ES “Without the resources provided by Reality Changers, I don’t think I would be where I am today.”
This was what Javier (‘19), a recent graduate of CSU Fullerton and current employee of Family Health Centers of San Diego shared recently.
During high school, Javier, a native San Diegan, was eager to be the first in his family to graduate from a 4-year university. As college application season came around the corner, Javier realized that the gap of knowledge he had as a first-generation college student would prove troublesome for his goals of attending college. Recalling his time preparing to apply to schools, Javier remembered that he wasn’t aware of the different types of applications for certain schools or majors. “It’s very chaotic to manage everything as a young adult,” he said.
Javier initially looked to his family for support. However, his parents only ever completed some college schooling and, when it came time for Javier to apply to schools, there had been changes to the college application process since his parents had gone through it, creating a “gap of information.”
During his senior year, Javier joined Reality Changers to help bridge that gap.
“At Reality Changers, I had one-on-one support,” Javier shares, “[They helped] make sure everything was correct and nothing was missing from my applications.”
With the support of his achievement coach, Javier was able to simplify the college application process. Having someone by his side to guide his search of different colleges and their programs was “a big help.”
Beyond the support with college applications, the most important thing that Reality Changers taught Javier was to go beyond his comfort zone. “Being out of my comfort zone taught me to go look for more opportunities,” Javier says, “and take advantage of resources that are out there.” With this encouragement, his own enthusiasm, and drive, Javier successfully graduated from CSU Fullerton with a degree in Public Health. Since then, Javier has been working as a Patient Health Navigator, ensuring that his patients have the resources they need to live a happy and healthy life in San Diego. He is channeling the support he received at Reality Changers in his work giving back to his patients.