<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><item href="/stories/2026/first-generation-pbsc-graduate-earns-national-recognition.php" dsn="blogs"><featured/><category>People</category><pubDate>05/06/2026 04:23:00 PM</pubDate><title>First-generation PBSC graduate earns national recognition</title><intro>For many students, the path to college is clearly defined. For Vianca Cordon Lopez, it had to be created from scratch — a journey that led her to graduate this spring with her Associate in Arts degree and national recognition. </intro><author>Lakshmi Gomez</author><author-link>#</author-link><imageSrc><img src="/images/2026/vianca-grad-cropped.jpg" alt="Vianca Cordon Lopez"/></imageSrc><video/><tags><tag>Commencement</tag><tag>Honors College</tag></tags></item>