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So I'm Kyle Romero.
This is my first
semester at MCC.
And I'm planning on transferring
to University of Iowa
after getting my associate's
in arts and science
as a bioethicist.
I'm Leah Torres.
This is my first
semester here at MCC.
Hello, my name is Julio Lopez,
and I'm a freshman here at MCC.
I come from Mexico, and I just
moved to the United States
a year ago.
My name is Maro Kosta.
This is my third
semester here at MCC.
I plan to graduate
here spring 2020.
And I am on the soccer team.
First generation student.
My name is Kelsey Arguentes.
This is my first
semester here at MCC,
and I plan on transferring.
My name is Brandon Lopez, and
this is my second semester here
at MCC.
I think I was really
interested in going
to MCC because of the
Upward Bound program,
which I joined when I was
a junior in high school.
Upward Bound has
really helped me
a lot with becoming
more exposed to college.
I've been a very sheltered
kid, so I was not
very open to exploring
new things as often.
I was and I'm very interested
in learning new things,
but I like to stay
close to home.
But Upward Bound definitely
helped me make new connections,
and definitely explore all my
different options that I have.
And coming here I think was
one of the best decisions
I could make.
My original decision was
to have a gap year where
I would consider working rather
than going to school, because I
didn't know that there was
an option for part time
or doing online.
So I'm really glad I decided
to do that part time option.
They will provide
you those coupons.
I think that that's amazing.
I think that's perfect.
I'm a broke college student.
For me, I don't have enough
money in my bank account,
but I don't want to ask.
I hate asking for favors.
My parents-- I don't want
to ask them to help me.
I want to be more independent.
But at the same time, I do
need that help, you know?
So I think it's wonderful to
have these programs to help
low income students, and
sometimes middle class as well.
I think it's just amazing that
MCC is doing a wonderful job,
especially with food, like
interviews and internships like
with the Purple
Closet, Purple Pantry.
I think that's wonderful.
So one of the challenges that
I experienced when I moved here
is that I did it in my
senior year of high school.
So I just had a couple
of months to look
to when I wanted to transfer to
when I wanted to go in college.
I only had two weeks
to from the point
that I knew what an SAT was and
when I was going to take it.
And so I only had a few
time to study and to learn
how to do the test.
The challenges that I
faced coming into MCC
are definitely not knowing what
to do, not having that guidance
coming in, showing
me what and where
I can find these resources at.
And it definitely is a struggle.
But it's something that you
have to strive for in order
to succeed for your future.
So a resource that MCC has given
me was a student success coach.
And for me, it was
Melissa Sanchez.
She really helped me
with readjusting here.
And she was also my
teacher for MCC 101.
And she really just
gave me the knowledge
as to what classes I should
take, how to organize myself.
And just the connection of
us both being Latino women
just really helped me be more
comfortable at the school.
I think the barriers
that you really
get with transitioning
from high school to college
is just trying to find that
balance between everything.
Currently, I'm in
student government.
I'm in [INAUDIBLE]
Club, OU, BSU,
and now I'm in Our
Bodies, Ourselves.
And these are like
the clubs that
make me feel really good
about myself, like become
as a leader.
For me, I definitely took a
huge step out of my comfort zone
joining the Upward Bound
program, but I'm glad I did.
And before I came in to
MCC, I was just so scared.
Because my only
knowledge of college life
was like movies and TV
shows, and other people
telling me about their
experiences in college.
And it was pretty
scary for me at first.
But everyone talked so well
about MCC, and so I said,
you know, what the heck?
I'll give it a shot.
And I am very glad I
decided to come here.
MCC has help in a couple
of different ways.
And I'm really
thankful about what
they have been done with me.
First of all, it's
always good to know
that there's people here
that are willing to help you,
especially when you don't know
that much about the [INAUDIBLE]
and about that you
are supposed to know.
And MCC has helped me a lot to
figure out what I want to do,
and also where I want
to go without having
to spend a lot of money.
And that is really good to me
to not be such a big pressure
to my parents.
MCC does a good job
of helping students
in their own particular way.
Like with the Sage Center,
where you get so much
help with anything.
And individually, you have
teachers like my psychology
teacher, who is the best.
MCC has helped me a
lot with the clubs.
It helps finding those bonds.
And then with
soccer, it helps me
find that sense of brotherhood.
And then with the
workers here at MCC,
it helps me find that
personal connection,
knowing that I'm not the only
one who's been through this.
That's the thing I look
forward to every single time
I have classes, getting
to see my friends,
and especially, my instructors.
I love my instructors
that I have right now.
They're very kind, very
supportive, very understanding.
And I don't think I had
a lot of that growing up.
I never felt so much support.
And definitely,
people telling me you
have potential,
you can do this--
it helps me a lot.
Asking for help, mainly because
I do struggle with that.
I like to do things on my own.
But I feel like it is best
for me to just ask for help
and go in for help.
Sometimes it gets difficult,
like when you get really tired,
and you have to be
translating everything
that instructors tell you.
But then when I look
in retrospective,
where I was a couple
years ago and what
I'm studying right now, it
makes me feel better, and makes
me think that I'm actually
capable of doing stuff,
so that's [INAUDIBLE].
With the support
from MCC, I plan
to transfer to a
four-year university,
and hope to find what
motivates me the most.
With MCC's help, I
hope to narrow down
what it is that I want to do.
And that way, I'm able to
transfer to a university that
will help me in that field.
Being a first
generation student,
I think it's a bit
scary at times.
I have to do things
more independent.
My parents are
going to be relying
on me more, and my sister.
And as a first generation, I
just want to make them happy,
and myself be happy from
setting the right goals
and making the choices
that I want to make
to get where I want to be.
Being a first
generation student to me
means overcoming obstacles,
but with the people
who love and support me
right behind my back.
I definitely want to
make my parents proud.
We've always had such
high expectations.
Sometimes I lack
self-motivation,
and sometimes I just need
those few people that
keep pushing me, and telling me
that you can do it, it's fine,
you're going to be OK.
I'm definitely a lot more
confident than I was actually,
maybe even a few months ago.
Being a first generation
student gives you
this extra motivation.
It gives you that
final drive, when
you feel like, oh, this
is getting too hard,
to be like no, I can do this.
Because no one else has
done it in the family.
So right now, I know
what I want to do.
And I know what I
don't want to do.
And that's what MCC provides.
It provides a clear
vision of the future.
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