What is your hometown? Arleta, CA

What colleges did you attend? Degrees earned? Mt. San Antonio College - AS Business Management & Cal Poly Pomona - BS Business Administration & Human Resources.

What motivated you to go to college? My Grandparents always motivated me and made me believe in myself.

Describe your college experience as first-generation. It was difficult, I had no idea what was the first step to take. Everything from applying to the college, to trying to get financial aid was a challenge for me and took a lot of research to figure it out.

What unique challenges did you face? I was working a full-time job when I first started college. A job that I had been at for over 8 years. It took a lot to figure out how to schedule my time and juggle all the new task that come along with school.

How did you overcome those challenges? I continued to research different options available through the campus and eventually I managed to find a part-time student assistant job. This was great because the job always allowed me to put my schooling first and never pressured me to take on too much.

What did you advise other first-generation students? Keep going! Times may get really tough, and the answers may not always come quick, but as long as you don't give up you will get to where you want to be!