¿Qué Pasa, OSU? would like to welcome some new members of the Latin@ community who have shared with us their views, hopes, concerns and expectations as they start their first year at Ohio State.


Alvaro Hernandez
Venezuela

Alvaro was born in Venezuela. At the age of 12 he moved to Mason, Ohio for five years to study English and live with his father. He graduated from the Instituto Cumbres de Caracas. In Alvaro’s family both his mother and father graduated from college. Alvaro plans to major in engineering; however, he is still undecided between computer science and the aerospace engineering programs.

“There are a couple of good reasons why I chose Ohio State. The first one would be its great ranking in the engineering department and the second its location. Ohio State is a good distance away from my parents, yet I can still feel they are close by at Mason, Ohio.”

“My expectations are simple; I just want to experience a fun yet exciting time. I want to be challenged by my classes and be able to give all that I can to the school and the community. I hope my experience at Ohio State will be as great as it can be. I want to be able to go to Venezuela over the summer, and tell amazing stories about my experience in OSU. I believe that I am given everything I need to succeed at Ohio State. If you know how to manage your time, and how to push yourself, I believe you can do anything. “


Brenda Codoner
Arizona, of Guatemalan descent

Brenda grew up in Chandler, Arizona, where she graduated from Hamilton High School. Both of Brenda’s parents attended college. However, neither of them was able to graduate. Brenda plans to double major in international studies and history of art, then she plans to attend law school, while being a curator in an art gallery.

“Some of the reasons why I chose Ohio State were that they offered more study abroad programs and gave me scholarships. I hope to get involved with student organizations and be guided by my academic advisors. I also hope that I will meet great friends while obtaining a top-notch education. “

“In order to succeed at Ohio State I believe that I will need to have an open mind to new experiences and new people.”


Candace Anderson
North Carolina, of Mexican descent

Candace is a New Bern, North Carolina native who graduated from West Craven High School. She will be the first one in her family to attend college. Her planned majors are psychology and political science with a minor in Spanish. After graduation, Candace plans on becoming a practicing psychologist and in the future be involved in politics.

“I hope that I learn more about myself while I’m at Ohio State. I want to meet different people, learn about different cultures, and discover more about my own history and roots. I think that whether I succeed or fail at Ohio State will be determined by how hard I work. If I stay focused on my goals then I’ll do just fine, but if I get lazy or sidetracked then I will be the source of my own downfall.”

“I chose Ohio State because the psychology department is ranked at the top in the United States, not to mention that the campus and the people are very open and friendly. I am planning on getting involved with several organizations for Latin@s. I think that being involved in organizations that are led by Latin@s will open my eyes to a side of my culture that I’ve never seen before. The decision to attend Ohio State was left up to me, but without my parents’ guidance, I wouldn’t have made it to Ohio State. They were the ones who reminded me that I could do anything that I set my mind to and as long as I had faith, I would succeed in life.”


Ciara Flores
Ohio, of Puerto Rican descent

Ciara was born in Columbus, Ohio and graduated from Whetstone High School. Ciara is not the first in her family to attend college; her parents, an aunt and cousin have graduated from college. She is currently undecided on her major, but her interests are in history with a minor in Spanish. Ultimately after graduating from Ohio State, she plans to own an art gallery or a photography studio and to travel abroad.

“I chose Ohio State because of the vast amount of opportunities students have to explore a major and find the right one for them. Plus, I always wanted to be a Buckeye since I was very little. I hope that my experience in Ohio State is an exciting one in which I can grow and learn from my experiences. I’ve heard so many good things about this university not only from students, but from others around the world that I’m excited about the environment that I’m about to be introduced to. It’s something new and fascinating.”

“The most influential person that helped me make my final decision to attend Ohio State would have to be my father, Victor Flores. He attended Ohio State for 4 years, but never graduated from this university. His story pushed me to achieve what he had not and take advantage of the opportunities that I can have at Ohio State.”


Ketrina Skillman
California, of Mexican descent

Ketrina was born in Brawley, a small town in Southern California. She graduated from Paradise High School. Ketrina is not the first one in her family to attend college. Her father graduated from Stanford University and her mother graduated from San Diego State University. Ketrina plans on majoring in biology and then becoming a pediatrician so that she can help others by participating in medical missions to Africa.

“I expect that I will be challenged, but that I will also have a lot of fun. I believe this year will be a learning experience where I will grow and mature. I hope to get the best education possible and make lifelong friendships. My biggest concern of attending Ohio State is that I think I may get homesick because I’ve never lived outside of California. I think I’m going to miss the sunshine a lot.”

“My parents were the most influential persons in helping me make the decision to go to Ohio State. They helped me choose between the universities that I was accepted to and compare and contrast the qualities of each until we came to the conclusion that Ohio State would be the best place for me.”


