The first semester definitely had many lessons to learn. One thing I didn’t mention in my previous blogs is that I was pledging for Phi Iota Alpha, a Latino fraternity that focuses on uplifting the Latino community and bringing together the different people of Latin America. I feel strongly about my fraternity’s goals and that is why I chose to pledge my first semester.
For the next semester, I am definitely going to be even more involved with the Latino community on campus and try to reach out to the Latino students in the Boston area who are trying to make it to college. Now that I am a member of Phi Iota Alpha and involved with other Latino groups on campus, I am going to try to use my membership as a tool to reach out to the students who come from similar backgrounds as me.
Pledging for a fraternity and remaining involved in campus activities was very challenging but I definitely have learned how to manage my time in a way that I never thought possible. It was tough but my family back home and friends at school definitely gave me their support and with that I was able to be successful my first semester.
I am currently in Washington State right now as a guest speaker for a program called LCP, Latino College Prep. I shared my experiences as a first-generation American and first-generation college student and spoke about the importance of going to college and breaking the cycle. The students that I met in Everett, WA have definitely motivated me to continue reaching out to students and to continue working as hard as I can to succeed in college.
Remember, you need to go to college and be role models for all those who believe they can’t go to college because no one else in their family has.