of Morenos They are SDSU’s Class of 2024. They live in Temecula.
As part of San Diego State University’s Class of 2024, we not only earned our degrees with our peers, we made history. As part of the Class of 2020 high school seniors who were unable to graduate, it means even more to us that we are graduating in a year when SDSU will have 500,000 graduates. We are a part of that, and that is a huge accomplishment.
We graduated from high school and entered college in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and although we were subject to Zoom classes and other restrictions imposed by COVID-19 guidelines, life has finally returned to normal in our third year, and now we are about to stand on the stage to graduate.
Our college experience has never been normal. And I’m not saying that because we’ve been through a global pandemic. Our journey began in 2018 with my brother becoming an Aztec. After visiting him on campus and seeing what campus life was like as high school students, we decided to apply to SDSU and, best case scenario, attend school with my brother one last time. When we first applied to SDSU, we were rejected by the university, which, to be honest, was a hard rejection to accept. We both appealed the decision and, in the process, showed the admissions office why we were a good fit for the university and why the university was a good fit for us.
A few weeks later, we received our individual appeal decisions and were admitted to the university. We were going to be Aztecs! Sometimes it takes a little effort and perseverance to achieve good things. Our brothers crossed the stage in 2022, so now it’s our turn to stand on the stage together and become an Aztec family who crossed the same stage, each of us earning a different degree and making a big impact, which is pretty meaningful.
As we prepare to graduate with degrees in Television, Film, New Media, and Child and Family Development, we hope to impart some knowledge to those enjoying the college experience at SDSU and other universities. Stay informed and get involved. You won’t regret attending one of our on-campus events. You never know who you’ll meet.
After all, one of the biggest lessons I learned in college is that rejection isn’t the worst thing. Going after what you really want is never a bad thing. After all, rejection is a change of direction. We know that we never regret trying to get the opportunities we want, but we will always regret the ones we missed. Taking the risk of rejection means trying. Even if you receive the dreaded “no,” it’s just one “no” closer to a “yes.” What you set out to get may not have been the one for you, but that being said, never stop trying because other opportunities will open up before you.
Attending this university has broadened our horizons and given us the perspective we needed to become independent because we were willing to take risks, step out of our comfort zones, try new things, make new friends, ask questions, and take chances. I would be honored to hear stories of successful Aztecs in the future and I encourage all students who aspire to be Aztecs. I would encourage every high school graduate I know to give this university a chance.
We will be forever grateful to SDSU for helping us discover who we are and how to become who we always wanted to be, while also discovering who we have always been.
Thank you to the professors who taught us everything, to the classmates who shared their experiences on the discussion boards, to the friends who helped us through difficult times, and to our families who supported us and our dreams, especially when we needed encouragement most. We are proud to be part of a community of more than half a million living alumni.
There are currently 500,000 Aztecs around the world making a huge impact on a global scale, and we are truly happy to join them and say we are Aztecs for life.
