Making College a Reality

Daniel Garcia ’21 always knew he wanted to go to college. It was an idea in the back of his mind throughout high school, but not one he was confident he’d be able to put into action.

“I wasn’t sure college was something that was possible for me. My parents are from Trinidad and Tobago and like so many immigrants, my parents didn’t have access to higher education,” he said. “I wasn’t sure whether or not college would be something that was financially feasible for my family.”

Garcia ultimately found his path to a four-year college through C-STEP and the community college system but says that if he had been able to work with a college adviser as a high schooler, his journey to a bachelor’s degree would have been more expedient. After graduating and achieving his own academic goals, he wanted to help others make their dreams of attending a four-year college a reality.

The Carolina College Advising Corps was the perfect fit for that objective, and after graduation, Garcia joined the UNC-Chapel Hill–based program as a college adviser at Hillside High School in Durham, North Carolina.

“Everything that I do as a college adviser is informed by my experience as a high school senior,” he said. “I understand exactly how much an adviser would have changed the course for me, and I just try to be the adviser that I never had.”

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