Anthony and Fathima Garcia
“We are a Seattle Promise family.”
ABOUT ANTHONY
Intro.
IN THEIR WORDS
On Seattle Promise being the right choice:
“There were a few clicking points when I realized that I made the right choice when I became a part of Seattle Promise. I think one of the biggest ones for me was really understanding that I was starting to get internships and starting to be connected with really great people in the business world. I got those connections through Seattle Promise. There’s one thing where you make great connections in education like your advisors and your professors, but there’s the other side of the coin – the professional side – where I was fortunate enough that I knew people in Seattle Promise that got me connected to some people at Amazon Web Services and other companies like Expedia for me to get my foot in the door.”
On what graduating college meant for his family:
“It really makes my heart melt having conversations with my parents because this is the type of stuff that they’ve dreamed about. They’re from Central America and they’ve worked really hard to find a living and raise your kids the right way. They’ve left a legacy with me and my little sister who is, of course, part of the program and I’m so proud of her as well.”
“I think they’re super proud of just the process and the work they have done and seeing the fruits of raising us in the way they did. Every time we have dinner together and talk about our experiences and the types of stuff my sister and I have gone through, I can just see their face light up all the time just hearing that both of their kids are college graduates and have really high ambitions for themselves; and not only for themselves, but to help out with the community as well. That’s something that me and my sister are really passionate about and I think that’s something that really makes them smile every time that we talk.”
On Seattle Promise’s impact:
“I think really having this option for students to figure themselves out for a couple years, make smart decisions, and wise decisions guided with the fantastic advisors that are in the program for the students, I think it’s just going to help the city and the community much more. You can just look at individuals like me and my sister. Just imagine that times 100, times 200, and imagine the ripple effect that it can have for the city, the country or the world in general.”
ABOUT FATHIMA
Intro.
IN THEIR WORDS
On learning about Seattle Promise:
“I found out about Seattle Promise first through my brother, he was like the first group of students who participated in the program. I was a senior in high school and it’s when the pandemic hit, so I remember all of our counselors were telling us, ‘Please apply to Seattle Promise, it’s a great opportunity, and it can be your safe choice even if you get in to the university you dream of going to.’ I remember seeing my brother navigate the financial aspects of it and how he didn’t have to pay tuition, so that really seemed like the perfect opportunity for me. The landscape for college changed with the pandemic so I wanted to maximize my opportunity by going to Seattle Central and pursuing an opportunity that wasn’t going to affect me financially in the future.”
On finding the right path for their career:
“I remember being asked what major or pathway I’d like to pursue, so I chose business administration because my brother did that. I wasn’t really sure within business what I wanted to do, but I think having the broadness of business, I wanted to do that. I feel like I follow my brother’s footsteps a lot, so he’s always been a guiding light in my life, so that’s why I pursued that. Once I started taking pre-requisites for the business major or pathway, I was able to really fall in love with it and realize the potential for finding my niche within business.”
On the importance of access to education:
“Access to education is really important. Advancing in our careers, especially for Black, Indigenous and People of Color, that has been something we hadn’t had access to for a long time. I think it’s really important that those barriers are removed and that students in the next generations have access to it. I think it affects our workforces and creating more diverse workforces, which is crucial. Spreading Seattle Promise as the way to get there and the stepping stones to achieving higher education is great. I always tell any younger family members or friends who have younger siblings to do Seattle Promise, because it’s a really great program and [one] we’re really fortunate to have. I’m really glad it’s in Seattle, because it’s definitely allowed students who wouldn’t have had the opportunity before to achieve higher education to go far in their education and career journeys.”
On their favorite moment after utilizing Seattle Promise:
“Definitely graduation. Being able to walk the stage was super special and have these two years of my experience as a Seattle Promise student right in front of me, to have all the memories as I walked across, and to see all the cheerleaders across my experience to be there supporting me was really special. I’m really grateful for that and I always think back to it because it got me to where I am today at UW. Thinking about all the people I met through Seattle Promise and how I still constantly talk to them, it has been a really meaningful program in my life.”