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I’m originally from East Los Angeles and my family moved to Weld County when I was seven. I have an older brother, two younger brothers and a younger sister. My older brother is the reason I’m here. He’s a UNC student, he brought me around, introduced me to people. I liked the campus, the size of the community and the people so much, I decided to come here myself.

Before I came to college, I had a lot of teachers that encouraged me to come to college. I was in the first class from my school to graduate from the AVID program, which helps mostly first-generation students succeed academically and reach their goals for attending college. When I was looking at schools, UNC just kind of grabbed me! Now that I’m here, I like how small the classes are. My teachers recognize me and know who I am and it’s close to home, so I can see my family a lot.

Psychology Professor Linda Ritner helped me a lot. She brought me to the Fort Lupton Schools and helped me discover what I really want to do, which is work with kids. I’m studying Educational Psychology and Family Studies so I can become a counselor or youth advocate within the Latino Community. I try to do a lot of mentoring and tutoring and make a difference in my community.

I had no idea there were Latino-based fraternities until my brother joined Sigma Lamda Beta. I decided to join when I first came to UNC and I love it.  I’ve made some of my best friends, learned leadership, communication and ways to reach out and help in the community. I run the annual Latino Youth Leadership Conference, which brings over 300 Latino 8th-graders to campus and exposes them to college life and to other Latinos that are finding success in college.

I feel like I’m a part of things here. I feel really comfortable. The teachers are nice and respectful. I spend a lot of time at the Cesar Chavez Cultural Center, just like a lot of other students. It’s like a home away from home. If you need something, the director, staff and other students are always here to help.

I like to play Soccer and other intramural sports. One of my favorite things is strolling for my fraternity. It’s like stepping. You line up with your brothers and do a synchronized routine to music. We do this at events on campus like the Latino Youth Leadership Conference or other Cultural Center events. It’s a lot of fun and you really get to bond with your fraternity brothers. I work about 25 hours a week, so it’s a lot to juggle with classes and all my activities, but it’s worth it. I love being at UNC!