Senior Perla Moreno-Mercado knows what she wants to do with her life. She’s going to be a military police officer, and she’s been taking the credits in high school necessary to get her there through JROTC and the Criminal Justice class at Massanutten Technical Center. However, high school is only the first stop on her road. This coming fall she will be the first person in her family to go to college.

“My parents [inspired me to continue my education]. They’ve always told me they want what’s best for me. They want me to do well in life,” Moreno-Mercado said. In turn, she is fulfilling her mother’s dream.

“I want to be an MP, a military police… My mom wanted to [be a police officer], but then she had my brother, and she didn’t get to,” Moreno-Mercado said. “I’m just trying to make [my parents] proud.”

Being a military police officer blends her two interests of being in the criminal justice field and going into the army.

“[My favorite memory from high school is] JROTC. I loved the competitions and everything,” Moreno-Mercado said. She is a member of both the Drill and Step teams at HHS.

“[JROTC] has helped me a lot to grow up, I guess,” Moreno-Mercado said. “I see freshman now, and I’m like, ‘Oh wow, I used to be like that. I’m glad I joined this class.’” The structure of JROTC helped support her on her academic journey. As a freshman, Moreno-Mercado didn’t see herself going to college, but by the end of her sophomore year, she had changed her mind.

“I grew up and started seeing that I had to do something to be successful,” Moreno-Mercado said.

As a recent applicant to BRCC, she has a while to wait for the acceptance letter.

“I applied [to Blue Ridge] yesterday, so [I don’t know if I’ve been accepted or not yet],” Moreno-Mercado said. However, the application process was much less stressful than she originally expected.

“[Applying to BRCC] wasn’t that hard,” Moreno-Mercado said. “I thought it was going to be really hard and long.” Career coach Cheryl Logan helped out along the way, as well, to make the process simpler.

For now, Moreno-Mercado feels accomplished as a first generation student.

“I’m proud of myself,” Moreno-Mercado said. She will be attending Blue Ridge Community College then transferring to James Madison University after she received her associate degree.

Perla is only one of many first generation college students at HHS. Read more of their stories in the December print edition of the Newsstreak.