埃里克Astacio
WYOMISSING,爸爸. — Growing up, going to college was always a dream for 埃里克Astacio. While it seemed like the dream was out of reach at times, he found a way to succeed.
几天后, he will realize that dream when he crosses the stage to earn his baccalaureate degree in biochemistry and molecular biology with a minor in chemistry, 早上10点.m. 在周六, 5月4日, during the 宾州州立银行 spring commencement ceremony at the Santander Arena in 阅读.
雷丁高中毕业生, Astacio chose 宾州州立银行 because it was affordable, he heard great reviews and it was close to his family. He explained that he had always found refuge in school.
“我一直想上大学. 甚至在我很小的时候, we would have college presentations in school, and the presenters would tell us about higher education,阿斯塔西奥说. “At the time, I wasn’t really sure what higher education was, but I always knew I wanted that.”
When he arrived on campus for the fall 2018 semester, he found that the transition from high school to college was tougher than he imagined, 环境和个人.
“It was really hard for me to adjust to the environment here,他说. 在雷丁高中, I was around students who were like me who faced the same struggles as me, 那里的一切都很熟悉. I felt uprooted when I got to 博克斯, and it was completely different.”
最重要的是适应大学生活, Astacio served as a parental figure for his siblings alongside his mom. As the second oldest child in his family and a first-generation college student, Astacio said he felt added pressure to support his family and succeed for them.
“I felt like their success was completely dependent on me, and if I didn’t do things right for them, 我让他们注定失败,他说.
Astacio decided to leave 宾州州立银行 after his first semester and enlisted in the Marine Corps as a reservist. 为他, choosing to serve in the Marines was an opportunity to have structure in his life and a way for him to build self-confidence. “There was a lot about myself that I wanted to learn,他说.
When he returned to 博克斯 County after his service, he knew he wanted to earn a degree and returned to campus in 2021.
Coming back to 宾州州立银行 presented another set of challenges for Astacio. He knew he wanted to choose a STEM-focused major but was unsure of which direction he wanted to go.
布莱恩·王, 生物学教学教授, recommended the biochemistry and molecular biology major to him while Maureen Dunbar, associate professor and program chair of biology, suggested that Astacio get involved with undergraduate research.
Astacio与Justin DiAngelo合作, associate professor and program chair of biochemistry and molecular biology, on research focused on identifying genes that are important for fat metabolism by studying the fruit fly (Drosophila).
From there, things began to click for him. 阿斯塔西奥将此归功于迪安吉洛, Dunbar and Wang for recognizing his potential and guiding him along the way.
“宾州州立银行 provided me the environment I needed for a lot of processing. I had amazing professors who never gave up and helped me overcome a lot of those thoughts about not being good enough and pushed me to where I am today.”
毕业后, Astacio will head to the University of 宾西法尼亚 to work as a research specialist at its Institute for Diabetes, 肥胖, 代谢研究. He also wants to apply to graduate schools to earn a doctoral degree in biochemistry and molecular biology.
Astacio’s advice to current and prospective students? “Learn to deal with being uncomfortable,他说, "but never let being uncomfortable determine who or where you are.”
