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A 23-year-old Russian immigrant, Katia Shtyrkova will make two large strides toward her dreams today, with her citizenship interview falling on the same day as her graduation from Pima Community College.

Shtyrkova, who is enrolled at the University of Arizona for this fall with plans for an optical engineering degree, will deliver the commencement address at Pima's graduation ceremony tonight at the Tucson Convention Center. Pima will award associate's degrees and certificates to more than 3,400 students ages 16 to 76.

Shtyrkova, a single parent and full-time student, said she will encourage her fellow graduates to make Pima just the first step of many in their education.

"Education is something you'll always have," she said. "It's a key to the world that no one will ever take from you."

Shtyrkova came to the United States from Moscow in 2000 after her family won a green card lottery and moved to Santa Barbara, Calif.

Shtyrkova focused on physics and math in her Russian high school, winning several contests. She spent one year in engineering school in Russia before her family left for America. Her mother was a physics teacher and her father was a computer engineer, but the family struggled in California, working long hours while learning English.

While putting her dance background to use working as a personal trainer, Shtyrkova started taking community college classes part time. She met a boyfriend and moved to Tucson in 2003 when he was transferred for work. Shtyrkova had a son, but soon after the couple split.

She took online classes through her Santa Barbara college until she had Arizona residency, then began taking classes part time at Pima in 2004. She secured enough loans to support her son and got to attend school without working for the first time this spring.

Shtyrkova said her first priority is providing opportunities for her son, 2-year-old Dany Gorbunov.

"That's my happiness, my major driving force," she said.

Her second passion is her studies.

"The more classes I take and the more I learn about it, the more excited I become," she said. "I love science, love making things, love solving the problems and love learning how the world around works."

Shtyrkova is diving into her UA career, starting with a summer research position in the College of Optical Sciences.

"It has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl to come to the United States of America and go to school," she said. "In America you can start from zero and you can reach for the stars."

Shtyrkova is one of 1,859 female graduates at Pima, overshadowing the 1,552 male graduates. The college will award 4,979 degrees and certificates, with many students earning more than one certificate or degree. There are 49 graduates earning honors, with a grade point average of 3.90 or greater.