Cherie and Cheryl Ortiz
UT Permian Basin
Cherie and Cheryl Ortiz
Pecos, TX
Juniors, Criminology Majors, at UT Permian Basin
Financial Sources
Job: Work-study in UT Arlington's Financial Aid Office
Financial Aid & Scholarships: UTPB Freshman Grant, other sources
Cherie and Cheryl's Story
UT Permian Basin is home to 20-year-old identical twins Cherie and Cheryl Ortiz. Hailing from Pecos, an area rich in law enforcement history, the two came to UTPB to major in criminology. Cheryl hopes to one day work as a police SWAT officer and eventually for the FBI. Cherie wants to pursue a master’s degree in psychology and ultimately work as a criminal psychologist.
The sisters chose UTPB because the school is close to home and because they have family in nearby Odessa. Each sister receives three scholarships and two grants, and they have campus jobs through a work-study program.
The twins and their 15-year-old sister come from a single-income household, and were raised by their father with lots of help from their grandmother. Both were academically successful in high school and the pair was eligible for UTPB's freshman grant. Still, they worried about paying for college.
"We got help from our high school counselors. They helped us fill out the FAFSA and told us about some scholarships that we should apply for. So we did – and fortunately, we received plenty of financial aid to pay for our schooling," Cherie recalled.
Factoring in financial aid and scholarships, the Ortiz twins could complete their bachelor’s degrees at UTPB, virtually without incurring any debt.
"We did have concerns about having funds for college. But we still applied because we were going to go to college no matter the circumstances," Cherie said.
Learn More:
UTPB Admissions | UTPB Tuition |.UTPB Financial Aid