Juan Velasquez never planned to attend the University of North Georgia (UNG).
The Dalton, Georgia, resident had a full scholarship to a college in Kentucky. But a family situation arose, making him the sole provider and keeping him at home.
Then Velasquez met Sarah (Junco) Petito, the former recruiter for UNG's College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). The federally funded program helps students from migrant and/or seasonal farm work backgrounds transition into college life for the first year.
She encouraged Velasquez to enroll at UNG and join CAMP. He agreed. It's a decision that had a ripple effect throughout his college career and resulted in unexpected rewards.
The most rewarding for Velasquez was he worked full time as the enrollment and retention coordinator for the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) at UNG. HEP assists migrant and/or seasonal farmworkers and members of the immediate family obtain a General Education Development diploma.
"I wanted to see how I could contribute to the community," said Velasquez, who started the job in fall 2019.
For the 21-year-old Guatemala native, it was just one of many ways he contributed to UNG. But his start at UNG was not easy. He struggled after arriving on UNG's Gainesville Campus in spring 2017 semester.
"My first year was the hardest year for me," Velasquez said. "I'd never been away from home."
He found community in his fellow CAMP students, who shared similar backgrounds and cultural traditions. He also met his close friend, Roel Aguilar, and found mentors in Christian Bello Escobar, director of migrant programs and services who leads HEP and CAMP at UNG, and Thalia Escobedo, retention coordinator for CAMP. He said all of them helped him academically and socially, providing him needed encouragement.
"They kept telling me if I can't help myself, then I can't help others," he said.
Their friendships led Velasquez to remain at UNG for a second year.
"I really thought I would go to UNG for a year and transfer close to home," he said. "But the cosmos weren't going to let me."
That year, Velasquez found himself working as a resident assistant for CAMP, which provides housing for freshmen students. They live at Hawks Nest at the Preserve near the Gainesville Campus.
As a resident assistant, Velasquez connected with the apartment complex leaders. At the end of his term, Hawks Next offered him a job as a community assistant. He accepted and stayed for a third year.
He then became involved with UNG's Migrant Student Union, serving as president from fall 2018 to spring 2019.
Then in the 2019 fall semester, Velasquez made history with Aguilar and Carlos Garcia, who Velasquez mentored in the CAMP program. The trio were inducted as members of Lambda Theta Phi, establishing the first Latino fraternity at UNG and founding the first Greek-lettered fraternal organization on the Gainesville Campus.
"I was asked to join other Greek fraternities and other honor societies, but I didn't," Velasquez said. "When I started to research the Lambdas and talked to other brothers and attended their events, it made me feel like I belonged. I knew Lambda was the way to go."
He also earned a Goizueta scholarship in fall 2019. The scholarship program is designed to support the academic success and leadership development of Hispanic and Latino students at UNG. It provides financial assistance, group activities, mentorship, personalized advising, and community service opportunities.
With these accomplishments, Velasquez still wanted more. The UNG alumnus with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in management wanted to conduct undergraduate research focused on the declining numbers of Latino men in higher education.
After he graduated in December 2020, he planned to earn a Master of Business Administration degree followed by an architectural license and certificate in civil engineering.
He credited his possibilities to those who implored him to finish his education at UNG.
"If it had not been for the people I met at UNG, I would have transferred out or just completed two years and been working at a carpet factory back home," Velasquez said. "To be where I am is a dream that came true."
