Starting freshman year and being around new people is already intimidating; now, imagine coming into your lecture and trying to find a sense of familiarity, only to find you can’t. That was me. That was me during my first weeks at Virginia Tech.
 As a first-generation Nicaraguan student, I found connecting with people who shared my background in a new place difficult. Growing up with my immigrant family and being taught to embrace my heritage proudly has been one of the best experiences in my life and has taught me so much. As I moved to Blacksburg in my freshman year, where my family wasn’t close by, it became overwhelming and upsetting, but learning to adapt and explore my surroundings to find that sense of identity has helped me become more confident within my culture, regardless of where I am.
According to data from the Virginia Tech University Data Commons (2025), the admission dashboard shows that only 530 Latino students accepted offers to Virginia Tech out of 7,133 students in 2024. That is roughly 7% of Latinos who were in the class of 2024, which really puts things into perspective. Going to college is an experience that not many Latino students get to go through. Being one of the first in my family to attend college, I had no idea what to expect, but I knew, regardless of who had gone or not, I needed to make my stay at Virginia Tech worth it. The fun thing about college is making friends that can make you happy, which was quite easy, but I still felt a lack of identity. I felt lost within myself and felt like I was losing my culture because people didn’t understand some of the things I was accustomed to. So, what was the solution to my problem?
Once I realized my happiness was at risk, I started to become more adventurous and found out what things were happening on campus that I would find interesting. Becoming confident played a huge role, and talking to family helped me get out there. Going to events that involved first-generation students was just the start. I realized it was okay to miss a part of something you grew up with all your life, and being different didn’t mean having to change who you are.
Enjoying having both friends who were culturally different but also those who were more relatable changed my perspective on college. Talking to multicultural organizations saved me throughout the end of my freshman year, and it opened a new environment for me. Getting involved in things like Salsa Night, organizational party events, and even plans to travel to different countries to fix schools. Virginia Tech offered a variety of clubs that helped me feel seen, so finding that gateway changed my outlook on the next three years of my life. I was able to find out what fun things were going on around me and discover new opportunities while meeting new people. I was able to overcome the challenges of culture as I navigated my first year at Virginia Tech.
Some advice I would give to incoming Latinas who feel like they might have made the wrong choice of attending a school that is predominantly white is to give yourself time to adjust. Being different is a superpower in so many ways, and spreading your culture and talking about it with people who don’t understand seems scary at first, but it can be so eye-opening to others when you meet the right people.
Universities all around the country are seeing higher acceptance rates for Latina women now more than ever, and with these changes, it’s important for many Latinas everywhere to be strong, show off their culture, and never forget where they come from. My school was lucky enough to have an extensive amount of support when it comes to cultural organizations, so speaking up when you feel misplaced is key to finding new ways to make yourself more comfortable with your identity, no matter where you are. As a Latina woman, I am taught to be strong and proud of my heritage, and when we can’t find that in certain places, it’s important to find that comfort yourself.