Laura Leon
Colombia

Laura was born and raised in Cali, Colombia and is a graduate from the Colegio Bolivar, an American school where she had the opportunity to learn English and to better understand the American culture. In Laura’s family both her mother and father graduated from college. She plans to major in industrial design, where she hopes to be a responsible designer by creating products that will be beneficial for the environment.

“I chose Ohio State because it offered me more opportunities in my major, industrial design. They do not only have a great academic level but they also offer a wide variety of options for different people with different points of view and expectations. I hope that my experience is a positive one, making me grow not only intellectually, but to be a better human being. I hope that my experience at Ohio State will make me a well rounded person that contributes positively to the community that surrounds me.”

“Through my search of the Ohio State webpage I have seen Latin@ student organizations. I would love to participate in an organization in which I feel I can share and not only give what I know but that I can also have experiences that will help me be a better person.”


María Calderon
Guatemala

María grew up in Guatemala City, Guatemala and graduated from the American School in Guatemala. María’s father graduated from Anderson College in South Carolina, and her mother graduated from Texas A&M. María plans to major in landscape architecture and she expects to work alongside her mother as a landscape architect, providing innovative ideas for her firm.

“As a first year student, I expect to learn more about the young educated American culture. I hope to have good experiences with my student colleagues, and especially those in my dorm, who are musicians, artists, architects, and other honors students.”

“For the last year I have been living in Germany as an exchange student, and have therefore mostly focused in understanding the German language, country and people. I am afraid that when I arrive to such a competitive and strenuous atmosphere, I’m not going to be ready for it. In order to succeed in OSU I believe that it is necessary to have endurance, motivation, capability, and most importantly, time to take it easy once in a while.”


Vanessa Lee Roig
Florida, of Cuban descent

Vanessa is from Tampa, Florida and a graduate from the International Baccalaureate program at C. Leon King High School. Both of Vanessa’s parents graduated from college and her sister is planning to attend Florida State University. Vanessa plans to major in English.

“I chose Ohio State over other universities because of its ideal atmosphere and location. Ohio State is a large and diverse university, which has plenty of opportunities in all areas of interest. My expectations as a first year student are for a fulfilling year working amongst my fellow classmates, under the direction of teachers in the classroom and participation in the variety of clubs/sports offered here.”

“The concerns I have about my first year experience at Ohio State are finding my place within this new environment and taking that first step towards involvement and discovery. The most influential person in making my final decision to attend Ohio State University would have to be my father. He is extremely supportive as well as knowledgeable and he was with me throughout the entire college planning as well as decision-making process.”


Waly Reyes
Ohio, of Dominican descent

Waly was born in Reading, Ohio and graduated from Reading High School. Waly is the first in his family to attend college and plans on majoring in both Spanish and accounting. Waly’s plans for the future are to start his own accounting firm.

“I chose Ohio State because I believe that Columbus is a great place for Hispanics to live and let’s just face it — I love Ohio State football. I expect college to be lots of fun and of course some obvious hard work. One of my biggest concerns would have to be me stressing out. “

“The people at the Morrill minority affair scholarship have been great to me. Whenever I have a question I call them and most of the time they solve my dilemma. In helping with the decision of what university to choose, I would have to say it was my best friend. He was going here so I decided that if it’s a great school and my friend is going there, why not go?”


Dominic Ferrey
California, of Cuban descent

Dominic was born and raised in Santa Ana, California and is a graduate of Santa Margarita Catholic High School. Dominic’s mother graduated from California State University-Fullerton, his father graduated from the University of California and his brother is a second year student at OSU. Dominic plans to major in biology and then continuing to medical school to pursue his dream of becoming a physician.

“I chose to attend Ohio State over other universities because it offers the academic programs that I am interested in. In addition, Ohio State seems to revolve around the students, with their best interest in mind. As a first year student, I plan to take an active role in the Ohio State student community by getting involved with various student activities and keeping up with my studies.”

“I hope my Ohio State experience will be one where I can discover and fulfill my academic and social interests. Some of the concerns that I have for my first year at OSU are adjusting my study habits to a university lifestyle. I believe that my family was very supportive in my choice to attend OSU, but ultimately I had the final decision. My family supported me regardless of which university I decided to attend, and after choosing OSU, my parents and I believe that I made the best decision.”


Manuel Granados-Lambea
Ohio, of Mexican descent

Manuel grew up in Columbus, Ohio and graduated from Westerville North High School. Both of Manuel’s parents graduated from universities in Mexico. Manuel is planning to major in engineering. He is still undecided which branch of engineering will be his major. His career objective is to work for a large engineering company.

“I chose Ohio State because it was close to home and I believe I will receive a very good education for the price, which was not too high. I hope my experience at Ohio State will be one which I can look back on and say that those were four of the best years of my life.”

“My biggest concern would have to be my time management skills. I am concerned that I won’t have time to do everything I want or need to do. I am aware that there are many student organizations geared toward Latin@s. I plan to get involved a little further along in college. I believe that I need to take a couple of quarters to get adjusted to my new college life.”