{"id":52588,"date":"2025-12-03T13:48:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T18:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=52588"},"modified":"2025-12-08T09:58:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T14:58:21","slug":"finding-confidence-community-and-a-new-chapter-at-acc-meet-acc-fall-grad-zoila-w","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/12\/03\/finding-confidence-community-and-a-new-chapter-at-acc-meet-acc-fall-grad-zoila-w\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Confidence, Community, and a New Chapter at ACC | Meet ACC Fall Grad Zoila W."},"content":{"rendered":"
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When Zoila Walston enrolled at Austin Community College District (ACC) in 2023, she wasn\u2019t just returning to school; she was stepping into a new version of herself. Now, at 47, she\u2019s graduating with her Associate of Arts in English, carrying the confidence and encouragement she found along the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I began, I knew I was on the right path.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Zoila chose ACC because it offered exactly what she needed at the right time: \u201cIt was local, affordable, and a great entry point to academia.\u201d <\/p>\n

Like many students balancing school, life, and personal expectations, Zoila faced challenges \u2014 but she met them head-on. She had to overcome perfectionism, performance and test anxiety, time management, and overall study discipline. <\/p>\n

Along the way, Zoila found a supportive academic community that pushed her forward. She credits the Honors Program, calling out Dr. Anne-Marie Thomas and her other Honors instructors: \u201cThey\u2019re so supportive, encouraging, and help you believe in yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

That support extended beyond the Honors classroom. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll of my instructors have been very supportive, making themselves available to help in ways that will help me succeed. The free access to news via the New York Times has been a big help to me, as has knowing I have access to Better Help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those connections and resources helped Zoila achieve more than she imagined possible.\u00a0Zoila was also the runner-up for the Chancellor Student Achievement Award.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe accomplishments I’ve made here, both academically and in awards. Mainly because they pushed me to the next level and helped me see what I’m capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n

The road doesn\u2019t stop here for Zoila. \u201cI am planning to get my Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies. I don\u2019t know what, but I am excited for the next chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her advice for anyone considering college:  \u201cDo it! Commit and be \u2018all in.\u2019 Education is priceless and worth the time and investment, along with all the intangibles you gain from being in an academic environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

She will join fellow graduates at ACC\u2019s Fall 2025 Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, December 12, at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park.<\/p>\n

For more information, visit austincc.edu\/commencement<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Zoila Walston enrolled at Austin Community College District (ACC) in 2023, she wasn\u2019t just returning to school; she was stepping into a new version of herself. Now, at 47, she\u2019s graduating with her Associate … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3930,"featured_media":52589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,13,15],"tags":[40,4083,4307,4306,2675],"class_list":["post-52588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-announcements","category-current-students","category-facstaff-news","tag-commencement","tag-english","tag-fall-2025-commencement","tag-fall-2025-graduation","tag-graudation"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3930"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52588\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}