When my family first moved here from Colombia, I was initially planning to attend a 4-year university after high school, however, my father passed away during my sophomore year. To help my mother, my brother and I worked two jobs while in high school so that we could remain in the U.S and attend college. My mother suffered from mental health and financial difficulties after my father’s death so attending a 4-year university was no longer an option for me. I continued my education at HCC and because of my high grades; I was able to enroll in the HCC Honors Program. While in college, I still maintained two jobs because my mother moved out shortly after and my brother and I were living on our own.
HCC helped me stay on track to graduate fast while still taking very rigorous classes. Also, HCC helped me realize I wanted to pursue my architecture degree in a program that took into account liberal arts and the importance of service to the community.
Smaller classrooms allowed us to get to know our professors better. All my professors gave me a fresh perspective on their career passion. These valuable educators give us so much more information than just the course. They were able to share life experiences and professional advice. I discovered my passion for architecture because of the guidance and advice I received while at HCC. I was able to build my design portfolio and I was accepted into one of top 10 schools of architecture in the country, the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles. I was able to make the move to Los Angeles because attending HCC allowed me to save money. I received scholarships from the HCC Foundation, HCC honors program and state grants, making my education at HCC completely free.