For many people, finishing their college degree is one of life's most important goals so that they can work in the job they always wished for. However, this can often be a very difficult path to take due to, for example, economic or academic reasons, which also often leads to students to look for solutions.

Tijuana native manages to graduate college thanks to her corn entrepreneurship

Ana Belén García, a young 25-year-old entrepreneur, recently achieved one of her greatest goals: to graduate as a Dentist Surgeon at Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Valle de las Palmas Campus.

This Tijuana native, with an intense and hard effort that led her to studying and leading her own business at the same time, managed to graduate in the degree she always dreamt of and in an interview with SanDiegoRed.com she told us about her experience.

I decided to study this degree because since I was young I have been interested in health science and to become an odontologist gives me the opportunity to follow my vocation and help those who need it.

On her Facebook business page "Elotes La Teko"; she shared a photo of herself with her gown holding a sign saying, "I graduated selling corn".

Ana told us that her business began in August 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was just beginning alongside lockdowns and online classes. She had to stop selling burritos which were source of income; as she needed to pay bills and distract her mind from this sad and frustrating world pandemic, she decided to begin her small business.

Seeing its success, she decided to expand its format and offer services at events and such was the high level of reception that she is currently taking part in events in Tijuana, Tecate, Rosarito, and Valle de Guadalupe.

Her business has bloomed as the years have passed, so much that in 2022 and with support from her family, she opened an establishment at Colonia El Soler, where she is still selling corn to this day.

Ana told us that one of the biggest challenges of managing her own business and studying at the same time is that she was not able to give 100% of her all in both areas due to lack of time which is why, for a while, she had to stop the business in order to focus on her professional career.

It was very difficult, because I really loved my clients and I really enjoyed opening my shop and seeing people making long lines to eat our products.

Currently she is happy to see how so many of her efforts, her family's support, and her clients eating her products helped her to finish her studies and even shared recommendations to those who wish to open their own business:

Now that I have finished my degree, I want to keep studying to get a postgraduate degree and at the same time reopen Elotes La Teko and I would like to continue to expand to reach more events with more services... My advice is to do everything with love, as that will make things go well. I was also afraid, but it is better to try than to do nothing. It is hard and you have to be very persistent, but there is no effort that is not worth it.

In addition, she encouraged young students who are in a situation similar to her own to never abandon their dreams and hopes:

I know that not all of us have the same opportunities, but the desire to achieve our goals is something that nobody can take away from us. Tijuana is a very noble city and its people are always willing to support you. I hope that they can find something that brings out their passion so that they can get out of their comfort zone and start to create their own opportunities.

Without a doubt, Ana Belén is strong proof that "where there's a will, there's a way" as dreams are never too big as long as one is persistent and patient enough to achieve them.

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