Agatha Gucyski
As a child of immigrants, I remember being very unclear about what college was supposed to be about; all I knew was that college is important and that it would be hard. I remember learning about fraternities and sororities for the first time and that people weren’t expected to study all the time. Throughout college, I worked 2-3 jobs to support my living and education, which added up to 20-40 hours per week. However, I didn’t want work to be the reason I couldn’t also be a high achiever, so I invested a lot of my time in student government from the first semester of college.
In my second semester, I was elected to the student Senate and was the youngest officer on the board. In my third year, I served as the ASI Treasurer, overseeing a $15 million budget and supporting campus organizations’ grant funding. In my last couple years of college, I served as the Vice President of Finance for the California State Student Association (CSSA), a student-led CSU system-wide leadership and advocacy organization that addressed unmet student needs and concerns. In this capacity, I provided testimony in Sacramento and advocated to legislators and collaborated with education groups in Washington, DC. In Summer 2015, I interned with the Public Policy Institute of California to support research on the CSU Graduation Initiative. Upon returning, I helped create a foundation for research-supported advocacy with CSSA, and research that I helped produce would be shared with legislators at both the state capitol and federal capitol.
In addition to my work in student government, I enjoyed engaging in community service activities and events with a co-ed community service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. In my last year, I joined Model United Nations (MUN) to expose myself to international issues, and, as a result, I was selected to compete in the most competitive MUN conference in the country in New York City, and our delegation took home three awards that year.
I am forever grateful for the experiences and opportunities I was provided at CSULB. Not only was I exposed to incredible leadership opportunities, but I was given amazing mentors and role models who made all of these experiences possible. Almost every person at the CSU is dedicated to supporting students and ensuring that they have a quality education. Without these people, I may not have achieved nearly as much as I did, and I would not be where I am today.
Through high school, I was heavily involved in community service and mentorship. I enjoyed servant leadership so much that I knew that I wanted to build on that upon arriving to college. The summer before my first semester, I created an Excel Spreadsheet to plan out when I would take every class each semester of college. As ambitious as that was and as seamless as I tried making my transition to college, my path to CSULB was not the easiest. In addition to being a child of immigrants and being uncertain about what to expect from college, I came from a dysfunctional family so didn’t have the best support at home. My first couple of days of college, I was homeless and relying on friends to bring me to school and to provide me with shelter. Though I had a rocky start to my college career, the ongoing support from my college peers and role models gave me a lot of confidence to persevere even when presented with challenges.
I remember coming to CSULB as such an ambitious freshman. I had three goals: to get into the University Honors Program, to get involved in community service, and to join student government. However, especially as a first generation American, I wasn’t sure that I would be able to accomplish each of these goals, but I accomplished all of them by my third year. By the end of my college career, I completed the Honors Program, completed hundreds of hours of service, and not only served as a student representative/advocate campus-wide, but I also served on a California State University system-wide level. I’ve attended and presented at conferences across the state and the country to promote and encourage student engagement as well as advocating in Sacramento and Washington, DC to advocate for the CSU and its students. My advice to anyone with big goals is to believe in yourself and your abilities. In every opportunity that’s presented to you, there is much more to gain than to lose. You’ll be surprised at what you’re capable of. ☺
Entering college, I was determined to fall into a career in public service, especially to support people in underrepresented and/or neglected communities. Upon reflecting on my time at CSULB as an education advocate and researcher as well as the internal challenges I had in high school, I recognized that I belong in a career that supports all children receiving a fair and quality education. In May 2015, I was admitted to be a Teach For America corps member to pursue that aspiration and support students in traditionally neglected areas so that they too can pursue their dreams.
I grew up in California my whole life, so I knew that I wanted to be somewhere completely different. Today, I am in Philadelphia, and spent July teaching Algebra I to summer school students at Simon Gratz Mastery Charter School in North Philadelphia. I loved and cared for every one of my students; teaching them was always my favorite part of every day. What I’ve realized is that though these students are smart and very capable of achieving big ambitions, many of them have been told or otherwise believe that they are not capable of troubleshooting through hard problems. I’ve seen how persistence and encouraging words can make a difference in both their achievement and confidence. As of August, I will be teaching Pre-Calculus to 12th graders at Hardy Williams Mastery Charter School in West Philadelphia as well as attaining a Master’s in Education at the University of Pennsylvania.
