(upbeat music)
- So my family is originally from South America.
My dad is from Lima, Peru,
and my mom is from Guayaquil, Ecuador
and they both immigrated to New Jersey when they were young.
My dad was six or seven when he decided to move
with his family to Newark, New Jersey.
And then my mom moved to the US when she was 13.
Yeah. I was expected to attend a four-year university.
It was always ingrained,
kind of like an unspoken rule in my family.
And so I knew that unlike my older sister,
who didn't go to a four-year university,
that it was expected of me to go to a four-year university.
So I realized that I wanted to have a different pathway
than she did in life, and I wanted to be successful.
And so I knew in order to achieve my goals,
I had to go to college.
I decided to attend UC San Diego for multiple reasons.
I realized in high school and taking IB biology courses,
that I was really good at science.
And I knew that UC San Diego really focused on STEM majors.
And so for my passion of biology,
I decided to go there and study.
And I knew they had Scripps Institute of Oceanography.
I was very interested in oceanography as well.
And marine biology also, I did a huge scholars program.
And so I was very connected to UCSD at an early age.
I had a lot of friends and mentors go there.
I also wanted to stay close to home,
but also wanted to be independent in a way.
And I felt that going to UC San Diego
would be a good medium.
Yeah, so when I originally entered UCSD
I entered as a biology major and I realized at the time
that marine science was only a minor,
but the academic advisor told me that they were actually
going to establish a major.
So then that's when I made the decision to switch
from general biology to marine biology.
I realized that I wasn't doing well in organic chemistry
in addition to other classes.
And so I was subject to disqualification.
And because of that, I realized
that my passions actually lied elsewhere.
And I was interning at the Women's Center on campus.
And I actually had as my academic advisor Joji Reyes,
and my supervisor Cecily Nelson actually tell me, you know,
have you considered a majoring in critical gender studies?
And at first I was kind of hesitant because I was like,
what am I going to do with that?
You know, how am I going to get a job and make money?
And so, and my dad, he's an engineer.
So he was really pushing me towards, you know,
the STEM majors.
But then once I made the switch, I realized
that all my internships and student jobs on campus
all had to do with social justice backgrounds
and the classroom format, and just the assignments
were so different than taking a science course or chemistry.
Whereas you had to study and take multiple choice questions
and free response versus my critical gender studies classes,
where it was very much reading literature
and critical thinking and writing papers
and just learning how to take a stance on an art
and kind of argue your point.
And the classes were a lot smaller and more intimate,
which I really appreciated.
All my professors knew my name and it was
a very inclusive class versus a competitive environment
had I stayed in the sciences.
Yeah. So some of the other jobs on campus included
being a res-life clerk for Oasis, which is Office
of Academic and Student Instructional Services.
I also got to work for their Summer Bridge program.
I got to be a math facilitator for students who went through
the Summer Bridge program and needed assistance
in their studies.
I was also an intern for SPACES.
I also worked for the Women's Center,
as I mentioned earlier, as an intern there.
And I was an RA for TRIO.
So I got to oversee my own suite of students
and help them get exposure to living on college,
thinking about what the classes would be like
and getting to escort them and have lunch
with them in the dining halls.
Yeah, so some of the campus organizations
that I was a part of included Summer Bridge,
that was a transitional program from high school to college.
And although it's an informal student org,
I really felt like it provided me a home away from home
as we were already exposed to UCSD campus
and the lifestyle and the courses
and other campus organizations
that are part of where in your college.
We had our own student organizations,
including the (indistinct) residents council,
there was FOOSH, the improv comedy show.
And I was also part of a Latina based sorority
called Lambda Theta Nu Sorority Incorporated.
I was also a part of MEChA, which was a student organization
focused on Latin X students.
A little bit about my sorority.
I honestly, if you had asked me, you know, before college,
I never imagined myself going into Greek life.
And I had a turning point during my first year of college
and had a falling out with some friends.
And so I decided, you know, I really needed
a new group of friends.
And so I decided to explore
Lambda Theta Nu Sorority Incorporated.
In doing so. I realized that there was this community
and sisterhood amongst a group of women
who were very inspiring, that you were, they empowered me.
