Ricardo, Alumni, San Jose State University

“I first came to the United States at the beginning of high school. Back then, one of my biggest challenges was learning English, but I knew that I wanted a higher education and a career, so I worked hard. My parents thought it was a risky goal to pursue, and, to be honest, it wasn’t easy.

At one point, I even dropped out of community college to work full time and pay the bills. But Ms. Wong [a former EPAAF staff member] got in touch, and she convinced me to reapply for the scholarship and keep going. Thanks to her, I went to college. She helped me a lot — step-by-

step, she helped me fill out all the documents to transfer to a university. Here I am, I graduated from San José State, and I think it’s the biggest accomplishment that I can say that I’ve achieved. I’m always trying to learn new things. Right now, I’m working on my portfolio to apply for graphic

design jobs at tech companies. Someday, my dream is to have my own graphic design firm.”