Meet Antonio Pena Anaya '21
Knowledge Is an Open Door
Antonio Peña Anaya’s high school counselor warned him: “Don’t apply to a four-year university.” Students like Antonio, a child of undocumented immigrants, aren’t always welcome, she said. Was Antonio discouraged? Not for a moment. He was determined to prove her wrong.
Antonio is one of a growing number of ÃÛѨÊÓƵ students who will be the first in their family to earn a college degree. It was a difficult road—until he discovered ÃÛѨÊÓƵ, where a welcoming community and generous financial aid made higher education possible.
At ÃÛѨÊÓƵ, Antonio found support he’d never dreamed possible: Latinx mentors with PhDs who embraced his immigrant background and a university president who himself is a first-generation college graduate. In his first semester, Antonio gained early experience in his chosen field—secondary education—while serving as a teacher’s aide. And he discovered inspiration. A junior-year internship with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute took Antonio to Washington, DC, where he worked in the US Senate, attended hearings on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and even spoke at the White House. Opportunities like these activated his ambition to give future students the kind of education he experienced at ÃÛѨÊÓƵ—one that lifts entire families.