hispanicfuturesfou

At just 24 years old, Javier Orellana Ostorga has already lived a story many students will never encounter, yet countless others will see themselves in. He is a proud Salvadorian immigrant, a first-generation college graduate, an advocate for immigrant rights in the D.C.-Virginia area, and someone who has learned to navigate systems never designed with him in mind. For Javier, college was never simply about earning a degree. It was a question of possibility, identity, and dignity; questions...

The college application process can feel overwhelming. You are trying to make huge decisions about your future while juggling school, jobs, family responsibilities, and everything else life throws your way. It hits even harder when no one in your family has gone through it before. That is the reality many first-generation students face. You are trying to chase a dream while learning the rules of the game at the same time. Adrian Ramírez grew up in Santa Ana and is now a first-generation...

Justin Martinez-Posadas, a freshman at Columbia University For many first-generation Hispanic students, the college application process is more than just essays and test scores. It is a journey that is shaped by sacrifices and the hope that there is space for them in places they were never taught to imagine themselves belonging. For Justin Martinez-Posadas, that journey began not with certainty, but with curiosity. Justin is a first-generation college student and was raised by a single...