Alma Marines

My name is Alma Marines and I am the daughter of two Mexican immigrants who came separately with their families to Galveston in the seventies. With them, they brought their pasts, their cultures, their hopes, their fears, and their dreams. Through hard work and perseverance, my parents navigated life in America with limited English. 

Nonetheless, out of their four children, four of us have college degrees. As first-generation students, we learned to motivate and advocate for ourselves and constantly look for resources to help us navigate through the unknown without prior experience or role models. 

Currently, I am a second-year doctoral student at Houston Christian University. In 2021 I graduated from Lamar University with a M.Ed. in Counseling & Development - Marriage, Couple & Family Counseling. I also obtained a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Houston Clear Lake. Even though my name is on my college degrees there is a village of people and communities that made these degrees possible. My parent’s defiant strength, prayers, care, sleepless nights, and strenuous labor provided me and my siblings with opportunities beyond our wildest dreams. As an adult, the father of my children worked hard during the day only to come home and take care of our three sons so that I could attended classes. There were educators who taught me lessons beyond the four walls of their classrooms and instilled in me a purpose to someday pursue the doctoral degree that I always dreamed of having. And then there’s my three sons, whose support and unconditional love has continuously provided me with a purpose greater than myself and have taught me the true meaning of unconditional love, strength, empathy, sacrifice , and resilience.

The degrees I have aren’t just mine; it’s because of and for all of us. I did not accomplish this level of success alone. I fell apart each time I thought I was doing it alone, only to be picked up by others and be reminded that I wasn’t. I found myself, my passions, and my purpose in this world thanks to their relentless love and support.