"Never give up" is the title of the commencement speech that UC Davis students Christy Turcios and her brother, Miguelangel, have written with their lives.

Christy will deliver the speech as they mark their graduation at the College of Engineering ceremony on Friday and celebrate overcoming the challenges of immigrating to the U.S. from Guatemala, closing a family restaurant, losing the family home, interrupting their education to be family breadwinners — and succeeding in tough majors.

Christy, who turns 31 on the same day, will graduate with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and biochemical engineering. Miguelangel, 28, has earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering.

The family's graduation celebration will include Christy and Miguelangel's parents, two younger sisters, aunts and uncles, and — from Guatemala — grandparents.

"We always root for each other," Christy says. "They all know what it means for us to graduate."

She plans to surprise them all when she steps forward as the commencement speaker.

Challenges

The Turcios family came to California from Guatemala when Christy was 9 and Miguelangel, 7, and moved frequently to follow work for their father.

After graduating from high school, both Christy and Miguelangel had to put on hold their dreams of attending university to help support the family and a new restaurant in Florida.

After losing the business and family home in the recession, the family returned to California. "I was forced to postpone my dreams even further," Christy says. "However, I refused to let this crush my hopes and aspirations."

Persistence

When the family was stable enough, Christy worked three jobs — as a golf shop assistant, an office manager for a tae kwon do studio and a dog sitter — while she studied at the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita in northern Los Angeles County.

"I knew I would be doing something for not only myself but also for my family," Christy says. "That kept me going."

Christy married in September 2012, just before transferring to UC Davis.

Miguelangel and Christy have shared about 50 percent of their classes, and the faculty and Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science handpicked them to tutor students in upper division classes. Miguelangel considers it a blessing to have gone through university with his sister. "It's been really positive," he says.

Christy's indomitable spirit has shown itself in other ways — she holds a black belt in tae kwon do and trained with the triathlon team on campus.

What's ahead?

Christy wants to use her skills in industry and then go to medical school. She is currently looking for a job or internship in the biopharmaceutical industry.

Miguelangel has been hired to help design plant automation systems at Banks Integration Group in Vacaville, where he also interned.

"Being able to obtain a degree after everything we've been through is something else," says Miguelangel. "There's always going to be a way to reach the goals you want."