What is your hometown? Vista, CA

What colleges did you attend? Degrees earned? Palomar College - Transfer student, no degree
University of Southern California - A.B. POSC
Pepperdine University School of Law - J.D. Law

What motivated you to go to college? My parents encouraged me to go to college and become a lawyer.

Describe your college experience as first-generation. I enjoyed most of it (except law school, not sure anyone really enjoys law school). I competed on the Palomar College Speech and Debate Team where I met a lot of friends and was involved in Student Governance.

What unique challenges did you face? It was hard setting a pathway about which classes to take. Counseling at Palomar was limited to those aspiring to the Cal. State System. I received much more support at USC.

How did you overcome those challenges? Trial and error, I took a lot of classes at Palomar that did not transfer over and had to load up one semester at USC to complete my degree in four years.

What did you advise other first-generation students? Take your classes seriously; read and complete assignments. Don't expect to have extra credit assignments that will replace mistakes you made during the semester. Get involved in an academic extracurricular activity like student government or speech/debate to meet academically motivated friends. Avoid people who are not on track to succeed; your friends can help motivate you and hold you responsible.