Students, faculty, and staff have had the opportunity to reflect on what it truly means to pursue a future of higher education as Misericordia welcomes 100 year anniversary.
Senior Kevin Amaya is reflecting on his personal experiences as he comes to the end of a successful journey. For Amaya, this concept of higher education following high school didn’t even cross his mind. He never felt as though it was a valid option for a student at his level. Amaya admits not always putting his best foot forward in his days of secondary education.
“I never thought about my future when I was younger, so I never worked hard in school. That caused my transcript to look rough, and I could only hope to get into a community college or a trade school,” said Amaya. In his eyes, it wasn’t even worth reviewing for big-name universities, but one private university later, and suddenly he was on the radar.
He said Misericordia officials saw a young man just dreaming of being someone better. And with that, Amaya’s story begins.
Amaya struggled with what he wanted to study in university, being as he hadn’t planned much for himself past high school. He roamed the halls of Misericordia, undeclared, searching for the right major. Enter the Mission, Ministry, and Service Offices. The program offered the opportunity to engage in community service and even allowed students to travel for their desired projects.
In his sophomore year, Amaya signed up for a community service project in New Jersey. This was his opportunity. A few phone calls and one bus ticket later, Amaya found himself standing in Camden, New Jersey, staring up at the Romero Center Ministry. Fortunately for him, this wasn’t his first encounter with the name. Saint Romero, the man the ministry was named after, was a common conversation during Amaya’s childhood.
To brush up on history, Saint Romero was a vocal critic and advocate against the violence in El Salvador, where Kevin and his family are from. With a civil war threatening the safety of his parents and a growing family, it was reassuring to know that there could be someone in power willing to speak out for change. Romero was the hope in a seemingly endless time of darkness.
“He led with love and lived a simple life and showed me the way that I want to lead. He shows how youth is helpful in a government to succeed,” said Amaya. In the years following Amaya’s first initial semester, he watched his home of El Salvador begin to become whole again. The violence and murder turned into waving to your neighbors and allowing families to flourish.
Remembering someone so influential, if just through the title of a building, allowed Amaya to consider his options for potential academic studies more thoughtfully. He realized he had a passion for advocating, especially with the advantage of his youth. He now had a motive: to invoke change among those in governmental roles and, maybe, even become the one in charge.
“I believe I can take matters into my own hands and correct the issues in our nation,” said Amaya. Although direct politics is still being considered, Amaya has now found his passion in studying government, law, and national security, as well as picking up a minor in psychology to better understand the human mind and our nature.
Through Misericordia University and one particular journey to New Jersey, Amaya found his way in his studies. But, of course, it didn’t stop there. He began to wonder that there must be others like him: stuck on a roller coaster, but with never-ending twists and turns with no way off. Amaya began to communicate with other students who found it difficult to fit in into a predominantly white university. So Amaya and other students founded The Latin American Student Association to give students a place to call home, and it’s become just that.
“Many students come from many different places and it’s nice to find someone you can connect with and share something in common,” Amaya said.
He’s found that the students come in and confidently represent their various countries and love to embrace the cultures of others, as well. Food, music, dance, art, and a multitude of other characteristics of each culture are celebrated and appreciated by those in and out of the community.
LASA was one of the first steps of Amaya’s budding leadership. As he prepares to graduate, he hopes the light of this family burns for years to come. “It warms my heart that after I graduate and leave, it will continue to grow and flourish as a club and this is just the beginning of something beautiful.”
Amaya is co-founder and leader of LASA, involved in the University’s Math and GLNS clubs, serves as an Admissions Ambassador, and more. Amaya hopes people will come to him for as much information, support, and guidance as they need. Those encountering their first few months of the college experience deserve to have someone welcoming and knowledgeable to gain the most out of their time on campus, he said. Understanding the ebbs and flows of the university has allowed Amaya to gain a deeper insight into how to influence and impact people in the most optimistic ways before he walks across that stage.
Amaya has become the first of his family to ever graduate from high school, and with the countdown on and one semester to go, he hopes to be the first to ever graduate from college.
“It’s all about you,” he said. “When you make peace with yourself and you’re in a place where you’re happy with yourself and your decisions, never doubt yourself,” said Amaya.
He advises others to recognize their achievements and the the efforts they put in. He said the mount of self-discipline and determination students have will determine how successful they become.
“You are the main character. You are the most important person, so make sure you take care of yourself during your journey.”