Exactly two days before the deadline, freshman Jose Vasquez viewed a Canvas notification announcing the application for the Teach for America Fellowship. Two days later, he completed and submitted the application. December following the submission deadline, Vasquez received a congratulations letter officially inducting him into the fellowship program. 

Vasquez is pursuing a major in mechanical engineering and a minor in mathematics. As of now, he is exploring the broad fields of physics and engineering before dialing in on a specific field to follow after graduation. 

“I have two career paths in mind,” Vasquez said. “One career path is being a nuclear power school instructor for the Navy. The other path would be to pursue graduate school with engineering.” 

In graduate school, he would be able to explore the teaching aspect behind mechanical engineering and possibly work towards a professional academic position.

Aside from his goals after college, Jose is contributing to several community-based organizations like Nevada Helping Hands and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

“I also am in a rock climbing club,” Vasquez mentioned. “It is really fun and I didn’t know it was a club until last semester!” 

Starting this semester, Vasquez has to incorporate the Teach for America fellowship program into his routine. He is set to work with a cohort of sixth-grade students two hours a week. Within those two hours, Jose will be a mathematics tutor and will manage teaching plans for the semester. 

“I am going through an onboarding process, which is essentially a self-learned orientation,” Vasquez explained. “I would like to use this as a basis to see if being an instructor would be a good fit for me.”

Vasquez won’t stop here after he completes this fellowship program. Later this year, he intends to study abroad in Spain, and he is confidently prepared to apply for several scholarships that will assist him financially throughout the next semester. Not only has the Honors College offered him fellowship opportunities like Teach for America, but the college has also opened his eyes to study abroad scholarships like the Fulbright and Gilman. 

“The Honors College gave me the foundation to work with these resources,” Vasquez said. “I also rely on my TRIO coach, Edgar Palacios, with scholarship essay feedback.” 

As a part of the TRIO STEM Scholars program, he receives academic and personal support in order to succeed in college. 

“They assist with financial scholarship feedback, [and] the program also offers workshops, socials and overall focuses on creating a welcoming environment,” Vasquez explained. “Since I was really determined to go to the University of Nevada, Reno, I wanted to have a support system, and TRIO does exactly that.” 

Similar to programs like First in the Pack and Upward Bound, the TRIO STEM program provides both mentors and coaches for students every semester. TRIO STEM Scholars must meet with their mentors and coaches around eight times each semester. 

“You meet with your coach four times and another four with your mentor,” Vasquez said. “So you get your fair share of advice from both, which is extremely valuable.”

Both the Honors College and the TRIO STEM program have offered Jose several life-changing opportunities. He will continue to take advantage of the resources and assistance given by these successful and worthwhile programs. Along with scholarship and fellowship opportunities, these programs also provide a strong community for hardworking students. Vasquez, as well as many other TRIO and Honors students, has formed strong connections with other students who share the same passion and work ethic as he does. 

Whatever Vasquez decides to pursue with mechanical engineering in the future, he has become more confident in his ability to apply for scholarships and seek educational opportunities. He has also created a strong and long-lasting foundation for himself in his first few semesters of college as he continues to pursue his career path as both an instructor and an engineer.