They retained me on campus.
They provided me with a study buddy.
They cared about my academics. They wanted me to succeed.
So they really retained me on campus.
They continue to influence my life to this day.
I got my first job because of a sorority sister.
I also have networked with other sorority sisters
who continue to mentor me and provide me access
to resources that I wouldn't otherwise have
if I didn't join the sorority.
So one of the biggest challenges I experienced
at UC San Diego was being subject to disqualification.
And in order to be subject to disqualification,
that means that I didn't meet a certain GPA
for three quarters in a row.
And during that time I was a science major
and I realized that I really wasn't taking care of myself.
I was staying up late into the night studying,
trying to do well on my exams and just very poor hygiene,
not getting enough sleep and I really wanted to do better.
And so I thought, you know, studying more would allow me
to perform well on my exams, but then
that would cause me to get really sick.
And then, so I was taking these exams under the weather.
I was just very sick all the time.
And no matter how many times I went to the doctors,
they thought, you know, I'd just get over it
and they wouldn't give me any medicine to get better.
And then, so every time I'd go and take these exams,
I'd perform poorly.
And because I performed poorly again,
that led me to be subject disqualification.
This was definitely the lowest point of my college career.
I felt like such a failure and I lost all confidence
to succeed in college.
There's a lot of pressure riding on my shoulders
because I'm still the first one in my family
to graduate from a four-year university.
And so what I did to overcome this challenge is
I wrote an appeal so that I would have permission
to stay on campus.
And it was a very difficult time being in limbo
because you don't have access to your financial aid.
You also don't have, you can't enroll in your classes.
And so, and then I was at a point where I could
potentially lose my internship at the Women's Center.
And so all of these things and I was living off campus.
So if I didn't have financial aid, I wouldn't have housing.
So I worked really hard with a sorority sister
to write my appeal.
And in the appeal they specifically asked me,
you know, what are the steps that I'm to take
in order to succeed?
And why should I be allowed to stay on campus after,
you know, not meeting the minimum GPA qualification?
And so I told them, you know,
I'm gonna be an active in my sorority.
I was working multiple jobs to financially support myself.
So I said, I would take a step back
from working multiple jobs because I'm low income.
I said, I would start going to caps and work
with a counselor to just kind of build my confidence up
and talk about everything else
that was going on in my personal life.
And I said that, you know,
I was really sick and that I was practicing poor hygiene
and sleep deprivation.
So I said I was going to really practice self care
and implement a system to ensure,
ensure my wellbeing and health.
I also did mandatory study hours.
So just putting together a study plan to ensure
that I'll be successful in my new classes,
but I think the most important one was changing my major.
So at that point I decided, you know,
I don't want to pursue science anymore.
I'm clearly passionate about social justice, equity,
diversity, inclusion.
And I really felt that critical gender studies
encompass those values of mine.
So that's really what allowed me to start over,
build my confidence back up and being
in a different school setting, in classes, in general,
really set me up for success.
I feel like there's a few.
So definitely going to Sungod festival
with my sorority sisters.
My class of sorority sisters had just crossed
into the sorority and officially became members.
And so we were able to celebrate together
at Sungod festival.
I believe that year Kendrick Lamar performed.
So it was just really wild and fun.
I think another fond memory is the day
we had our step-out in my sorority.
And so a step-out in our sorority is where we get
to do kind of like a stomp the yard performance,
where we come out to the whole Greek community
and we get to do stepping, strolling and stepping
with my (indistinct) and everybody from all
the Southern region chapters from like LA to from like USC,
CSULA, everybody, like all the Greek organizations
come together just for that performance,
just to see us,
meet us and welcome to the Greek community
was probably one of the highlights of my college career too.
And then I think finally it would definitely
be my (indistinct) grad graduation.
And that was an opera is a very intimate setting.
I had my own table,
I got to invite my closest friends and family.
And that was definitely my proudest moment
is getting to walk on stage, honor my parents,
and then have them put a sash over me.
And, you know, 'cause this is just a huge accomplishment,
not only for myself, but for them.
So it was just such a proud moment to be able
to honor my parents, finally get to the point
where I'm graduating and just be able
to celebrate with them.
