Highline student Vanessa Nonato is a first-generation and Mexican American that is known to be a hard worker with an excellent academic record. 

Nonato graduates from Highline with an AA degree in criminal justice this spring. 

At Highline, she met good friends, amazing faculty, staff, and advisors. Nonato also said she participated in several programs that she found helpful and enjoyed the friends and experiences she made while at Highline.

“I entered Highline during the fall of 2021; my degree is an academic transfer AA in criminal justice. My experience at Highline has been wonderful, I have met amazing people such as teachers, advisers, and classmates,” she said. “I have enjoyed and learned from all my classes. I have used and benefited from resources at Highline such as TRiO student support services, honors 200, FAFSA, skills group, the bookstore, library, and the food pantry.”

Nonato added that Highline faculty member Mary Weir helped Nonato from the beginning of her studies and advised her on future plans.

“My academic advisor, Mary Weir, has been such a wonderful help to me during this time. She has guided me during my process to pursue my career since the beginning. She helped me select my major, selecting classes, doing quarter schedules, talking about my grades, she helped me answer many questions, she even helped me choose which universities were of interest to me to transfer to,” she said.

Just like other students, she also struggled to manage her time. Luckily, Nonato said she was able to find a way to adjust to college and find time for herself. 

“I think my biggest obstacle was to manage my time wisely by selecting a good quarter schedule (classes) to be able to have time to work, study, turn in assignments, to have time for myself because sometimes I forget to take a break from school or work and that’s necessary sometimes for mental peace,” she said.

Moreover, Nonato used calendars to write down her job schedule, homework due dates, and more, which helped her develop better time management skills. 

Weir expanded on Nonato’s skills and said she would utilize Highline’s resources to assist her in achieving academic success.

“She is a nuanced critical thinker, excellent communicator, and works extremely hard. I admire the ways that Ness has navigated her college experience by asking questions and taking advantage of campus resources,” said Weir. 

Weir aslo said Nonato was an excellent student to have gotten to know. “I will miss having Ness as an advisee,” she said. 

Looking towards the future, Vanessa Nonato said she plans on volunteering in a summer job to help her community and then enroll in University of Washington Tacoma for the fall of 2023.

“My plans after graduation are to volunteer at any place/job where they require or need people during summer. I want to focus on helping my community, contribute to them as much as possible, and to gain practical experience. I am transferring to the University of Washington Tacoma; I hope to start during fall this year,” she said.