“We struggled, we worked, we hitchhiked to school, and brought used books and had very meager meals, but we never quit.”

The story of the Garza family is featured in the Our Journeys/Our Stories: Portraits of Latino Achievement exhibit showcased at the MSU Museum.

The exhibit opens today and runs through Jan. 4. It is the first traveling exhibit that documents the achievements of Latino Americans and will conclude its five-year tour at the MSU Museum — just in time for Hispanic Heritage Month this month.

The exhibit includes portraits and stories of successful Latinos as well as the traditional sayings and oral histories of those featured in the exhibit.

“Our Journeys is about recognizing that Latino people are pillars of society,” project director Evelyn Figueroaf said.

“Our Journeys talks about the issues that are related to the Latino experience … issues of identity, self-recognition and success,” she said.

Of 5,000 candidates, the Garza family and 24 other individuals were selected to be featured in the exhibit.

The Garzas were chosen because they represent the meaning of family and the power of education, Garza said.

He credits his mother for the family’s achievements because she stressed the importance of education.

Today, the family is comprised of doctors, small business owners, educators, engineers and administrators from universities and colleges all over the U.S.

Olympic gold medalist speed skater Derek Parra — the first Mexican American to participate in Winter Olympic competition — also is featured in the exhibit.

“(This exhibit) broadens our attachment to the world,” Parra said.

“We are a small culture that’s getting bigger so if people come here and realize that there are Latinos that influence our world in a positive way, that would be great.”

Tania León, an internationally acclaimed composer and conductor, was also among the select few featured in the exhibit.

She encourages people to visit the exhibit because of the learning opportunity it presents.

“I knew specifically the stories of those in the arts and the achievers in politics,” she said.

“But I’ve learned a great deal about people that have excelled in other disciplines and it was something that I needed to know.”

Museum director Kurt Dewhurst hopes the exhibit appeals to more than the Mexican American population in the area.

“There are some extraordinary stories of courage, commitment and achievement,” he said.

“It’s an exhibition we think is going to appeal whether you’re Latino or not because these are human stories and they’re lasting lessons for all of us.”