Story #31: Wendy Garcia-Nava
Wendy Garcia-Nava, a South Los Angeles native, always dreamed of going to USC. In fact, there’s a picture of her as a fourth grade student wearing a t-shirt that boldly proclaims “I’m going to college at USC.
Luckily for Garcia-Nava, years of hard work made her dream a reality.
As a kid, she participated in the Neighborhood Academic Initiative – a community-based college prep program that guarantees full-ride scholarships to students accepted into colleges and universities across the United States. Once Garcia-Nava got her USC acceptance letter, the decision was a no-brainer.
During her time at USC, Garcia-Nava was a part of the psychology department honors program and had three minors in Spanish, forensics and criminality, as well as computer and digital forensics.
However, in addition to her rigorous academic pursuits, Garcia-Nava still found time to give back to her community through her involvement with JEP.
After first becoming acquainted with JEP through a freshman seminar, Garcia-Nava knew this organization was a great way to give back to her very own community of South Los Angeles. Long after that seminar ended, she continued working for JEP throughout the entirety of her undergraduate experience.
In 2015, she was honored with the Barbara Seaver Gardner award. This honor is given to graduating seniors who have shown steadfast commitment to community service over a period of several years, emphasizing on the area surrounding the University Park Campus.
In addition to this achievement, Garcia-Nava has participated in NAI’s annual college-readiness presentation as a panelist. She mentors students in the same position she was, and is living proof that they too can make their dreams a reality.
“Community service is an integral part of who I am” she told USC News in 2015.
Continuing on with her passion for service and helping others, Garcia-Nava is now finishing up law school at the University of California-Davis.