LYNN — Lizeth Vela has been climbing uphill for a lot of her life. Today, she finds herself standing at the top, reaping the rewards for her hard work and achievements.
Vela also worked through the La Vida Scholars program, which helps students of low-income families find colleges and some financial aid.
Vela saw it all pay off earlier this month when she found out she received the Stephen Phillips Memorial Scholarship, a renewable $10,000 grant that will allow her to attend Salem State University. The scholarship is awarded to students with financial need who display academic achievement, a commitment to serving others (in school, their community, or at home), a strong work ethic and leadership qualities.
Vela checked off many boxes. First, her childhood was interrupted for a year with a heart condition that required surgery when she was 7 years old.
“I’d get pains in my chest, and one day, at Cobbet School, they got real bad, and I told my gym teacher,” she said.
What followed was a series of events that resulted in her being admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital for a ventricular septal defect, which is an abnormal opening (hole, really) in the heart.
“I was out the whole rest of the year,” said Vela, who is 19. “I remember there was talk about whether to keep me back or to promote me to the next grade.”
However, “they ended up promoting me because all through the year, even though I was sick, I studied and did my work.”
But the experience had a lasting impact on her. While at Tech, Vela studied medical technology, with the ultimate goal of becoming a registered nurse.
“I took it (med tech) to see if I loved the health field, and it turns out I did. I love it.”
The defect did not hinder Vela in later years. She played three sports at Tech (volleyball, basketball and softball) until her senior year, when she dropped basketball and couldn’t play softball when the state canceled spring sports due to COVID-19.
Vela knew early on she had to be a conscientious student. She arrived in the United States at the age of 2 from Mexico, and her parents didn’t speak any English at all through much of her childhood. Now, they speak some, but Spanish is the main language at home.
Vela is also part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a U.S. immigration policy that allows some individuals to receive renewable two-year periods of deferred action from deportation and become eligible for a work permit. The U.S. Supreme Court on June 18 rejected President Trump’s attempt to dismantle the DACA program, saying he didn’t have legal justification for doing so.
For now, she is relieved.
“I was scared,” she said. “I had mixed feelings. I came here at a young age. I worked very hard, and it would have been really difficult if DACA was taken from me. To leave here and have to go back to Mexico would have been heartbreaking. I’ve never even visited there. I’ve lived here all my life.”
In the meantime, she did what she’s done all her life: worked hard, set her bar high, and reached it.
“I found out in high school I had a learning disability,” she said. “When I got into the health program, I felt that all the other kids were smarter than I was. My friend told me I should see that as a good thing, and that it should challenge me.”
Her mentor at La Vida, Kathleen Martinez, agreed, Vela said.
“I felt comfortable going to her,” Vela said. “She motivated me too.”
As a result, Vela started taking more challenging courses, first in the honors program and then in advanced placement. Her report card showed a steady stream of As and Bs.
“Everybody who was surrounding me encouraged me,” she said.
Martinez helped her apply for the scholarship and shepherded her through the process. Vela was not sure about whether she had a chance.
“My SAT scores weren’t that good,” she said.
But on the other hand, “they kept calling me and asking me questions. So I thought maybe I had a chance.”
Something else happened that may have contributed to her getting the scholarship too. Julie Chan, a nurse practitioner who directs Tech’s school-based health center, helped Vela get on the board of the Lynn Community Health Center.
“As a student, I gave my perspective, and gave them my ideas,” she said.
And her story has a happy ending.
“I wanted to go to college,” she said, “but I didn’t know whether I was going to be able to because of our financial situation. Now, I can.
“I am very grateful to Kathy,” Vela said. “She motivated me. I don’t think I could have gotten this without her.”
Vela lives in West Lynn with her parents, Elizabeth Caballero Fuentes and Sergio Vela, and two younger brothers, Brian Vela and Yordin De Leon.