Gabriela Rodriguez's graduation present won't be wrapped in a box or folded into an envelope. When she grasps her diploma today, she'll have the comforting knowledge that her family — who traveled from Venezuela — is there to watch her.
Family and friends of graduating SFA students will be visiting Nacogdoches today to watch their loved ones complete one stage of their lives before beginning another, and Rodriguez's family is no exception.
Rodriguez, who was named as Miss SFA in February, said she cannot even begin to describe the excitement that she feels by having her family attend her graduation, which she described as one of the most important days of her life.
"I don't get to see my family very often, because it is hard to travel to my country since there is so much going on politically that makes it hard to visit your loved ones," Rodriguez said. "I get to see them every two years. For me, (that) is an eternity, since everyone in my family is so close, and I am the only one who does not live in Venezuela."
Rodriguez's father, two aunts and three cousins, who arrived in Texas Thursday, will be spending five days in Nacogdoches and Houston.
"They are leaving for Venezuela on (May) 13," Rodriguez said. "We have planned to tour beautiful Nacogdoches. I am so proud of the town that I want them to see and experience its warmth and welcoming nature."
Her family will also tour SFA, she said.
"They are very eager to see the university since I always talk about it," she said. "I have told them all about what it means to be a Lumberjack and to 'bleed purple.' In a sense they feel like honorary Lumberjacks. We are going to spend as much bonding time together as possible, which I am extremely excited about."
Rodriguez's relatives traveled from Maracaibo, Venezuela, and San Cristobal, Venezuela.
"The round trip from Houston to the city of Maracaibo is about five hours there and five hours back," Rodriguez said. "But part of my family is coming from another part in Venezuela, which is more to the south of the country. Those family members traveled about 14 hours all together arriving in Houston from the city of San Cristobal."
Although planning the trip was tedious, Rodriguez said it was "all worth it."
"It (was) hard for them to travel here because of the cost of airfare," she said. "At first, I only knew that some of them would be coming. But later, I was informed that it was more than I expected, and ... that is not even half of my family.
"Since it was more of a last minute (of) who was coming, we were not able to find hotel rooms for them in Nacogdoches, so sadly, they will have to stay in Lufkin."
With the combination of Rodriguez's relatives who traveled from Venezuela, her relatives in Houston and her friends, she said she is excited to know that she will have a cheering section at graduation.
"I feel blessed to be able to have family here with me," she said. "I love my family a lot, and it means the world to me that they will be there. Words can't really express the excitement."
After graduation, Rodriguez plans to reside in Houston, where she hopes to begin work as a teacher.
"I will continue my education by getting my masters in administration or student leadership," she said, "since my ultimate dream is to be a superintendent of a school district."
Commencement exercises begin at 9:30 a.m. in the William R. Johnson Coliseum. Texas Gov. Rick Perry will be the commencement speaker.
