Adriana Orozco '20

I graduated from college during the pandemic, which was a huge accomplishment for me and my family. I'm the youngest of four and the second one to graduate from college. My brother, who is seven years older than me, was inspired by my accomplishment and decided to go back to school. He ended up attending my school, California State Long Beach, and is now in his third year. I majored in art and chose to go for the bachelor's of art instead of Fine Art in animation because I wanted to put focus on my family. My professors told me that I didn't have to graduate with the exact degree name because there's still plenty of people who will find the opportunities and what they want without having that exact title. My time at Long Beach helped me grow into my independence as a person. Growing up, I had a big age gap between me and the rest of my siblings, so it felt like I was independent. But once I started going to school, I had to develop more self-dependence and self-confidence. I had to force myself to develop these skills because it wasn't easy. Looking back, I'm proud of how far I've come and the positive influence I had on my brother.