DCTC graduate reminds us that no path to success looks the same.
Natalie and her adult son, Wallace, at DCTC’s 2025 Commencement.
Natalie Velez’s path to graduation was anything but simple, and that is exactly what makes her story worth telling. Before she became a Dakota County Technical College graduate, before she earned a 4.0 GPA, before she was named the 2026 DCTC Alumna of the Year, Natalie was someone who had spent years putting other people first while still carrying her own goals in the back of her mind.
Natalie poses with instructor Harold Torrence after receiving the 2026 Alumna of the Year Award.
In May 2025, Natalie graduated from DCTC with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Technical Management and a Multicultural Supervision certificate. One year later, in May 2026, she was recognized as the DCTC Alumna of the Year. For Natalie, the award was a surprise, but it also felt like a meaningful moment after years of working, supporting her family, building a career, and wondering if she would ever make it back to school.
“It was definitely a surprise,” Natalie said. “Sometimes you feel like you just work, work, work, and that’s it. So, it was nice to be recognized.”
The recognition was especially meaningful because there was a time when college did not seem like a path that fit her circumstances.
In her Commencement remarks, Natalie shared,
Natalie graduated from high school with her infant son, Wallace, on her shoulders.
“During my senior year of high school, I became pregnant. In what felt like an instant, the future I had envisioned seemed to disappear…College seemed out of reach. I was overwhelmed and devastated. But in that moment, I made a decision.
I refused to let my circumstances define my outcome. I vowed to fight for my goals, for my future, and to break cycles within my family. And so, I pushed forward.
I graduated on time, holding my eight-month-old son in my arms, a moment that remains one of my proudest achievements.”
Putting Family First
Natalie with her family.
Natalie had started college years earlier at Metro State University in the Urban Teacher program after volunteering at her son’s school and feeling drawn to education. A director at the school encouraged her to pursue teaching, and Natalie decided to take that step. But like it often does, life had other plans.
Natalie was a young mom raising her son, Wallace, when she also became the primary caregiver for four of her younger siblings: Luisa, Christina, Orlando, and Jenella. Suddenly, she had five children depending on her. She tried to keep going with school by taking Saturday and evening classes, but the pressure of working, parenting, managing finances, and caring for her family became too much to balance all at once.
“I had five kids to take care of,” she exclaimed.
So, Natalie made the decision many students and would-be students know well: she put school on pause because her family needed her. She continued working, first at a charter school and later at CLUES, a Latino nonprofit organization.
Eventually, she moved into the remodeling industry, where she has now worked for 16 years. Her work has included bookkeeping, financial operations, human resources, and occasionally helping in the field. It was not the original path she had imagined, but it became a career where she built experience, confidence, and a deeper understanding of leadership.
Finding DCTC
Natalie’s return to college started when she learned about DCTC’s Multicultural Supervision certificate while working for a remodeling company. At an information session, she met Harrold Torrence, Business Faculty at DCTC, who helped her understand how the certificate could connect with an associate degree in Technical Management. That conversation helped make the idea of returning to school feel possible again.
Natalie with Business Instructor Harold Torrence.
“He was super helpful,” Natalie said. “It made that whole transition and process of not being in school for so long to going back to school a lot easier.”
Natalie enrolled in fall 2024 and completed her degree and certificate by spring 2025. She was still working full time, often putting in eight- to ten-hour days, sometimes longer. She was also growing her own bookkeeping business and continuing to serve as a main support system for her family. Going back to school was not something she did because life suddenly became easy. She did it because the goal was still there, and this time, she was ready to go after it.
DCTC’s flexible course options helped make that possible. Natalie said being able to attend some classes in a hybrid format made a major difference with her work schedule. Instead of missing class after a long day, she could get home, log on, and keep moving forward.
“Sometimes I’d get home from work and just log on to class,” she said. “That really helped me get through it.”
The classroom experience itself also mattered to Natalie. She appreciated the group work and the opportunity to connect with classmates from different backgrounds and industries. For someone who had spent years working in construction and remodeling, those conversations added another layer to what she was already seeing in the workplace.
Leadership and Representation
Natalie in Puerto Rico, her home country.
Natalie chose the Multicultural Supervision certificate with intention. In the construction industry, she had seen diversity among field workers, but she did not always see that same representation in office, management, and leadership spaces. Originally from Bayamón, Puerto Rico, as a Latina woman in the remodeling industry, Natalie was often one of the only women and one of the only people of color in the room.
“I was the longest-standing female Latina,” she said of one workplace.
For Natalie, the certificate was not just another credential. It connected directly to the kind of leader she wanted to be and the kinds of workplaces she wanted to help create. She wanted to better understand how to support diverse teams and encourage environments where people from different backgrounds could see a place for themselves.
