Gloria graduated first in her class from Polytechnic High School in May of 2001 with a 4.6 GPA.  She was the valedictorian from her graduating class.

Gloria was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and has been living in the United States since age four.  She feels that despite others? beliefs, being a Latina is not an obstacle, it is a blessing.  She describes it as a challenge that has become her driving force to further her education and be all that she can be as a Latina woman in a community where she is the minority. 

Her strong character, dedication, and hard work have earned her great honors.  In 2001, she traveled to Italy as a Ft. Worth Sister Cities Ambassador and in 2000, she was awarded a full paid scholarship to attend Presidential Classroom in Washington D.C. where she met former president Bill Clinton.  She was also featured on KUVN Channel 23?s ?Education at Your Reach? program.  Gloria was a member of the National Honor Society President, a member of the ballet folklorico and a mentor at her high school. She attends Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas double majoring in Corporate Communications and Public Relations and minoring in Latin American Studies.  She plans to go straight into Law School and going into immigration law.

In the summer of 2002, she worked as a teaching assistant in a math program at Phillips Academy in Andover called Math & Science for Minority Students. Gloria has been involved at school being a member of several mentoring groups as well as mentoring in her home town.