So after graduation, I was planning to start to teach
for America program in Miami and teach math.
And I actually did not hear about that job offer
until after I had accepted an RA position
for the TRIO summer programs.
And so I decided to defer my Teach for America
offer for a year.
And the transition would have been really fast.
They really wanted me to start the day after
I walked that commencement.
And at that point I just didn't have the finances
to up and leave San Diego to go to Miami, Florida.
So I spent the summer being an RA for TRIO.
And then after that, I took some time off
and I decided that, you know, I'm bored,
I'm going to start looking for jobs.
And my sorority sister was the one who referred me
to doing AmeriCorps.
And so I decided of October, 2016,
I decided to join the AmeriCorps VIP program.
And I got to work for Say San Diego,
which is a nonprofit organization.
I was able to support their volunteer department.
And then once my 11-month service term ended,
I decided due to personal reasons,
my dad was diagnosed with cancer,
that I was going to defer Teach For America again,
because I just was not in a position to leave to Miami,
to be a part of their program
while my dad was here in San Diego.
So I decided to renew my AmeriCorps contract
and do a second year.
And from there I worked for Jewish Family Services
for another 11-month service term.
At one point I decided I no longer wanted
to do Teach for America, that I was really invested
in working for non-profit organizations here in San Diego.
And so I went on to apply to grad school
and pursue a master's in public administration
with Penn State.
I realized that after that second service term
with AmeriCorps, I landed a position
with the San Diego Women's Foundation.
And this is where I was really interested
in becoming a fundraiser.
I learned that I had a knack
for building strong relationships
with people who were interested in philanthropy.
And so I decided to pursue becoming a fundraiser.
So then I decided to no longer continue
my master's in public administration.
And I decided to switch to receiving a certificate
in fundraising development instead.
That not only saved me a lot of money, but it saved me time.
And it really honed in what I was passionate about,
which is fundraising and building connections
with donors who want to become changemakers
and make an impact in the community.
And so after reality changers, I also decided that,
you know, I'm ready to grow and spread my wings
a little bit more and kind of reach
a mid-level fundraiser position.
And so now I'm here, I'm at California Western School of Law
and I'm the major gift officer.
And so now I get to do a lot of frontline fundraising
with people who are passionate about making a difference
at the law school.
Some advice I'd give other UCSD students
is to have meaningful jobs when you're on campus.
I really feel like the internships that I had
at all the different community centers really spoke
to my passion for social justice and change.
And it's so amazing to know that getting that experience
directly applied to working for non-profit organizations,
where you focus on doing service and providing resources
to those in need, where the government doesn't provide.
And so it was really nice to know that those meaningful jobs
really played a huge role in my success
and professional journey.
I would also recommend, you know, exploring things
that you wouldn't wouldn't normally explore.
So if you have a passion or interest
and you want to attend an event that is related to it
, then go do it.
If there's, if you need help with something,
then utilize the resources on campus.
You know, they have the career services center,
you have the campus community centers,
you have your academic advisors, you have gyms.
There's just so many things on campus that I feel
like I didn't utilize until my last year of college
that I wish I had utilized sooner.
And other advice is to use LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is just, has been a huge proponent in my success
in terms of building relationships, networking.
I'd also recommend finding a mentor and also doing again
aside, if you can't find like a student job on campus,
you know, explore internships or volunteer opportunities
elsewhere, especially in nonprofits,
there's a different mission for every organization.
If you love animals, there's a nonprofit for that.
If you love women's health, there's a nonprofit for that.
If you love higher education like I do,
there's also a nonprofit for that.
So whatever it is that you're interested in,
passionate about, just go explore your interests
and/or connect with people who are in the role
that you want to be in.
And that's kind of where I'm referring back to LinkedIn.
I did a lot of LinkedIn stalking in terms of, you know,
how did fundraisers get to be fundraisers?
And that's how I found out about the certificate program.
That's how I found out about doing the fundraising academy.
That's how I joined a professional network.
And so, or I also noticed that a lot of professionals
got their masters in business administration.
And so there's just so many ways you can attain
the career that you want to be in.
(cheery folk music)