Building Her Own Business
Boriken Consulting LLC logo.
That same sense of purpose carries into her own business, Boriken Consulting LLC, which she officially launched in 2021.
The company’s name reflects Natalie’s Puerto Rican roots. Borikén is the Taíno name for Puerto Rico, a connection that allows her to honor her heritage while building a business focused on service, community, and empowerment.
Through Boriken Consulting, Natalie provides bookkeeping services for small businesses, including companies in remodeling, electrical, HVAC, and other trades. She helps business owners keep their books organized, reconcile accounts, work with accountants, and stay on track financially.
Starting and growing a business has been another learning process, but Natalie is committed to continuing to build her skills. She sees certifications and continued education as part of that growth, not just for herself, but for the clients and businesses she supports.
“It’s a roller coaster,” she said. “But the more certifications I get under my belt, I think the better for business.”
A Goal Worth Finishing
Natalie on graduation day.
When Natalie returned to school, she did not just want to finish. She wanted to do it well. She set a goal of completing her program with a 4.0 GPA, and she did exactly that, graduating with academic honors and making the President’s List. For someone who had once wondered if she would ever go back to college, finishing at that level made the accomplishment even more meaningful.
Receiving DCTC’s Alumna of the Year award became another full-circle moment in a journey that had been years in the making. It was not only recognition for what she accomplished in the classroom, but also for the persistence, leadership, and life experience she brought with her.
“I thought I would never go back,” Natalie said. “In the back of my mind, it was always like, you’ve got to do it.”
Sharing Her Story at Commencement
Natalie speaking at DCTC’s 2026 Commencement.
In addition to receiving the Alumna of the Year award, Natalie was invited to speak at commencement. She admits she was nervous, but she is also glad she said yes.
During her commencement address, Natalie shared some of the defining moments that shaped her journey. She spoke about becoming pregnant during her senior year of high school, a moment when she feared the future she had planned for herself, including college and a basketball scholarship, had disappeared. Instead of giving up, she chose to keep moving forward, graduating on time while holding her eight-month-old son in her arms. Later, she took custody of four younger siblings while raising her son, balancing the responsibilities of being a parent to five children while continuing to pursue her education one class at a time whenever life and finances allowed. It was a story of perseverance that resonated with graduates who understood that success rarely follows a straight path.
Her advice to graduates comes from lived experience. Natalie knows what it is like to pause a goal, come back to it later, and wonder if your timeline looks too different from everyone else’s. Her message is that different does not mean wrong.
“It may take you a long time to get to where you want to go and accomplish those dreams, but never give up because it will happen,” she said. “Everyone’s road is different. You can’t compare yours.”
She also wants students to remember to celebrate the small steps, not just the big moments that come with a certificate, diploma, degree, or award. Filling out the application, passing a class, showing up after a long day at work; those moments matter too.
“Celebrate your little wins,” Natalie said. “Even if it’s just passing a class or filling out that application to go to school. Everything’s a step. Everything’s a win.”
Natalie’s story is about earning a degree, but it is also about timing, responsibility, family, representation, and choosing to keep going even when the path does not look the way you expected. She once wondered if college would happen for her. Now, she is a DCTC graduate, business owner, commencement speaker, and Alumna of the Year.
And she is still moving forward—continuing to build her business, support her family, and demonstrate the same lesson she shared with 2026 graduates: that perseverance, not perfection, defines success, and that every journey unfolds on its own timeline.
Life Outside of Work
Outside of work, Natalie stays just as busy as she does in the office and classroom. A proud mother, she enjoys cheering on her son, Wallace, who turned his passion for gaming into a professional esports career before transitioning into a full-time professional role. Family has always been central to Natalie’s life.
In addition to raising her own child, she helped raise her siblings, Luisa, Christina, Orlando, and Janella, and continues to serve as a source of support and encouragement for her family.
When she’s not working, studying, or growing her own business, Natalie enjoys traveling, especially to Puerto Rico, where her grandparents live and where she enjoys reconnecting with her family’s roots. She also loves staying active through paddleboarding, hiking, CrossFit, and Olympic weightlifting. A self-described music enthusiast, Natalie frequently travels to attend concerts and counts hip-hop, rap, and R&B among her favorite genres. One of her most memorable experiences was attending the 50 Years of Hip Hop celebration at Yankee Stadium in New York.
Learn more about Technical Management at DCTC
DCTC’s Technical Management program helps students build leadership, communication, business, and management skills they can apply across industries. The program is designed for students who want to advance in their current field, move into supervisory roles, or strengthen the professional experience they already bring with them.
Students interested in building leadership skills for today’s workplace can also explore DCTC’s Multicultural Supervision certificate.
