Becoming a Triton, University of California, San Diego

My name is Jessenia Nuñez and I graduated from Mendota High School in 2010. I am a first generation college student. I come from a large family of 9 and both of my parents are El Salvadorian, and work in the fields. I am currently a first year at the University of California, San Diego and I love it. I live less then 5 minutes from the beach and the weather in San Diego could not be better. Thus far my overall experience has been extremely wonderful. I am majoring in Political Science and I hope to minor in Ethnic Studies. I live in a suite with 9 other girls and that’s were some of my best college memories have happened. My suitemates come from different parts of the state and different cultural backgrounds, and I have become very open minded to different cultures and people. Not a day goes by where I don’t meet new people.

My college experience began in the summer; I was part of a one-month transition program called Summer Bridge. This program was absolutely one of the best programs that I've been part of. I got to meet many students that came from similar backgrounds as I did, and I made friends that I know will be my friends for the rest of my life.

Once school started in the fall everything seemed to be going by so fast. Although classes are really challenging and I have to work tremendously hard I enjoy every day that I am there. There are days that I feel discouraged because things become difficult, but once I overcome my obstacles I feel as if nothing can stop me from reaching my goals. I am currently employed at a dinning hall and they are very flexible with the hours because they know that we are college students and our education comes first.

I’m really excited for next year because I have been hired to be a Residential Advisor and that is something that I really wanted to do. Living in a big city like San Diego and going to one of the top public universities in the country is drastically different from the small town I come from but it’s an experience that I wouldn’t change for anything.

I’m really grateful for the people that helped me get where I am today. Programs like that migrant program gave me a push forward so that I can obtain a higher education.