An Interview with Army Maj. Kelly Guerra, a First-Generation College Graduate
By U.S. Army Maj. Kelly Guerra
A native of Southern California and the daughter of immigrant parents from El Salvador, U.S. Army Maj. Kelly Guerra is the first in her family to attend college. A graduate of Valley High School in Santa Ana and today a Commissioned Officer and Physician Assistant in the U.S. Army, she has shared her first-gen journey as a featured speaker at Concordia's Latina Leadership Conference.
Q: Youâre a returning speaker to Concordiaâs Latina Leadership Conference. Why did you make the trip back to your native Orange County from Illinois to be part of the âWhere I Startedâ panel?
 A: I couldnât say no to coming back, it always feels like such an honor to be welcomed by Concordia University Irvine with open arms! This is such an amazing opportunity to reach out to young Latinas and help them on their path to be successful and strong women. I wish I was given this opportunity growing up, it wouldâve helped me plan a better path to reach my goals.
Q: Latina Leadership Conference speakers in the past have said that theyâre talking to âa younger me.â In other words, theyâre sharing things that they wish they had known about when they were young and in high school. Was that true for you? If so, what would be the top tips youâd give a first-generation Hispanic student in high school today?
 A: Most definitely. Tips I would offer is to do your research! If you want to be a rocket scientist, know what you need to get you there. Donât be afraid to ask questions. If you meet someone who is already a rocket scientist, make friends with them and ask them to be your mentor. You have so many resources now at your fingertips with technology and the internet. Another tip is to not settle, just because you finished a bachelorâs degree doesnât mean youâre done. Keep going further and pursue more education and degrees! Donât give up, you can do it and donât let anyone hold you back.
Q: Tell us briefly about your college journey? Where you started? How you chose your major? And how you ended up in your current career?
 A: I began my college journey by applying to and getting accepted into the University of California Irvine. I knew I wanted to be a nurse, so I chose biology as a major. I didnât know at the time that I shouldâve looked for a school that offered a nursing program (they didnât offer it at UCI at the time). I thought I had to get a bachelorâs of science first and then apply to nursing school. Wrong! I ended up leaving UCI and joining the U.S. Army Reserve as a combat medic and licensed vocational nurse â the Army provided me all my training at no cost and in half the time. The nursing course was 1 year instead of 2 years for licensed vocational nursing. After serving for a few years, I applied to the militaryâs physician assistant (PA) program and moved up from LVN to PA, which meant now I was going from an enlisted soldier to a commissioned officer. The entire school and hospital rotations were free of charge and I was getting paid just to be a student. I gained additional degrees, leadership responsibility and my pay increased as well.
Q: As a first-generation college graduateâmeaning that neither of your parents earned a bachelorâs degreeâwhat and who inspired you during your college journey to persevere and never give up?
 A: My parents inspired me to become something better than what they were able to do. They always encouraged me to pursue education and obtain a career that would make me successful.
Q: If you had a chance to do your college journey all over again, what would you do differently? Who would you listen to more?
A: If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I wouldâve joined the Army right away instead of starting at UCI. I wouldâve thoroughly thought more about the debt that would quickly accumulate going to college. We didnât have the money to pay for it and I didnât qualify for financial aid, so it was all going to be student loans.
Q: This yearâs conference was a little different for you because your mom was actually a panelist. She spoke with another mom of a first-generation Hispanic student and shared about her side of the college journey. Did listening to this panel inspire you to do more? If so, how?
A: I didnât realize how much my mom went through when I left for the Army until she got on stage to share her story. I knew she didnât want me to go, but hearing her say when I was gone she would walk into my room and just look at it when I was gone really broke my heart. I know now she is very proud of me, but I wish I was there to just hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay and worth all the sacrifice. I am so proud of my parents for going through so much immigrating to America to seek a better life. They are a true story of perseverance and resilience.
