First in her family to graduate from college, ASU Prep staffer now inspires others
Anabel Fernandez (pictured at the zoo with husband Alex and their three sons: Christian, Andrew and Giovanni) graduated summa cum laude from ASU's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College in 2005. She now works for ASU Preparatory Academy as the assistant director of recruitment and admissions, helping students on their journey to higher education. Photo courtesy of Anabel Fernandez
Anabel Fernandez, the assistant director of recruitment and admissions for ASU Preparatory Academy, is the daughter of immigrants and a first-generation college graduate. She understands quite personally the value of higher education.
“I am a first-generation graduate with not just immediate family, but cousins. I mean, first one. So it's a big deal,” Fernandez said.
“My parents were very hardworking individuals. They really just engraved the importance of school coming from an immigrant family, the value that school has and opportunities that it brings to those in this country, especially minorities.”
Now, she is guiding her three children on a path toward a college degree.
Fernandez feels a deep gratitude for her parents and other mentors who inspired her. She particularly understands just how important it is to have someone who believes in you, especially for young immigrants and minorities, and how much those relationships can inspire.
“I was a Spanish speaker, so English is my second language,” Fernandez said. “Back (in elementary school), I had a teacher. Her name is Mrs. Arroyos. She was the most incredible person.
“I, till this day, believe that because of her, I am a teacher. She believed in me. And for a student who comes to this country, not really knowing the language, not knowing the culture and feeling like that person understands you and just gets you, it's powerful.”
Higher education had its challenges for Fernandez — particularly the costs involved in college. She had to work to make it happen.
“We weren't able to afford going into a university right out of high school,” Fernandez said. “So I just took what I had and went to Chandler Gilbert Community College for two years and worked super hard to try to get some scholarships to get into the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.
“Those opportunities that I had because of ASU and everything that it offered to me I hold very dear to my heart. I am ASU. And now my kids are ASU.”
Fernandez graduated summa cum laude in 2005 from ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College with an undergraduate degree in elementary education.
“My graduation, I mean, it was bigger than a wedding,” Fernandez said. “Just seeing my parents, and them seeing their daughter walk across that stage graduating from a university, that's something that they've always pushed for. I mean, they're grandparents, they have other kids, but they said that is one of their proudest moments as parents. … That to me is something, a day I cherish forever.”
After graduation, she returned to her alma mater, San Marcos Elementary School, to teach — looking to inspire students in the same way Mrs. Arroyos inspired her.
“There were opportunities where they had me give a presentation at a pep assembly, because a lot of these kids look like me and they sounded like me when I was their age, and to show them, ‘I have the exact same qualities that you do. So if I could do it, you could do it.’ I love that,” she said.
Fernandez’s gratitude to those who helped support her not only helps motivate her optimistic outlook, but guides her path forward.
“I graduated from Teachers College because I wanted to give back,” Fernandez said. “Now I don't teach, but working at ASU Prep Academy, I have the ability to be able to reach out to different populations and really just offer what ASU Prep Academy is about and all the amazing opportunities that come with it.
“We offer college courses at no cost to these kids. And for many, and I speak for myself, that was something that was not an opportunity. And if it was, I would have taken it in a heartbeat.”
In addition to helping other students find their way to college, Fernandez is focused on the three under her own roof. Her two youngest attend Arizona State University Preparatory Academy, and her oldest, a senior, has eyes to enroll as a first-year student in ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering come fall 2025.
“Currently, my oldest is a senior. Same thing as my parents, I've instilled the importance of education with all of my kids,” Fernandez said. “My senior this year, just last week, has applied to ASU’s college of engineering. So for us, it's such a big deal, and for me as a mom, now it is coming full circle.”
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