Waleska Cruz took some time off between high school and college. “I was so lost,” she said. “I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life and I thought I needed to know exactly right after I graduated.”
She felt like confidence in herself was low, and her confidence in what she saw herself doing with her life was even lower. That soon changed.
“Once I got into AACC, I found out like, ‘Hey, you actually don't need to know. Like, you don't actually have to have a full-on plan of what you want to do with your life.”
Cruz said one resource she has really valued at the college has been counseling services.
“Just being able to talk to someone and having this reassurance and the support was really, really helpful,” she said. “Maybe not a lot of students know about it, and I think students should definitely take advantage of that.”
In school Cruz has met like-minded people, which makes her feel comfortable with the exploration she’s taken on in the past year with her transfer studies major.
She’s currently looking into journalism, marketing or anthropology/archeology studies, served as the features editor of the campuswide student newspaper Campus Current and hopes to become a part of the Student Government Association. Cruz also says she’s been enjoying the leadership program.
What started on a whim has grown to a large part of her experience at the college. A self-declared follower, Cruz has found herself growing, enjoying learning about leadership and becoming more engaged and speaking up.
“I'm just really excited for it. … I'm so excited to meet everyone, make friends, make amazing memories,” she said.