"This is Your Life"

Former Mesa High School Honors graduate, Laura Sanchez De La Cruz is a Student at Benedictine University at Mesa, where she intends to major in Communication Arts. She is attempting to live the traditional college life in a non-traditional way-- as bizarre as that may sound, it's true! Currently, she is a student housing at the Phoenix Marriott Mesa Hotel and Resorts, a partnership of the university's, which is a unique experience because, while she is being "traditional" by housing on campus and having the whole college experience, her accommodations are very luxurious. Her classroom setting is lecture free, making her courses problem based learning. She serves on the Executive Board of Student Government at the Mesa Branch Campus, is an active leader of the Jo Wilson Leadership Program, and is a Student Blogger and Student Receptionist at the university's Welcome Center.

Originally, she was born and raised in one of the smaller states of Mexico, Colima; on the Pacific Coast in a pueblito named "El Rinconcito del Diablo" which in English translates to "Devil's Little Corner." She claims to recall very little about those memories.

Before coming to Arizona, she lived in Washington State for most of her life, having arrived in the Evergreen State at the age of seven. She began high school in Lynden where she grew as a student, as a person, and as a leader. Her accomplishments are incredible, but one that is surely impressive is the one she completed in June 2011, after having finished her sophomore year at Lynden High School.

While in Lynden, Laura lived with her father, her younger brother and younger sister. Being the oldest, she carried great responsibilities. She played a mother role, taking care of her siblings, preparing meals for the family and doing chores, and on top of that she was involved in her community and was an outstanding honor student. Her dedication to helping others was so great that, instead of spending her last days in Lynden with friends and family, saying her good-byes and farewells, she spent them putting together a fundraiser project that she had been planning to put on for a while.

Her goal was to obtain funds for the school's sports department so that they would allow the opportunity for talented students of low-income families participate in sports, covering their sports fees and uniform and equipment costs. She did not like to see the athletic talent of so many students go to waste simply because they could not afford to pay for sports fees. Her last week in Lynden, she managed to organize and put together a fundraising event through the help of her networks. In the end, the fundraiser event was a Kid's Fun Night of which elementary school students had a blast with dodgeball, face painting, popcorn, and much more. The fundraiser was named Equal Playing Field, signifying that in any sports field, there needs to be an equal opportunity for everyone to play. The total amount raised was $466. Luckily, InvestEd.org was willing to match that amount, equaling nearly $1000. When all was finished, she could not believe that early morning the next day, she would be on the road towards desert land. All her life and all her memories were built and constructed in that little town. She never thought that there was the possibility of her graduating from a different high school. She left everything behind, literally, almost everything. All she took with her was what she and her family could fit in her dad's Dodge Caravan.

After having completed her first two years of high school and her family and her moved to the state of Arizona, she enrolled at Mesa High School as an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) student. Here, she had to begin from zero again. At first, she disliked the new changes. She wasn't used to excessive heat, and she was not used to sharing her family. Her father had married. The lady was very nice and her two kids were too. Yet, it took her some time to get used to a new family, a new school, and a new life. It took her her entire junior year to finally adjust to everything. Still, she didn't lose herself completely; she became an active member of her community, volunteering in her school and at other organizations throughout the valley. Including, the Be A Leader Foundation of which she is currently a college-going mentor for senior high school students.

Her life adventures and journey's are yet to continue. College is going to be an extraordinary chapter in her life.