A Ring of Resilience
Sitting up on the stage at the UNT Ring Ceremony in December 2025, Juliette Rivera (’25) couldn’t help but feel like it was a full-circle moment — the culmination of her first-generation student and fashion industry dreams all coming together in a special ceremony where she’s also being honored as a UNT Ring Award recipient.
From the time Juliette first stepped foot on UNT’s campus as a sixth grader, she felt drawn to it.
“This the first university we toured and I was like, ‘this campus is beautiful, it’s huge.’ A seed was already planted,” Juliette says. “Little me said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to this school.’ And everyone’s like, ‘You haven’t even seen all the other schools.’ But this was my school from the start.”
Juliette did eventually tour other schools, but her instincts were right and as fate would have it, she ended up right where she belonged at UNT.
“I found fashion merchandising here at UNT and I was like, it’s perfect,” she says. “It’s meant to be. This was the university I said I was going to go to, and it has my program — just go for it.”
While some of Juliette’s story seemed to fall into place, she had her work cut out for her as she began navigating life as a college student.
“I’m a first-generation student — had no one here, had no one in my family who’s done this before,” Juliette says. “I was the first one to go to any university, so it was kind of like a figure it out yourself and let’s see how it goes situation.”
But Juliette was reminded that she was in the right place when, on the first day of class freshman year, she walked into her Intro to Merchandising class, taught by Professor Marissa Zarola.
“I saw her name and thought it seemed familiar,” Juliette says. “Funny enough, before I came here, I was sent a handwritten postcard from Professor Zarola welcoming me to the program, saying, ‘You’re going to do great, you’re going to love it.’ It’s just super memorable. The whole circle back moment, it just repeats over and over again.”
Juliette was initially a commuter, driving from South Fort Worth, going to her classes and then going right back home, unable to really immerse herself into campus life.
“And then I actually moved here, and I lived in Denton for two years,” she says. “And after that, I was like, “I need to get involved. I didn’t know what to start with at first and then one of my classmates recommended Merchandising Inc.”
Merchandising Inc. is a UNT student organization that helps students establish contacts in the merchandising industry and enhances their professional development by exposing them to the fashion and home furnishings industries.
“Through Merchandising Inc., I discovered that true leadership is about showing up for others, amplifying voices and creating opportunities where they once seemed out of reach,” Juliette says.
Through her involvement with Merchandising Inc. and the UNT Leadership Academy, Juliette found a community that she will carry with her as she embarks on her fashion merchandising career.
“Being the first one in my family to go through that path alone, but I still had this community of my peers to guide me, rather than just someone else who’s done it before,” she says. “I have that community at UNT who actually help hold my hand and go through the process.”
Now gracing that same hand is a UNT class ring, which she earned by applying for the UNT Ring Award — she was presented with the time-honored accessory during the UNT Ring Ceremony with her best friend and her family watching through shining eyes.
“When I look at this ring, I see a reflection of resilience, of community and of dreams that refused to be deferred,” Juliette says. “But more than that, I see the beginning of something lasting — a promise to give back, to mentor other first-generation students and to continue carrying UNT’s spirit of perseverance into every chapter that follows. This ring may fit on my hand, but it holds generations of hope and a future I keep building.”