Written by: Ashley Neyra 🇵🇪 Headshot of Ashley Cortez. (Emelyn Gomez) Many graduates often fear what comes next: where they will work or whether they want to continue their education. But for Ashley Cortez, her next goal was to undergo brain surgery. Cortez, a psychology major with a minor in public leadership, graduated in December 2025. She was born in Boston to Salvadoran parents and, at an early age, moved to Prince George's County. With ambition and determination to