MinerAlert
MinerAlert
April 2026
By Tanya Torres ’19, ’21
Maribel Gutierrez grew up in El ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½, never planning to leave home. The Franklin Mountains framed her childhood and shaped her sense of belonging. The city felt familiar and steady, a place she imagined staying forever. However, her educational journey at ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ would ultimately expand that sense of home and lead her in a direction she never expected, as she graduated in 2009 with a degree in clinical laboratory science.
The start of Maribel’s college experience was not easy. Her high school grades had not reflected her potential, and she entered ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ on academic probation. By the end of her first semester, however, she had earned a place on the Dean’s List—an achievement that shifted her confidence and proved she was capable of far more than she had imagined.
“College was important to my family, so I knew I had to try. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ was close, familiar and exactly where I needed to be. Making the Dean’s List changed everything for me,” Maribel said.
Maribel credited part of this success to the Student Support Services Program, which provided academic support, counseling and a community of first-generation students who understood the pressures she faced.
She also credited four women in the program—Martha Chairez, Nancy Wilson, Cynthia Velasco and Gladys Shaw—with guiding her through those years. Each played a distinct role in her experience, forming the steady support system she relied on throughout her college journey.
“One was our guidance counselor, one was our mentor and teacher, one organized events and one advocated for the program to get funds to keep it running,” Maribel said.
Discovering Her Path
Two professors in the clinical laboratory science program, William Lewis and Delfina Dominguez, were another source of support for Maribel. With their guidance, her assigned coursework seemed to come naturally, and she found a community of students and mentors who shared her growing passion for the field.
“It was when I started taking those classes and not failing that I realized I was exactly where I needed to be,” Maribel said. “I met a community of people and thought, I can do this.”
While her academic studies intensified, her personal responsibilities also grew. By her junior year, she was working two jobs—at Peter Piper Pizza in Horizon City and Big 8 in Central El ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½—while taking 18 credit hours. She was also the oldest of three, and she pushed through long days to help her family when they needed her most.
“So I had school in the mornings, then I would go to Horizon for my first shift. After another class on campus, I would go to Big 8 to finish the night. I would prepare the ceviche and shrimp cocktail for the next morning, package all the fish, then try to do homework, sleep and do it all again,” Maribel said.
Her hard work propelled her into the final stretch of her program: her preceptorship. With more students than available placements in El ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½, ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ partnered with a hospital in Tucson that could take two students. Maribel was selected as one of them.
A New Life in Tucson
Leaving El ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ was never part of Maribel’s plan, but she packed her belongings and moved four hours away to begin her preceptorship. The city felt familiar enough to ease her nerves about the transition, and what was meant to be temporary quickly became something more. In Tucson, she built a home, a routine and a career.
After completing her preceptorship, Maribel stayed in Tucson and began working full-time in her field, securing a job at the Veterans Affairs laboratory. Here, she found a place where her skills and passions aligned. The work allowed her to grow, lead and support veterans in her newfound community. Over time, she became the laboratory information manager, shaping the way the lab functioned and supporting the team she had grown with.
Tucson brought another unexpected blessing. “I met my husband in this program. What still surprises me is that we grew up close to each other in the Northeast. He was in the Chapin area and I was near Irvin, but we never crossed paths,” Maribel said.
Giving Back to the ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ CLS Program
While in Tucson, Maribel continued to look for ways to stay connected to ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½. When she learned about ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½’s Raise Your Pick Giving Day, the University’s annual giving day, she became an advocate, sharing information with coworkers and encouraging them to participate. Her outreach paid off; she helped rally $1,000 in donations, a contribution she was proud to bring back to the University.
Becoming an advocate for the clinical laboratory science program felt like a full-circle moment for Maribel. It was her way of giving back to the program that had changed her life and honoring the place that helped her become the professional she is today.
Looking back, Maribel sees her journey as proof that growth often happens in the moments we least expect. She said she often reminds herself that if she could juggle two jobs and a full course load, she can face whatever comes next. Each chapter has shaped her with gratitude, and she is eager to share what she has learned with the students who will follow her.
“You are capable of more than you think. I did not see it at first either, but once you trust yourself, everything changes,” Maribel said.