Brisa Moreno-Alcocer , an RTE Scholar

Speakers: Brisa Moreno-Alcocer

Brisa Moreno-Alcocer : Hello, my name is Brisa Moreno. I graduated from Paly in 2021 and I'm currently a second year at UC Davis As you can see, I'm studying sociology with an emphasis in law, society and perhaps the double minor in philosophy and human rights.

Brisa Moreno-Alcocer : One of my favorite parts of college is the flexibility of it. I like to call these years my time and transition because when I go home, I'm living a different lifestyle essentially and I'm able to really see how much my parents do for me. When I'm at school, I have to do everything on my own. So it really gives me an opportunity to really hone in on my preferences and what I like. For example, I'm a night owl, so I'm not going to take an eight a.m. class because that doesn't really work with the schedule that I've already made for myself. In addition, I really like the flexibility. I like the fact that I can make my own schedule and really do things on my own terms, which I know is not something that I'll have the opportunity to get when I'm older. Perhaps I'm not sure. So I'm really trying to take advantage of that while I still can.

Brisa Moreno-Alcocer : In general going to Paly was a great experience, but it was also very stressful. I constantly had work that I had to do for multiple classes and then I had actually curricular and I was always running out of time. And I think because of that being able to navigate that situation has helped me develop new skills that I can use now. And I feel like now the circumstances are completely different where I'm taking less classes in one day and I'm choosing classes that I find interest in, like that are my choice. So I think it might not be a popular opinion, but I think that because of my high school experience, my college experience is a lot easier than it could be. and I'm really able to enjoy it in a different way than I would have if I didn't have these skills.

Brisa Moreno-Alcocer : So here at UC Davis we go by the quarter system which means there's only 10 weeks of school at a time. And because of that it can go by really quickly so it's important to stay on track of things. For example because then it came piled up for example I had midterms all at the same time which was kind of overwhelming because they're all weighted a lot heavier than they were in high school. For example in one class I would have only to papers but those two papers represent my entire grade. So because of that it's important to stay on track with readings and other assignments that build up to that because then you just have an assignment and you don't have anything to work with. So yeah it's definitely keeps you on your toes. Make sure that you're on track. But that's part of the process.

Brisa Moreno-Alcocer : R.T.E. has been a huge help to my family and I especially when transitioning into college. But I do really appreciate how this is an annual scholarship because oftentimes it's a once one time occurrence and then I can get a little stressful. So I really do appreciate that. And I also really want to thank Kimberly Schwan for consist sending emails reminders because it really helps stay on track. And I also would get emails about workshops and unfortunately I haven't been able to attend any of them. I'm not sure how many there has been but I haven't I wasn't able to attend because of class conflict but I really do appreciate the engagement and um just I appreciate the help staying on track.