December graduate finds strength through family ties, college experiences

Expansive studies, travel abroad prepare scholar for career in business

As Lizbeth Vazquez-Cortez stood marveling at the Eiffel Tower during a study abroad trip, the first thing she thought to do was FaceTime her mom to share the wonder of the moment.

“I went to Paris, and so did my family, because I was sending them pictures and connecting with FaceTime,” the Belk College of Business December graduate said, describing her trip. “My mom’s dream has always been to go to Paris. Me going to Paris was like her also going to Paris. She loves the Eiffel Tower. She even has framed pictures of it.”

Vazquez-Cortez’s inclusion of her family during her studies in France, Croatia and Montenegro illustrate how family members — her mom, two siblings, aunts, uncles, grandmother and cousins — have traveled with Vazquez-Cortez in spirit throughout her academic journey. She is the first person in her extended family to earn a college degree, with dual majors in marketing and in operations and supply chain management.

“My mom has always been very supportive,” said Vazquez-Cortez, who grew up in Hickory, N.C. “She has always wanted me to go to college. She never wanted me to just go straight into a factory or other work.” Her mother was unable to complete high school, as was the case for her aunts and uncles, who will be among family members who proudly come to Charlotte to celebrate Vazquez-Cortez’s graduation.

Feels like home

“The first time coming to Charlotte during a high school tour, it just felt like home, even though I had never been here before,” she said. “It just felt right to me, and I had already toured so many other colleges. And then researching more about it, it did seem like the best place to go if you’re looking into business, since Charlotte is a leading city for banking.”

As a single parent, her mother had to focus on making ends meet, but kept her eye on college options. The family discovered Juntos, which provides Latinx students and parents with resources and skills for higher education and careers. Vazquez-Cortez enrolled at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory and graduated with an associate degree in 2022.

“I did not know what I was going to do in my future,” she said. “I thought I wanted to be a nurse, because that was what I had heard about. But deep down, I knew I didn’t really want to do that. I switched to business.” Juntos helped her explore how to transfer to UNC Charlotte and how to obtain financial support.

Vazquez-Cortez found a home at Charlotte in large part because of the wide array of people and opportunities she has encountered. “I see people like me and people who aren’t like me, too,” she said. “Some go through the struggles that I’ve gone through, so I can relate to them. The opportunity that UNC Charlotte gives students makes us feel like we belong. UNC Charlotte does an amazing job at representing every single student.”

People who have had significant influence on her college experience include Belk College Executive Director of Professional Development Meagan Glasco. “She was one of the greatest supports for me understanding and maneuvering around and feeling more confident,” Vazquez-Cortez said. “I would definitely say she was a huge part of my development at UNC Charlotte.”

Clinical Assistant Professor Alan Turovlin also has had an impact, bringing real-world experiences and engaging activities into the classroom. “He is a very kind and understanding professor,” she said.

Achieving career goals

When Vazquez-Cortez first came to Charlotte, she discovered the Belk College Women in Business initiative, which provides career-developing activities for undergraduates to achieve personal and professional goals.

“Definitely that’s where I began gaining the confidence that I am more than who I think I am,” she said. “Imposter syndrome can get in the way and create these invisible barriers that we do not realize are there. We have to overcome those with confidence.”

She also is an active member of the UNC Charlotte chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America and has completed internships with Spot Freight and Prospera USA. She has earned several scholarships, including a four-year scholarship from the Kiwanis Club in Hickory and the Priscilla Kersey Excellence Award scholarship provided by UNC Charlotte alumna Ciara Lilly ’09 in honor of her grandmother. Funding from Ally Financial Inc. made her study abroad experience possible.

Vazquez-Cortez has worked throughout college, including stints as event staff with a catering company, a spa attendant and server and a certified nursing assistant.

Lessons of hard work

She learned foundational lessons about hard work as a teen. One summer, she begged her mother for an iPhone the family could not afford. Her mother had found extra work picking blackberries and told Vazquez-Cortez she could join her.

“That’s when I really learned what hard work meant, because seeing that these people actually did this for a living every day, it really impacted me,” Vazquez-Cortez said. “This was exactly what my mom didn’t want for me. She did not want me to have to suffer in the sun, picking blackberries for me to earn money.”

That summer in the fields taught her life-changing lessons. “Although I didn’t have a lot, I knew people around me had less than I did,” she said. “It made me more appreciative of what I had, and it also taught me how to be humble around people and to be kind to others.”

Now, she looks forward to joining Wells Fargo as an audit analyst in its developmental program. She became interested in audit analysis because of a curiosity about how businesses operate at a deeper level, particularly with financial integrity and compliance. She expects to draw upon analytical problem-solving and an attention to detail in her work.

Motivation and dedication

Vazquez-Cortez recalled how her mother would scrimp and save so the family could take trips, packing food from home to save money. Her mother believed in providing as many opportunities for her children as she could, stretching her limited means. Understanding her mother’s sacrifices motivated Vazquez-Cortez to strive as hard as she could.

“When receiving scholarships, I have felt like all my hard work was worth it,” she said. “This is somebody telling me, “You deserve this. You deserve this education. You deserve to not fall back, and you deserve this opportunity.” This is somebody else telling me I am capable. There are other people that see the potential in me to be greater.”

During her summer picking through the thorny brambles under the beating sun, Vazquez-Cortez was embarrassed. Now she takes pride in how that experience and others have shaped and prepared her.

“I learned a lot from picking blackberries,” she said. “I feel like your early beginnings are what make you the person that you are and help you build resilience and an understanding of yourself. You learn that you are greater than what you had to go through.”