Giving Back
Yamily Vazquez learned a lot from the challenges she faced in her old neighborhood. The lessons were far from academic, but they tested her personal strength and faith. “Where I came from, I see the same cycle over and over again: kids dropping out and getting into trouble. I remember when I used to be like them.”
The sociology major from New Jersey had a tough time adjusting to Calvin in the beginning. “At my high school, if you showed up, you passed. I never did homework. When I came to Calvin, I struggled academically. But people opened their hearts to me.”
She soon found the support she needed and committed herself to being part of a support network for others. She is actively involved in the Entrada Scholars Program for minority scholars and works for Calvin’s Office of Pre-College Programs. “I visit high schools and talk to students about the challenges they face and life at Calvin. I love talking with them and at least planting a seed, saying, 'You know, you can do more than you're doing now' because I know what they’re going through. And I know what it takes to succeed.”
It is Vazquez’s faith and background that keep her motivated. “My main goal is to go to law school and work with at-risk teens. I want to go back home and help out kids who are growing up in poverty like I did; kids with the potential to be the first ones in their families to go to college, but who are hanging out on street corners. It’s my responsibility.”
“God brought me here for a reason. Now when I work with high school kids in the inner city and they see who I am and where I came from, they believe they can do it, too. It’s a great feeling to know I can give them more than a lecture, I can give them hope.”