10/08/2026
At 7 years old, ๐๐ป๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ arrived in the United States knowing very little English. But today, this Crowley Collegiate Academy senior is preparing to graduate with both a high school diploma and associateโs degree โ and looking ahead to a future in biomedical engineering.
A first-generation U.S. college student, Garcia is excited to work in a career where she can build affordable prosthetics and machinery to help those with physical disabilities.
โThe little girl who arrived at 7 years old struggling with a new language has grown into a young woman who uses her voice, her time and her talents to make a difference,โ her mother Lynetthe Garcia said. โ๐๐ป๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐
๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐. ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ท๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ด๐ผ. She has overcome challenges, continued to grow and found ways to give back to the community that has helped her along the way.โ
Crowley ISD is proud to shine the spotlight on Ana as we continue to recognize .
โAna is an amazing young lady who holds high goals for herself,โ CCA Academic Dean Tralissa Griffin said. โShe came to CCA in 10th grade from a private school, pushing herself to take the most challenging classes. Ana has a heart for people, whether volunteering or hanging out with classmates and friends. She demonstrates kindness in her interactions with all those around her.โ
Margaret Schuessler, one of Anaโs teachers, said she doesn't shy away from the rigorous college-level work students experience in CCA.
โAna brings an uncommon grit and heart to everything she does,โ Schuessler said. โAnd our entire CCA family is so very proud of her.โ
A varsity swimmer for North Crowley High School, Ana was recently named a Fort Worth Sister Cities International Youth Volunteer of the Year, participating in numerous Sister Cities events, including traveling to Japan to live with a host family, visiting a school and experiencing Japanese culture firsthand.
Her family has also hosted students from China, Eswatini and Japan. She especially enjoyed sharing Mexican traditions and food with her guests. She has served for multiple years on the Sister Cities Youth Board.
"Ana is a compassionate, charismatic, driven, and valuable asset to the community as well as the Sister Cities Organization,โ wrote Jim Sangsvang, Youth and Education specialist and Courtney Upp, Youth Board advisor for the organization. โShe is a model global citizen who represents her community and Fort Worth exceptionally."
Looking back on her first years in the United States, Ana remembers that to learn English, she and her mother would go to the library every Saturday to find books to read and practice words in the car.
She also worked with a tutor, and her mother immersed her in the language as much as possible through English movies and music.
Ana was so successful at learning the language that in about two years she landed in the top five of her schoolโs Spelling Bee.
She said her parents were so proud she was able to learn English so quickly.
โMy family has really helped me a lot, and I feel like theyโre an important part of my life,โ she said. โWeโre actually a family of four โ my dad, my mom and my dog (Thanos โ a Quinceaรฑera gift). My mom really pushes me to work hard. And my dad is my role model, also my mom. I feel like both of them have set high standards for me.โ
Anaโs future is looking bright, and she recognizes the sacrifices her mother made in bringing her to this country.
โShe came here just to give me a better life,โ Ana said.
Crowley Collegiate Academy and courses like AVID are helping Ana graduate from high school with two years of college complete, and sheโs grateful for the opportunities.
โIโm really excited to see what the future has for me,โ she said. โI really want to give back to my parents for what theyโve done for me. I want to let them take a break.โ
Sheโs proud of her Hispanic heritage and remembers the stories her grandfather shared of the struggles he had.
โYou should be proud of who you are,โ she said. โHispanics have accomplished a lot. People had to struggle, so you should be proud of who you are and where you come from.โ
