- I'm very proud to be from Miami, Arizona,
a rural copper mining town in Central Arizona.
To me, Miami, Arizona and my growing up there
instilled in me a strong sense of community
and really working hard to lift others up in life.
And so for me, being part of that community
gave me a sense of pride and confidence
that I could do whatever I wanted to in life,
and it also motivates me now to want to give back
to students who come from all communities
so that they can have similar experiences.
Sun Devils, I cannot tell you how excited I am
to officially welcome you to ASU.
(students cheering)
To be a first-generation graduate means that I am
the first in my family to graduate with a college degree.
I never reflected as much
on being a first-generation student
as much as when I became provost and for example
the first time I talked at college graduation
and I asked if you're first-generation stand up,
and so many of our students are first-generation,
and it occurred to me then that,
wow, I came from being first generation
to now being the provost of the university
in charge of the academic enterprise.
I think it says a lot about ASU
that a person with my background
is now at the helm of the academic enterprise.
And I hope it sends a positive message to other students
about what they're able to achieve.
Shortly after I was named provost,
Miami High School invited me to come out and talk with them
which I was thrilled for the invitation.
I know in my own experience at Miami High School,
I had fabulous teachers who really encouraged me
and really made me see all of the possibilities.
- Anything's possible.
You set your goal and your mind, you can achieve anything.
And so I think having her as a role model
for a small town - people have the mindset,
"Oh, I'm from a small town."
"I can't achieve anything, I'm not going anywhere,
"I'm not going to be anything."
And she is a prime example that yes,
you put your mind to something, anything is possible.
- We want all of our students to feel welcome at ASU
and we really think carefully about the student experience.
The nice thing about coming to a big university like ASU
is you absolutely will find your place
'cause there's something for everybody.
In terms of student organizations,
the kinds of courses that you wanna take.
We also do a lot with our faculty and advisors
to help them understand that we need to connect
with all of our students and help them find a place
so that ASU feels like a home to them.
The ASU charter is a very inspirational
and empowering mission that has kept me at ASU
for my entire career.
The ASU charter states that we measure ourselves
by whom we include, not by whom we exclude.
So we are a university that's committed to access
and making sure that if you are ready to learn
in a university environment, that ASU is a place for you.
It was very exciting to me that we passed
the threshold to become a Hispanic serving institution.
In the year that I was named Provost
because I am myself a Latina.
What that means is that more than 25%
of the students who come to ASU
identify as Hispanic or Latino.
It carries a lot of responsibility,
a lot of responsibility to not just enroll that number
of students, but to make sure that they succeed at ASU.
We're very much trying to combine access with excellence
and it has enabled us to really rethink higher education
and do things in very different ways
than other universities.
It is what keeps a lot of people like me motivated
to stay at ASU and really think about what's next
in terms of the impact that we can have in the world.
(gentle music)