Mary Paniagua-Ugarte ’24 is passionate about giving, especially to those who live in the community that raised her.
Before Paniagua-Ugarte was born, her parents began a new chapter in the United States “with just the clothes on their backs,” she explained. “Starting off in a new country was hard for them.”
Her parents settled in the New River Valley, and many people in the area helped them through times of struggle. Seeing the compassion shown to her family set Paniagua-Ugarte on a path to do the same for people in her community.
Just before graduating from Radford University in May 2024, she began an internship that is still going strong as she embarks on her second year in the university’s Master of Science in Strategic Communication program. She applied for and received the internship at the Community Foundation of the New River Valley in Blacksburg after a recommendation from School of Communication senior instructor Betty Kennan, who knew Paniagua-Ugarte would be a perfect fit for the position.
Her role at the Community Foundation involves “a lot of social media work,” she said, understating the valuable work she carries out for the organization. “I make content and share information about the foundation with the public.”
The Community Foundation encourages charitable giving in the NRV, which fits directly into Paniagua-Ugarte ’s purpose-driven goals.
“I’ve always been very passionate about wanting to create a positive impact in people’s lives, and I’ve been very vocal about that, and vocal for wanting to advocate for change, especially at a local level,” explained Paniagua-Ugarte, who grew up in Riner, Virginia. “One of the most rewarding parts of my internship is that we provide so many different resources for people who need help. It’s rewarding to make a positive impact in the New River Valley.”
Always wanting to help, Paniagua-Ugarte got involved, as an undergraduate, in the campus organization College Mentors for Kids, which aims to transform the lives of local schoolchildren – and the university students who volunteer for the program – through weekly mentoring and activities on the Radford campus.
“I think what resonates with me about the program,” Paniagua-Ugarte explained, “is it has such a positive impact on those kids at such a young age.”
Being active in College Mentors for Kids also helped Paniagua-Ugarte find her place at Radford. “I joined at the beginning of my sophomore year and found the people I hung out with for the rest of my college years,” she said. “I met all these different people from different backgrounds, and it felt like that was what I needed. I found my place in that program.”
She’s now finding her place through teaching, instructing undergraduate students through Radford’s graduate teaching assistantship program.
“My professors impacted my life in such a positive way that I want to be able to have the same impact on other students’ lives in the same way,” said Paniagua-Ugarte, who is working toward becoming a college professor. “I would not have had the same opportunities, like my internship at the Community Foundation, without my professors. I just want to do the same for students that they have done for me.”
As she spoke of her professors and countless others who have impacted her life, Paniagua-Ugarte thought back to her parents, about the help they received when arriving in the New River Valley and the ways they were able to later give back. She smiled, remembering a phrase her parents have always used.
“Se le puedes ayudar a la gente, ayudales,” she said. “It essentially means, if you can help people, help them. I took that idea and made it my passion.”