Student Spotlight - Faith Beltrán

What did you study at EvCC?

Originally, I planned on majoring in political science, but at the beginning of my first fall quarter at EvCC, I changed my major to sociology. It’s a fascinating subject, and I really enjoy it. I still loved all the political science courses I took, but sociology is kind of the heart and soul of my college experience.

Why did you choose EvCC?

I chose EvCC because it was financially and physically practical for me. It was near my home, tuition wasn’t terrible, and I even knew some people there. Because of EvCC, I am the first person in my family to graduate from college, and I am really proud and grateful to have been able to do that without having to leave my community.

Who helped you succeed at EvCC? What did that person do to help you?

I had so many professors and instructors who were just irreplaceable in my journey, I don’t think I can just pick one. I’d have to say Andrea Wells-Edwards would be at the top of my list. She was always there for me, in the classroom and out of it, and I always felt like she was truly 100% involved in my success. She was also an excellent instructor, and I’ve pretty much recommended her to every incoming EvCC student I know. My advisor, Dr. Brett Kuwada, was also instrumental in getting me to where I am today. Without him, I would have had no idea of how to proceed in college. Cynthia Clarke and Omar Marquez were also crucial to my college success, and helped me to be able to see the world in different ways and learn the truth about a lot of the historically inaccurate stuff I was taught when I was younger. I’m really grateful for that.

What advice do you have for new EvCC students?

For new students, I would say this: You are going to need to study a lot, but don’t let it consume you. My first two quarters at EvCC I pretty much just studied and I didn’t really participate in the EvCC community because I didn’t feel like it was for me, which was crazy, because it totally was! EvCC and everything it includes is completely for every single student. So I would say, make friends, join clubs, enjoy your time in college. It goes quick.

What do you plan to do next?

I plan on seeking employment now that I’ve graduated. I would like to work for my local government or maybe the county or state. I have a couple options already, and some cards of local politically involved people, which were contacts I actually got while at the college. I feel sufficiently prepared for my future because of my experience at EvCC.

Describe the best experience you had at EvCC.

The best experience I ever had at EvCC was the community. I was homeschooled for the majority of my childhood and early teens, and then I went to a co-op school for some middle school and all of high school, so I didn’t really have the typical primary educational experience. I loved going to campus and being able to meet with people, drink coffee, enjoy events, and be part of something much bigger than myself. Don't get me wrong, I loved being homeschooled, but I also loved going to college. It really was an amazing experience for me.

Is there anything else you want to add?

There is a lot I learned, especially in my social science classes, that changed my perspective on the world, but the most important to me by far was what I learned about indigenous history. I don’t think I can stress how important that was to me. I am biracial, but my father is of native Mexican descent, and it has bothered me since I was a kid how little people seem to talk about or teach about the history and experiences of native peoples. Everything I knew before college my parents taught me extracurricularly or I had to research myself, because all my history textbooks in my middle and high school education had about a paragraph or less of information on all the native peoples combined, and it felt like I was being lied to. Especially in my humanities class with Omar Marquez, I felt like I was finally learning the truth. We had about two weeks of classes where the subject was Native American and indigenous people, and we even wrote a paper on it. It was an awesome course, and it meant so, so much to me that I was in a class that was actually talking about the indigenous experience and history.