“To see all of the resources available at MIT was amazing to me,” he says. Yet, he confesses that he didn’t feel prepared for the rigors of MIT as a freshman, even though he was a top scholar in high school. Like many first-generation college students, he says he didn’t know how to take advantage of all of the resources the institution had to offer, and he looked at the professors as people who were there to give him work, rather than help him.
But with age comes wisdom, and before long he realized the importance of role models. Consequently, Gonzalez and his wife, Luisa, have tutored and assisted Hispanic students with college admissions paperwork. “I see the boost of self-esteem students get when they see others in these roles,” he says. “Not having many graduate students or professors that I could relate to from my background was a little tough.”
Now working in Phoenix in the information systems field, Gonzalez says the analytical and engineering skills he developed have opened many doors for him.
“There are all kinds of people and all kinds of degrees,” he says. “What matters is that you must be able to learn on the job, and you must have hard skills.”
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
