What is your hometown? Pomona, CA

What colleges did you attend? Degrees earned? Mt. San Antonio College= Transfer
CSU Channel Islands- Bachelors
CSU Northridge- Masters

What motivated you to go to college? My parents did not have the opportunity to pursue higher education and instilled in us to go to college to have a better lifestyle than what they had.

Describe your college experience as first-generation. At times it was challenging having to navigate college without having someone to guide me along the way.

What unique challenges did you face? I don’t recall having too many challenges as I continued with school. But I did have a counselor tell me that being enrolled as a full-time student, I was not going to pass my classes, since I was a transfer student, and it was the first semester I had been a full-time student. The counselor advised me to drop down to units that I could handle.

How did you overcome those challenges? Against the advice from my counselor, I maintained my full-time status and I was able to prove to the counselor that I passed all my classes.

What did you advise other first-generation students? Never be afraid to be an advocate for yourself. Use resources that are offered by your school.