Major: Psychology
Hometown: Schuyler, Nebraska
The Mac Miller lyric "there was never a better time to better myself" has been a drumbeat in Erik's head for the past couple of years.
When he was exploring colleges, he originally planned to become an accountant. He was good at accounting in high school and it became second nature. After getting involved in engineering competitions, he set his sights on nuclear engineering and started attending Central Community College. Though he would later switch back to accounting, he dropped out to take care of himself and focus on his mental health.
Around this time last year, he was really inspired to go back to college, both for himself and his parents.
"I'm a first-generation Latino student so I want to make them proud by being the first in my family to graduate from a 4-year university."
Going to college is also a way to honor the legacy of two of his friends, Ramon and Juan, who passed before they could attend college.
"I'm going through this journey for them as well."
Now he's started as a junior at Nebraska, a university he said he's wanted to attend since middle school. And he's also discovered a new path for himself: finishing college and then attending graduate school to become a guidance counselor.
"I've always been the "therapist" for my friends so that inspired me to go into psychology," he said. "I wanted to become a guidance counselor because more often than not I found myself helping friends and coworkers with resumes, scholarships, applying for colleges, and FAFSA as well."
As someone that strives to help others and to better himself no matter where he's at in life, he feels like being a guidance counselor is the perfect fit. And aside from helping students navigate school, he'll be able to help families.
"There's also not a lot of bilingual guidance counselors so I know it would help some parents of students to know what their child is going through it when comes to school."
