故事

“我25岁了，所以我比大多数本科生都大。我是从迪亚波罗谷学院转过来的，我在那里获得了传播学的副学士学位。我还在圣克拉拉大学主修传播学，计划上法学院。说实话，我去圣克拉拉的路线不走寻常路。我14岁时在一次高中旅行中参观了这所大学，我感觉这就是家。我印象最深的是，这些学生非常平易近人、真诚、真实。我觉得这就是SCU的意义所在。甚至在这里看篮球比赛都有家的感觉——我环顾学生区和观看比赛的人，我知道有一天我想成为其中的一员。但我高中毕业后没有马上申请，因为我的成绩不好。我开始在圣地亚哥的一所专科学校学习，我哥哥亚文就住在那里，我想感受一下离家在外的生活是什么样的。 After a year, I realized San Diego was not where I wanted to be, so I moved back to San Leandro and instead of going to school, I wanted to get work experience. I did several paid internships, and then worked while attending DVC. I worked for a construction technology firm, I taught financial literacy and entrepreneurship at a non-profit, and later to high school and middle school students. I also started a digital media company with a friend; it’s called A-Game Media. We have seasonal podcasts on Apple and Spotify where we talk to experts about how to do your best in anything you do, whether it’s sports, business, entertainment or technology. Even though it was a long time since I started working in 2015, it was character building for me. But Santa Clara was always my dream school, and I applied and was accepted in April. I’m moving into Casa Italiana, where I’ve got three roommates. I’ve signed up for the boxing club. I brought my posters of Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, and Obama. I’m Black and Mexican-American, and it gives me pride and hope to see educated Black men up there. It reminds me I have to do the same—by any means necessary. I’ve also got a picture of me on my first birthday, and a wooden sea turtle my mom gave me. I’m truly excited for this next phase of my life; I’ve waited a long time for this. I know I have my whole family behind me. My 89-year-old grandmother drove here today with my mom and my brother. She says this is a great opportunity for me and she’s excited to see what type of man I will become. I’m confident about where I’m going right now, and everything that led me here has given the emotional maturity to handle myself. This is finally my time to get a college experience.”