You belong
in these spaces.

I came to Yale not knowing much about what it would actually be like. The biggest reason I chose to come here was because of my family. I grew up between Connecticut and Chicago, moving from place to place. Instability was a normal part of life for me. In my family, most people either dropped out of high school or barely made it through. My mother doesn't speak English, and she had enough difficulties navigating the world as it was.

So the expectation for me was simple: just get by. Do the best you can.

But I wanted more than that.

I fought to get into Yale in spite of the expectations around me. People from my background were never expected to reach a place like this. My family didn't expect it. Teachers often taught classes assuming students like me wouldn't end up at elite schools. Counselors told me to aim for something more "realistic."

That expectation was exactly what I was fighting against.

I didn't want to be another statistic. I didn't want to share the same fate as the men in my family. I didn't want my future to be limited by what people thought someone like me was capable of. Even though, at the time, I didn't really know what was out there.

When I finally got to Yale, it was a shock. The environment here felt very different from the communities I grew up in. The demographics, the resources, the way people talked about opportunity — it didn't resemble the neighborhoods I knew.

But one thing I was excited about was reconnecting with Puerto Rican community. Growing up, I had a very clear idea of what being Puerto Rican meant. To me, we are people who are loud, proud, social, and deeply connected to our culture. We dance, we cook, we listen to music, we laugh loudly, and we gather together. And we do all of this even when life is difficult.

When I got to Yale, I realized that Puerto Rican identity here looked more complicated than I expected. Some students came directly from the island. Others were several generations removed from it. Some grew up deeply connected to the culture, while others were still trying to rediscover it. At first, this made me uncomfortable. It challenged the assumptions I had about what it meant to belong.

Over time, I realized something important: there isn't just one way to be Puerto Rican.

That realization shaped a lot of what I've tried to do during my time at Yale. Despierta Boricua grew out of the belief that we could do more — that we could bring together culture, politics, and community in ways that mattered.

If you are a Puerto Rican student thinking about applying to Yale — or to any selective university — we want you to know that you belong in these spaces. Even if your school has never sent someone here before. Even if people tell you that schools like this are unrealistic. Even if you feel like you don't fit the typical image of who ends up at a place like Yale.

Many of us once felt the same way. And that's exactly why Despierta Boricua exists.