The first memory I have of Orlando Delgado goes all the way back to sophomore year. We were seated at a crowded aisle of the Biology building, waiting impatiently to take a final. “I just want to pass this class with an A and get the hell out. I can’t wait to finally switch majors.” He was resolved to pursue his passion for history and go to law school. You cross your path with few people like this throughout your life. Orlando is one of those rare individuals that has the perfect dosage of everything: enough self-confidence to shine but not too much to be arrogant. He is intelligent but not a smartass, and is always eager to learn something new. You can have a conversation with him about just anything: from sports to international politics. Yet, he is laid back, funny and casual.
We took a few classes together, since we are both on the International Relations track. Unlike the stereotypical athlete portrayed in movies, he is a role model student. The obvious starting point of our conversation seemed to be his role as captain of the UPRM Male Volleyball team. Orlando knew he wanted to be part of the team since before starting college in order to follow his brother’s footsteps. So, for the past five years, he has been working hard to earn the position he now executes with passion. He truly reflects the mindset of a leader, “It is not about you, it is about what you can do for the team. You need to listen and become trustworthy to your teammates.” Last year he co-captained the team that won gold at LAI Justas. This year, he has the task of leading our CAAMpeones towards the same goal. It is a lot of pressure, because the Colegial crowd is not easily impressed. Yet he is confident that they have the talent and discipline to accomplish it again.
As for his academic life, the 22 year-old has managed to excel, “with many all-nighters”. He is currently on his last year of a B.A. in history and education, and a minor in international relations. Last semester, he was part of a selected group of students that participated at the Córdova y Fernós Congressional Internship, a competitive, exciting opportunity for puertorrican students to work as interns at the U.S. Congress in Washington D.C. “It was the experience of a lifetime” he recalls about working with Texas Representative Marc Veasey. “There are many people out there trying to actually make a difference, solve the problems, promote the things that unite us rather than the ones that tear us apart. It gave me hope,” he says.
This experience changed his vision of the world completely, as well as his career aspirations. He still wants to be a lawyer, but he would also like to pursue a master’s degree in public affairs. He doesn’t discard the possibility of teaching history at a high school leve either. I couldn’t leave without asking him the crowd-pleaser question: where do you see yourself ten years from now? I wondered what his answer would be, as he has accomplished in 22 years what many can’t in a lifetime. “I see myself starting a family and training to become the king of my little princesses’ world. Oh, yes, I want daughters.”