Edgar Chavarria Blog

Quarantine Reflection of my Time at USD
June 1, 2020

This past September marked the fourth year since I began my undergraduate studies at the University of San Diego. Now that the initial COVID-19 panic has subsided, I’d like to examine a topic I didn’t have time to fully consider due to my early move-out and a full transition to virtual classes in my parents’ house in Lafayette, Colorado.  

I never really questioned my reasons for going to college or found out why college was so important; I just knew it was. Moreover, I never pondered what I would learn from college aside from doing my own laundry and finding time to feed myself while I rushed to meet five different deadlines.  But as I near the end of these four years, I focused on three things that college taught me—things that go beyond my initial expectations in attending a liberal arts college.  

First, I found the core of my academic curiosity and discovered how important reading footnotes are. Every kid in school is always asked about their favorite subject in school and most of the time it ends up being recess. As a kid, I was naturally drawn to politics and government. I can recall my fifth grade-self keeping track of the electoral vote in 2008, which led me to think that Political Science was destined to be the core of my academic goal. College showed me that I was wrong. I found out that while I enjoy learning about our political structure and how our society governs itself, I realized I didn’t have the same passion for this as my growing passion for history. History is often placed in the category of most useless majors by many folks, but for some reason, I found a true passion and love for the study of our past (from which we never seem to learn). It wasn’t until I took an Atlantic World history class that I began to question everything I learned in history classes and found out there was a lot more valuable information hidden in the footnotes. I found the importance of critical analysis and, the importance of peeling back the multiple layers of the recorded past.   

Second, I finally learned how to say “no” and the importance of finding emotional wellbeing. This is an act that is sometimes more difficult than finishing a 10-page essay and will require lots of practice. There were times where I felt that everything seemed to be piled against me in college. From friends to relationships to student organizations, I found that finding a way to control your emotional wellbeing is an essential skill for life, in college you learn the tools. This is something that I still work on to this day and have found out that I need to take time to myself to properly function.  I’ve learned techniques that allow me to balance my mental wellbeing with the multiple demands of college and being a young adult. As a younger student, I tended to think I could do everything at once, but that is not possible— A reality I embraced —after taking a full set of classes while doing a million other activities on campus. Achieving balance and learning limits are more important than people acknowledge.  

Lastly, I learned persistence and resilience are key. College makes you confront tough concepts and makes you think of your ideas rather than summarizing what someone else said. This is difficult to do and there were many instances where the feeling of failure would make one think the end was near. In my time at USD, I knew many students who dropped out or transferred after they got a bad grade and thought college wasn’t for them. Professors give tough criticism and learning to accept it, learn from it, and move on was an important lifelong lesson. Discovering my weaknesses and strengths helped me focus on improving. It can be hard not to take this feedback personally, and it often leads students to think they have terrible professors, but I found the toughest classes were taught by some of the most passionate professors. And despite my own struggle, I learned more than what was outlined in the syllabus.  

Now that I find myself confined in my parents’ house and begin to plan my future, I look back on my time at USD with a new level of appreciation. I found the true value of college, and it goes beyond grades or preparing a career. College allows you to think for yourself and question what we blindly accept as true. I’m sad that my undergraduate years are ending, particularly given the abrupt shut-down, but I look forward to applying these lessons to the next chapter.   

The Challenges of College
July 2, 2019

Nothing is made to be easy—that is the key lesson I’ve taken from college thus far. During my time, I have balanced surviving in a city like San Diego, going to a private university where I decided to double major, and fully engaging in student activities while trying to stay in touch with my family, mentors, and friends. 

College challenges students with endless reading and constant exams—all of this while handling a million other responsibilities. I remember my first year brought fears of not fitting in, having obnoxious roommates, and homesickness. My second year was all about classes increasing in difficulty as well as deciding on a degree plan. During my third year, my goal has been not to starve without a meal plan and not start a kitchen fire in my dorm. Yet, the hardest thing has been finding more time to complete everything and getting the right support and motivation.

 I found out this year that twenty-four hours is simply not enough time to do everything that I want or need to get done. With so many things on my to-do list, I hit a point where I could not accomplish everything.  This affected my sleep and health. I realized that I was so busy that I no longer had a routine. I would get emails about meetings for work and other events on campus and I would simply adjust and go. Needless to say, I found myself in a situation that made it difficult to find direction and purpose. But even with this apprehension, it was not until I got a call this year from Judge Arguello and emails from my mentors that I realized that I was getting burnt out and was clearly overcommitted.

As I reflect on all these challenges, I realize that for first generation college students, getting through all of these challenges and continuing to law school is nearly impossible. I have seen it in my own life where so many aspects of college have made it very difficult to keep up with my goal of going to law school. Even when it came time to talk to advisors in my department, I would hear professors tell me that law school was not worthwhile, especially with my background. And, while I am aware that law school and the law school admission process is intensive, I know I can make it happen.

My mentors both in San Diego and Denver are some of the most helpful people I have who have supported me and continue to support me. Law School YES WE CAN makes it possible for someone to further their education after their undergraduate degree. Judge Arguello is a constant reminder that hard work, focus, and resilience are the key components to success. This past semester I made the decision to step back from many of my commitments on campus and, as a result of dedicating time to my mentors, I am about to begin an incredible opportunity as a legal intern through a partnership between Molson Coors and Law School YES WE CAN.

Nothing is made to be easy. But, would anyone be proud of who they are without truly challenging themselves? All the challenges I have faced were rigorous, yet here I stand committed to the challenge ahead and attending law school.

“So often in life, things that you regard to an impediment turn out to be great good fortune .”                     

-Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“Sí, Se Puede” is a phrase born of farmworkers, who, under the leadership of the UFW, César Chávez, and Dolores Huerta, fought valiantly for equal protection under the law. As a result of the efforts of the UFW, “Sí, Se Puede” has become well known as a call that engenders hope and inspiration in those who face similar battles. We thank the UFW, whom we acknowledge to be the sole and exclusive owner of the Trademark SI SE PUEDE, for granting us a limited license to use“Sí, Se Puede” in connection with our efforts to recruit, in Colorado, students of Hispanic or Latino descent for our law school pipeline program. For more information about the programs offered by the UFW, please see UFW’s webpage (www.ufw.org); UFW Foundation’s webpage (www.ufwfoundation.org); and UFWF’s immigration services webpage (www.sisepuede.org)