Jocelyn Garcia

Major: Psychology

Minor: Chicano/a Studies

Hometown: Santa Paula

Graduation Date: Spring 2022

I am a first-generation, first-time freshman at California State University Channel Islands. I chose to attend Channel Islands because it is a beautiful campus, it had my major, and I was already familiar with the campus. I am going into my second year at CSUCI and I am majoring in Psychology with a minor in Chicano/a Studies. I decided to major in Psychology because my senior year in high school I took Psychology AP and became very interested in the different topics. After taking an introduction course to Chicano/a studies in the spring I wanted to continue to learn more about my history and where I come from and decided to minor in it.

I chose to go to college because I come from a low-income family and my parents always told me to pursue a college education in order to be someone in this world. I remember my dad always telling me “trabaja tu cerebro no tu cuerpo” meaning to get a job where I can use my intelligence instead of having to physically work hard. My dad worked in the fields for many years and he would always come home tired from picking strawberries in the sun all day. Seeing how hard he worked to provide food, clothes, and shelter for my family has motivated me to study, get good grades, and pursue my goals. I want to be able to walk across that stage with my diploma and show him that everything he has done for us has been worth it. As a first-generation student, I have faced many challenges along the way. Filling out the different college applications was challenging because I didn’t have anyone in my family I could go to for help and I didn’t know exactly what I needed. Some other challenges I faced were not knowing how to manage my time wisely and what resources were available to me.

Attending college has made me realize that many of us have faced the same or similar challenges and that we are here to support one another. I have decided to become a peer mentor because I want to inform others of the resources that are available to them, I want to go out into my community and show them that it is possible, and support those who are already in college and need that extra push.

During my free time I like to go out to lunch with my friends and just talk and enjoy our time together. I am really close to my family, so I like to spend time with them and BBQ on Sundays. Some other things I like to do are go to the beach, go hiking, take pictures of nature, and go out to bailes with my friends.