Hailing from Baja California, Mexico, Miriam Lara-Zamora is a first-generation graduate studying Transborder Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies and Urban Planning.
As a student in the School of Transborder Studies Zamora held a busy schedule balancing two majors as well as an office-aide position within the school. She still managed to participate in an internship in Freiburg, Germany last year for her Urban Planning program, and participate in various research initiatives at the School of Transborder Studies.
Balancing these responsibilities has always been beneficial in her eyes, “When it comes to my classes with research professors, I think it has been wonderful and has helped me shape the person that I am right now. So I feel like it’s been a long time to get used to it, but it’s been great.”
She will work on completing her accelerated master’s degree in transborder studies over the next year while working on campus.
Question: How do you feel about graduating?
Answer: I feel excited. It's kind of scary because I remember when I was on my freshman year saying like, oh, it's going to be way too long until I graduate. But now that I see it, it's terrifying, honestly, trying to like, finish everything. But at the same time, getting to apply for jobs and getting to see what the opportunities for more higher education that we could get.
Q: What did you like about studying your majors or what were your favorite parts about them?
A: What I like about the transborder studies major was that I was able to get more understanding of how the community is here in the US and also learn more about identity, history, language, culture and how all of these factors combined to what we are right now and how that also affects the situations that we live in day to day.
What I like about my urban planning major is that I'm able to have a more hands on experience and also like practice what I've learned, and put it into a city sense. I will say being able to participate not only as a community member, but also someone who's willing to transform that.
Q: What did you like about having studying two majors and doing a double major?
A: So with the transborder studies major I’m able to study the community. And with the urban planning major, I'm able to create a better environment for that community. So it's like not I wouldn't say I created that connection between them from personal experiences that I have moving from city to city and seeing, like, the environment around me, how it drastically changed. So yeah, I think that's like what really motivated me to choose the two of them. And also because I learned that it's really important not only to be a community member, but also be part of the change.
Q: Can you talk to me about your research opportunities?
A: With the transborder studies major, I've been able to get more hands on experiences with research, doing participant observation, interviews, editing, coding. So I'm able to really put into practice being one on one with someone else, with the community and most of some of my recent research, which was group research with other transborder studies student majors, we did a Corpus Bilingual Lingua. So, we were able to interview people from the Phoenix metropolitan area about how their experience was with language and how different factors have affected them, the way of that they speak, or the variations that they see around them.
As for my urban planning major, my most recent experience also was doing being an intern research intern in Freiburg, Germany for summer of 2025, I was selected as being a research intern in Freiburg, Germany with the city of Freiburg. And I was thrilled, honestly, being able to participate and also being selected out of three students. It was the first time for me leaving the country and doing it alone. It was kind of scary, not going to lie, but it was great. I was able to meet great people, make connections with them and also learn about the different dynamics that they work with when it comes to transportation, when it comes to the city, how they work and how they collaborate with the different cities and municipalities around them.
It was like thrilling because I was like, how can I bring this knowledge back? And being able to be there, [to] be participating in going to meetings with people and seeing how they're doing everything they can to make their city more sustainable. But at the same time, making it affordable for everyone was exciting. And I'm thrilled. I'm thrilled to bring this knowledge back.
Q: Talk to me just about your student job that you started freshman year?
A: So my student job with the School of Transborder Studies, it was kind of it was at first it was scary, not going to lie with that, because it was like the first, I would say, a job of like a bigger person that I got besides like being like in high school, working in an office and stuff. So it was kind of like a good, like difference. And honestly, I really love it. Like just the first day that I was there for me, I felt like so welcome. And it was like, honestly, it was kind of overwhelming, but not in like in a bad sense. But it was overwhelming. Like, wow, there's like this place here.
And these people are so nice to me. Not because I was their student worker, but like in general, like nice to everyone. So welcoming. And I loved it. And that's why I stayed there like for three years now. And it's been a wonderful experience being able to also get into that connection with the staff and like being like more receiving not biases from them, not only like it's a work environment, but also like how they deal with their education journey.
How did they higher education were like some opportunities that they will recommend me for you for doing the steps to take. So that was really a good experience for me. And also being able to meet with professors, to being able to help them and be that like connection between professors and students to at the same time and all the and other visitors that they will come into.
Q: How do you feel about ASU?
A: So my experience at ASU has been great. I've actually been able to network with a lot of people, and learn more about the community within ASU and how the diversity of it, it makes it what it is. Honestly, I feel like I really had good communication with students and faculty here at ASU, with other departments being able to reach out whenever I needed help and having someone to actually call me back and checking on what I needed at the time.
Q: Do you have any advice for incoming students?
A: Advice that I will give for incoming students is don't be afraid to be involved with the school activities and also with reaching out to people, whether it's your professor, whether it's your academic advisor. I will highly recommend honestly, that will keep you safe for your four years in college or more.
Q: Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
I would like to thank my family because, you know, as a first generation student, it's difficult sometimes navigating through higher education. So having my family supporting me each step, whether it's like from a long distance from a phone call. It's been honestly the greatest support network that I've had, along with my academic advisor, which I really, really appreciate, not only because she's my supervisor at work, but at the same time she's my counselor too. Also, I would like to thank my professors for having patience with me and answering all my questions, which I really appreciate because sometimes I will be a little too much when it comes to asking questions and just the community around me.
Honestly, everyone has played a role with this. Whether it was something small or even greater or something. Everything has like really helped me get through this journey here at ASU.
Q: What does being a first-generation college student mean to you?
A: I feel like as a first generation student who's graduating with their bachelor's, I feel like it's not only a celebration for me as a student, but also for my family and all the efforts that they all made collaboratively with me to be here. I feel like my family, they all feel proud of me with everything that I've accomplished and they're supportive for me, has shown it.
So I will say that has been the greatest thing I ever experienced so far in my life. And I would say it's our accomplishment, not only mine.