where I came from,” Baltazar said.
Baltazar taught through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic and was settling back into the classroom when her alma mater came calling with an opportunity in the university’s new Office of Access, Belonging and Community Outreach.
“[The university] had noticed the increase in Hispanic students coming to campus and were just wanting to hear our journeys and what they could do to support those students,” said Baltazar, who explained that the new office had been working on a job description for an additional staff member for some time. “From there, earlier this year, they created a position in this office as a recruitment specialist.”
According to a university one-pager, the Office of Access, Belonging and Community Outreach seeks to “create a campus climate where all people are respected and valued, and everyone has an opportunity to find connection and belonging” – something Baltazar sees as a natural extension of her years in the classroom.
“We just work on doing our best to create an accepting environment where they [students, faculty and staff] feel like they belong – just helping them get connected to different resources, whether it be in the community or the university, to feel at home and find their people,” she explained.
Today, Baltazar looks at Tech with deep gratitude – not just for her education or career, but for changing the trajectory of her family’s future.
“It just gave me that opportunity to make my parents’ sacrifices worth it,” said Baltazar. “I’m very excited to see where I can go and who I can help on this journey.”
Listen to Baltazar’s full “College Town Talk” interview on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora and other platforms.
‘They came with nothing and gave me everything.’ Tech recruitment specialist honors immigrant family was first published by Tennessee Tech, and republished with permission.
