{"id":51866,"date":"2025-12-03T13:50:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T18:50:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/?p=51866"},"modified":"2025-12-08T10:09:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T15:09:11","slug":"finding-momentum-one-step-at-a-time-meet-fall-2025-graduate-zoila-walston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/2025\/12\/03\/finding-momentum-one-step-at-a-time-meet-fall-2025-graduate-zoila-walston\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Momentum, One Step at a Time | Meet Fall 2025 Graduate Zoila Walston"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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If you\u2019re an ACC student who\u2019s feeling tired, overwhelmed, or wondering whether you can really make it to the finish line, you\u2019re not alone. Meet Zoila Walston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is graduating this fall with her Associate of Arts in English, crossing a stage she once wasn\u2019t sure she\u2019d ever reach. At 47, she returned to school because ACC offered exactly what she needed at the time: \u201cIt was local, affordable, and a great entry point into academia.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting fresh wasn\u2019t easy \u2014 especially while navigating \u201cperfectionism, performance\/test anxiety, time management, and overall study discipline.\u201d But for Zoila, everything shifted the moment she simply stepped into her first class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I began, I knew I was on the right path. The accomplishments I’ve made here, both academically and in awards. Mainly because they pushed me to the next level and helped me see what I’m capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along the way, Zoila found a supportive academic community that pushed her forward. She credits the Honors Program, calling out Dr. Anne-Marie Thomas and her other Honors instructors: \u201cThey\u2019re so supportive, encouraging, and help you believe in yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That support extended beyond the Honors classroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll of my instructors have been very supportive, making themselves available to help in ways that will help me succeed. The free access to news via the New York Times has been a big help to me, as has knowing I have access to Better Help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zoila was also the runner-up for the Chancellor Student Achievement Award. With graduation ahead, she\u2019s already planning what comes next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am planning to get my Bachelor’s degree in Communications Studies. I don\u2019t know what, but I am excited for the next chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her advice for anyone considering college:  \u201cDo it! Commit and be \u2018all in.\u2019 Education is priceless and worth the time and investment, along with all the intangibles you gain from being in an academic environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zoila\u2019s story is a reminder that progress often begins quietly \u2014 with a single class, a supportive instructor, a resource you didn\u2019t know you needed, or the courage to try again. She\u2019ll walk the stage with fellow graduates at ACC\u2019s Fall 2025 Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, December 12, at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park \u2014 a milestone she once wasn\u2019t sure she\u2019d reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information, visit austincc.edu\/commencement<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re an ACC student who\u2019s feeling tired, overwhelmed, or wondering whether you can really make it to the finish line, you\u2019re not alone. Meet Zoila Walston. She is graduating this fall with her Associate of Arts in English, crossing a stage she once wasn\u2019t sure she\u2019d ever reach. At 47, she returned to school […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":51868,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[488,1013,1447,1448,486],"class_list":["post-51866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-stories","tag-commencement","tag-english","tag-fall-2025-commencement","tag-fall-2025-graduation","tag-graduation","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51866"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51866\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}