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V和al Fest | Avelardo Vargas

看看阿维拉多·巴尔加斯是如何通过大学援助移民计划(营)和乔巴尼365滚球官网计划(Chobani365滚球官网 Program)发现自己进入365滚球官网的道路的. Once here, he found a passion for helping others find their voice.

Scholarships 和 营 Bolster Student Leader in Dairy 和 Agriculture

从下午5点开始工作.m. 到1 a.m. 高中的每一天都是不利于完成大学申请的.

But that’s what Avelardo Vargas did.

“有很多事情可能会阻碍我继续接受教育,”巴尔加斯说. “但大多数问题都得到了解决,因为我遇到了合适的人.”

It was those people — his family, 他是365滚球官网的招生专家和奖学金捐赠者,为这位大三学生打开了接受教育的大门. Vargas is earning his degree in Animal 和 Veterinary Sciences 因此,他可以帮助乳制品行业找到解决该行业面临的问题的办法。他就是在乳制品行业长大的.

And Vargas hasn’t let the door close behind him. He’s holding it open for others.

Avelardo Vargas st和s in front of a cow pen

成功之路

巴尔加斯家族在爱达荷州乳品行业工作了20多年.

“I always said I wanted to go into dairy, just like my dad. He brought me to work with him,巴尔加斯说。, who helped his dad with chores on a small 200-cow dairy. “在成长过程中,这份工作教会了我很多纪律和责任.”

The people within the dairy industry are extremely hard working. ​Avelardo Vargas, junior in CALS

Although he toyed with other career options during middle school, the Rupert native quickly returned to his original goal, mostly due to his coworkers.

瓦尔加斯说:“乳制品行业的人工作非常努力. “I realized that my true passion was here in the dairy industry, 我想留在家里继续我的学业.”

巴尔加斯的父母, who are from Mexico, didn’t have the opportunity to attend high school, 这一事实促使他们督促自己的孩子完成学业, 他说.

“我认为,父亲带我去工作的部分原因是想让我明白,生活并不容易,通往成功的真正道路是教育,巴尔加斯说. “And my mom, she got her GED during my senior year. She wanted to show us how important education is.”

A cow studies Avelardo Vargas.
阿维拉多·巴尔加斯(Avelardo Vargas)想回到乳制品行业,因为他十几岁时在那里学到的人生教训.
Avelardo Vargas walks a cow through a paddock.

寻找帮助

巴尔加斯发现申请大学和被录取既困难又令人困惑, especially while working a full-time job at a 5,000-cow dairy during high school. 他得到了指导,可以通过一个压倒性的过程与工作 College Assistance Migrant Program (营).

“营是365滚球官网唯一一个由联邦政府资助的项目,专门为来自移民和季节性农场工作背景的高等教育学生提供服务. 科罗拉多大学营为他们提供学术、经济和文化方面的支持。 Evelina Arevalos-Martinez, 营主任. “这种对文化敏感的支持绝对是帮助我们项目成功的原因. 当我们招收学生时,我们实际上是在招收整个家庭. 我们包括家庭成员来帮助决定学生是否会成为汪达尔人.”

当我们招收学生时,我们实际上是在招收整个家庭. Evelina Arevalos-Martinez, 营主任

Victor Canales-Gamiño, who was a 营 recruitment specialist, 在瓦格斯在奶牛场换班的时候,我和他一起工作,帮助他处理申请,并确保这个高中生利用所有可能的机会. 卡纳莱斯还为瓦格斯的母亲翻译了大学申请流程, who speaks English as a second language.

“I’m really close to my family, 和 since none of them have ever gone to college, it was really important for me to keep them in the loop,巴尔加斯说. “营让我的家人参与了我进入大学的整个过程.”

除了帮助瓦格斯上学,他们还帮助他留在这里. 营与所有学生合作,不仅仅是完成第一年的学习, 在时间, 获得学位.

A huge monetary impediment for Vargas was removed when he became a Chobani365滚球官网 一项多年奖学金,为与乳制品行业有家庭关系的学生提供经济支持,并希望在乳制品行业从事职业.

巴尔加斯说,如果没有奖学金,他可能上不了大学.

“The scholarship changed not just my life but my family’s life as well,巴尔加斯说。, who is in the first cohort of Chobani scholars.

Avelardo Vargas works on the cow pen.
Avelardo Vargas与营合作,让他的家人参与大学申请过程的每一步.
Avelardo Vargas st和s by his truck with cows in the background.

提高声音

Once Vargas settled into his classes in the College of Agricultural 和 Life Sciences, he realized he wanted to open doors for others. 他认为越来越需要支持农业领域代表性不足的学生.

He helped start the U of I 校园章 of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural 资源 和 Related Sciences (MANRRS). A national organization, MANRRS促进在其领域中代表性不足的种族和文化群体以及在其学习和职业生涯中代表性不足的学生的包容和进步.

我的父母教导我要充分利用自己的时间,尽可能多地帮助别人. Avelardo Vargas, junior in CALS

乳制品行业, like many divisions of agriculture, relies heavily on immigrants 和 minorities, 巴尔加斯说. But despite making up the bulk of the workforce, 他们在行业决策层的代表性不成比例.

“People in agriculture always ask, ‘How many cows does your family own?’ And, you know, they’re not really ours. We just work there,巴尔加斯说. “让所有这些来自不同少数民族的学生在农业行业有发言权,并向他们表明他们在这个行业受到重视,这一点非常重要.”

He didn’t stop with forming the chapter. Vargas took on leadership roles as a CALS大使 美国农业未来校园大使,他参加了 犹他大学乳品俱乐部.

“我的父母教导我要充分利用自己的时间,尽可能多地帮助别人,巴尔加斯说.

他希望其他有希望上大学的人不要让障碍阻止他们追求自己的目标. 他建议,任何想上大学的人都不应该害怕寻求帮助.

“我必须走出去,寻找机会和人们,帮助我打破阻碍我继续接受教育的障碍,巴尔加斯说. “如果没有一路走来帮助我的人的支持,我就不会有今天的成就.”

Avelardo Vargas pets a cow at sunrise.
阿维拉多·巴尔加斯帮助成立了365滚球官网农业少数族裔校园分会, Natural 资源 和 Related Sciences.

Published in the Spring 2022 issue of 这里是爱达荷州.

本文由 利库柏, University Communications 和 Marketing.

摄影的 梅丽莎·哈特利, University Communications 和 Marketing.

摄像的 卡拉比灵顿将Knecht, University Communications 和 Marketing.

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