What first sparked your interest in Poetry?  In seventh grade, my teacher at the time taught the poem, "Song of Myself: 52" by Walt Whitman, and I fell in love with it. I asked her for more poetry by him and ever since then I've had a love for reading and writing it.

Have you taken part in any other groups on campus during your college tenure? If so, which ones and why? I was a part of the Latino Student Association (LSA) and sat on the board as the Community Service Representative for my sophomore and junior years. I joined the group because I wanted to find something that had a community and outreach and they welcomed me with open arms.

What is your proudest moment at Georgia College, and can you describe the events that led to that moment? I think my proudest moment at GC was when I completed my Spanish minor last Spring. It wasn't a super big deal but I felt like I had accomplished something great, made it to a milestone you know? I finished it and all I could do was breathe a sigh of relief; one minor down, one minor to go, and then I'll have my Bachelors. It kind of gave me encouragement to keep going.

What are your plans after college? After I graduate in May I'm hoping to continue in Georgia College's MAT program to receive my masters in teaching high school level English.

What is the single, most important event that led to your interest in Diversity Education? As a kid my family moved around a lot before settling in a city called Bowdon, Georgia. It's a really small place and predominantly white and right winged - while those two things are separate they made a big impact on me as far as feeling othered. I wanted to do something to help others learn to not be ostracizing just because of how someone else identifies.

What is the importance of a Diversity Education in today’s world? Diversity Education serves to remind us that we are all still human, and we're the only creatures in the world that think and act as we do. With everything that's happened in the past year, it's important to remember that no matter how or why you disagree with someone they're still a person and no one deserves to be hated or discriminated against for something that's out of their control.

Where do you hope to go next? As far as location, after I leave Milledgeville - which probably won't be for another few years - I hope to buy some land maybe in West Virginia or Maine and start building a home and a farm for myself, not too far from civilization so I can still teach.

What did you find most surprising about Georgia College? I found the openness of the college community most surprising. People are more willing to adapt and understand than we give them credit for. It's something I wasn't expecting to find at GC but I'm glad I did. 

What was your favorite part of attending Georgia College and how do you think that might influence your future? My favorite part of Georgia College was how it opened it's borders - so to speak - to the greater Milledgeville community. Georgia College is very immersed in Milledgeville, and I love that fact.

What advice would you give to incoming students at Georgia College? If I could say anything to incoming students it would be to have courage and try what might scare you. Georgia College isn't perfect. No place is. But if you give it and all of its opportunities a chance you'll learn more than you thought you would at any other university. Also to go abroad if you can, trust me, it's life changing.