As a first-generation college student, Natalie Velez (’22) didn’t understand all the ins-and-outs of the higher education system. She wanted to create a better future for herself, but she lacked the resources—financial and otherwise—to take the leap right out of high school.
Her parents encouraged her to apply to different colleges, even though they weren’t in a position to pay for her education.
“I knew I would have to put myself through school, which was the hardest part about my decision,” said Velez, a native of Tacoma.
It wasn’t until about 18 months after high school that Velez realized that she could, in fact, afford a post-secondary education. She enrolled at Bellevue College in 2018, and one class was all it took.
“I took an astronomy class and absolutely fell in love with it,” Velez said. “I never realized that becoming a scientist would be a career option for me, but the more I thought about it, I decided, ‘why not me?’”
On the advice of a family friend who had attended CWU, Velez transferred to Central in 2019 to pursue a degree in physics.
“The financial aid opportunities made it affordable, so I decided to move to Ellensburg,” she said.
Velez became involved in the McNair Scholars program, and by the time she graduated, she had also earned minors in astronomy and math. Along the way, she supervised a small student research team and managed a high-powered telescope in Discovery Hall.
Now, Velez is completing the second year of her six-year graduate program at the University of Oregon, and is well on her way to earning a PhD in physics.
“McNair is what set me up for all of this,” Velez said of the federally funded program that connects first-generation, underrepresented, and low-income students with graduate school opportunities.
“The whole process of applying for grad school would have been overwhelming without their help. It’s just a giant support system that makes students like me realize anything is possible.”
Starting with the experience she gained at Central—and now the U of O—Velez is on track to become a university professor someday.
During her first two years in Eugene, she has been working as a teacher’s assistant for a class of 200 undergraduates. She’s also teaching introductory physics to non-majors and has gotten involved with research groups that explore advanced subjects, such as dark matter, trapped ions, and molecular spectroscopy.
So far, her experience has been other-worldly.
“The main thing that got me interested in physics was learning about unknowns,” Velez said. “Now, I’m being exposed to all different types of research and figuring out which direction I want to go. It’s been a pretty amazing experience.”
If everything goes according to plan, Velez will be leading her own lecture halls and research projects someday. But it’s not all about her; she’s on this path to show others that they can overcome any obstacles they encounter in life.
“I would love to work for a student-focused university like Central where there’s lots of one-on-one help,” she said. “I want people to know my name and know my story—someone others see and know what they can become.”
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