ConGRADulations to the UCF Class of 2022! Posted Monday, May 2, 2022 @ 8:19 AM With 2022 Spring commencement rounding the corner on May 6th and 7th, the department of Housing and Residence Life would like to honor a very important member of our family. Theresa Corral was interviewed in a previously published article for “National Thank A Mail Carrier Day,” but Theresa is once again making headlines throughout the department for an even greater accomplishment. Having started her degree at UCF back in 2012, Theresa will now be walking across the stage to receive her diploma and a Bachelor of Integrated General Studies (BGS) with a minor in Business Administration. For those who don’t know Theresa, she has worked for our UCF mail centers for over 12 years – she currently takes on the role as an Office Support Assistant at the West Plaza Mail Center. While her official title may state otherwise, Theresa likes to think of herself as an everyday Santa Clause! Her college journey began in 1976 at Florida Technological University (UCF’s previous title), and she later received an AA degree in 1980 from Valencia. She will be a first-generation graduate – both of her parents and brothers did not attend college and/or were unable to finish their degrees. After receiving her AA, Theresa got married and had children of her own, so finishing her bachelor’s degree was placed on the back burner. She revealed that growing up “it was always an ‘if’ I go to college,” but for her children, it “became more of a ‘when’ they go to college.” Realizing she wanted to finish and obtain her bachelors; Theresa was determined to go back to school at either Rollins College or UCF. Ten years later, we could not be prouder of her decision to attend Knight Nation and serve residents in our mail centers! When asked what has kept her motivation and educational endurance running strong for all these years, Theresa accredits a lot of it to other UCF students and her student assistants at the mail center. She truly enjoys the work that she does and admits that working with students has helped her through this academic journey, as she’s been able to better understand and relate to others on what the current “school-life” was like. Working in the mail center and attending school taught Theresa that the greatest pressure she’d face was the pressure she placed upon herself. Post-graduation, Theresa plans to continue her career at our mail centers. She loves working with students and claims that her job keeps her young. Working as Santa Clause every day gives her the opportunity to spread smiles, positive affirmations, and motivation amongst our student body. Theresa’s husband, two daughters, their spouses, and her grandson will all attend her graduation. To celebrate, she plans on going on vacation with her husband where they will travel up the Eastern coastline to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. On behalf of the UCF Housing and Residence Life team, we congratulate Theresa and thank her for her kind spirit, and all her hard work! Back