Their journeys began around the globe — born in India, England, Houston and beyond — and their families hail from Vietnam, Mexico, El Salvador and America. They all landed at the University of Houston College of Education, pursuing careers as teachers and health specialists, and they now share a remarkable achievement: earning perfect GPAs.

UH teaching alum Alexander “Alex” Javier Hernandez reunited with professor Justin Burris, his former elementary school teacher. Burris helped Hernandez get on track with his grades so he could graduate and get a teaching job at the Alief campus where they first met. “Alex really put in the work to raise his GPA,” Burris said.

“In my last two semesters of college, I found out I was pregnant,” she said. “I had to make the decision on whether I was going to complete college or not. Luckily, I have a lot of wonderful people in my life that were there to encourage me to finish. We came up with a plan to ensure I make it across that stage no matter what.” The plan worked. Garcia will cross the stage Friday evening with about 450 other graduates from the University of Houston College of Education. She will be recognized along with five other undergraduates for maintaining a 4.0 grade point average and earning the ceremonial title of banner bearer.