Despite the demands and anxiety along the way, Ocon had no doubts about her decision to attend Texas Tech.
“My parents were supportive and have sort of pushed me to do everything I want,” she said. “I have had a lot of encouragement from them and from my teachers at Texas Tech to help me understand everything in class. Since we are a small class, we can spend more time with them, and that made things easier, but it was hard because there is a lot of work.”
Texas Tech also has changed the trajectory of her life in a powerful way. This spring, Ocon learned she had been accepted as a master’s student in the architecture program at the University of Texas-Austin.
“I am super happy about that,” she said. “I was talking to Ersela, and she helped me put together my portfolio. At one point, I thought I would wait a year, but she called me and said, “You can’t wait!’ I applied and was accepted. Now I am happy and nervous and scared.”
Ocon is only the second student from the El Paso program to be accepted at UT-Austin, and no one is prouder than Kripa.
“I told her the journey doesn’t end here, but she was really reluctant to leave her family,” Kripa said. “At first, she decided not to apply, and I convinced her because the world would be so much better if she were an architect in it.
Kripa has played an instrumental role in helping Ocon not just see her potential but believe in it – and do something about it.
“I think of her as a mentor,” Ocon said. “She has helped me especially in thinking and how to connect my ideas. I feel sometimes that my ideas are all over the place, and I don’t know which ones to choose. You want to do something. You add something else. It can be tough.”