Why I love helping students succeed in College

I entered college fresh out of high school like most students. I was told I had to get a degree or I would not be competitive in the job market. The advice came from many who had not earned their degrees and lacked the soft skills to be promoted in their current vocations. I learned later on in life that it wasn't the degree that made me successful, it was what I call "Opportunity Stewardship." Opportunity Stewardship is my way of saying that students should take the opportunity to learn about people and then use those connections to leverage opportunities on and off campus.

In college, we are often exposed to different ethnic groups and cultures but very rarely told where real success comes from. I learned this concept in an organization which started my journey to become one of the most decorated students at the Alamo Colleges. The organization is the Alamo Colleges Student Leadership Institute, and it was in this institute where I learned networking. I was blessed to attend a leadership class with students from Mexico, Cameroon, Kenya, Jamaica, and the Eastern block of Europe. It was in this setting that I learned the more diverse people you know, the more varied your opportunities will be. This lesson is unfortunately not conveyed to students because many have parents who are overworked and attend schools with impossible ratios of students to counselors.

This is the void I fill for students and parents when trying to understand what they need to do to maximize the student's college experience. I wake up on a mission every day to help students whether through a Facebook post, phone call, or my work with nonprofit organizations. I find it fulfilling to see the moment when students and parents realize that student loan debt can be avoided and that college can be more than just homework and test. It is this feeling that makes it such a joy to work with students all over the world who realize there has to be more than one to achieve school success. In 2018, I worked with the Alamo Colleges Foundation to help promote scholarships along with the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institution Educators, Global TIES, Student Veterans of America, and a possible launch of a student lead nonprofit. These organizations and projects are aligned with my mission which is to impact the way students and parents view the college experience. I hope to help as many students as possible and be one of the catalysts to change the narrative of college success.