Standing Up and Speaking Out:
Rocio Diaz
CITL peer mentor and third-year business major Rocio Díaz hopes to one day attend law school and start her own law firm. Her current level of responsibility and initiative as a student-leader on campus suggest that her entrepreneurial goals are certainly possible. In addition to working part-time at a local law firm, Rocio serves as the student assistant for both the Center for Intercultural Teaching and Learning and the Multicultural Affairs Office. “Right now I’m helping organize pre-college events, putting together a calendar for the CITL and helping with the program planning for first-year CITL students.”
Rocio counts helping CITL Leadership Program participants adjust to the demands of college life as one of her most rewarding experiences thus far. “As peer mentors, we picked students from the program and met with them weekly or during certain times of the month. We mostly talked about being able to manage your time and the homework load. They were a little overwhelmed, so I tried to give them some tips on what I learning during my first year.”
Her mother, Rocio, who works as an administrative assistant in the CITL, has seen tremendous change in her daughter over the past two years. “She’s taken more leadership roles. I’m very amazed. I didn’t think that there was a chance for my daughters to go to college, But now, my other daughter is coming to Goshen and I’ll be taking classes as well.”
Rocio Sr. encourages all Latino families to consider the benefits of the CITL Leadership Program. “We think that, as Hispanics, we just have to work for our kids and to support them. But if we really love our kids, it’s not just about providing a home and food for them. It’s nice to be able to provide higher education for them as well. With the financial aid that the program offers, it makes it easier to do that.”