Ashley Montiel, senior sociology, criminology and Spanish triple major, is a first-generation Latina student at Hofstra University.
Montiel moved across the county to pursue her career goals at Hofstra. She said that Hofstra awarded her with the greatest scholarship among the colleges she was considering, which played a significant role in her decision to attend.
“Coming from California and being a first-generation Latina, if I had the opportunity to go somewhere far, like a private university, [I figured I] might as well try it out,” Montiel said. “In addition to the scholarship, my decision was for opportunities as well because I know the school has a lot of connections within the field I’m pursuing.”
To reach her career goals, Montiel decided to triple major at Hofstra.
“I decided to triple major based on a professor saying that my first two majors [sociology and criminology] overlap and it would benefit my career options in the future,” Montiel said. “I added a Spanish major because of my professors, and Spanish is my first language, so I was like, ‘Why not just add it?’”
Montiel said that after graduation, she wants to work within the government in some capacity.
“At first, I wanted to be an FBI agent,” Montiel said. “Right now, I think I either want to be a detective [or] a private investigator. I just want to work in an area where I can help others.”
As a first-generation college student, Montiel had to quickly learn to be independent and advocate for herself.
“Being a [first-generation student] can sometimes be overwhelming because I know my parents can’t help me out with certain things, so I do have to do a deeper dive and investigate loans, scholarships and how to apply to certain things, but I know [first-generation] resources are always there to help,” Montiel said. “I also have friends who have gone through the process so they can help me. Even though my parents probably can’t help as much, I know other people who are there to help.”
In addition to navigating college as a first-generation student, Montiel had to adjust to being far away from home while at Hofstra.
“At first, the transition was a little bit difficult because I’m so used to being at home,” Montiel said. “I’m very family oriented so moving here, being independent and on my own was kind of hard. Integrating myself into clubs and meeting people who are similar to me and have similar experiences kind of helped the transition.”
Being a Latina student and Spanish major, Montiel said she tries to involve herself within the Spanish department at Hofstra as much as possible.
“I really do enjoy the people who are a part of the Spanish department, and it’s nice to be surrounded by a community that supports you and looks after you,” Montiel said.
Another integral part of Montiel’s experience at Hofstra has been her involvement with Hofstra’s Organization of Latin Americans (H.O.L.A.).
“I became involved in H.O.L.A. my second semester of freshman year because my [resident assistant] was the president of the club at the time and he encouraged me to join,” Montiel said. “I became president of H.O.L.A. my first semester of my junior year.”
Montiel said being a Hispanic student at Hofstra can be somewhat challenging at times.
“I think, sometimes, we can be under-looked or underestimated, but I feel like it creates more of a drive to keep pursuing what I want to do,” Montiel said.
Her role as president of H.O.L.A. allows her to be a student voice for Hispanic students on campus.
“I feel like the Hispanic community on campus has been growing a lot, and I feel like I can sometimes advocate for more events with my club advisor,” Montiel said. “That’s one good thing about being president of H.O.L.A. I have a say about certain events that can be held on campus or if I feel there’s an issue targeting our community, I can speak up, bring attention to it and try to see how to find a resolution.”
Montiel uses her executive board position at H.O.L.A. and its events to create a safe space for students who may feel targeted on campus.
“H.O.L.A. tends to hold an open mic event, and our club members are able to take the mic and voice any challenges they face on campus or how they feel they’re viewed negatively on campus,” Montiel said. “I take those concerns into account and can always bring it up to my club advisor or someone in [the Student Government Association] and we can try to find a way to resolve it.”
Being a first-generation Latina student, triple majoring and moving across the country for school, Montiel is a remarkable student on Hofstra’s campus who is motivated by difficulties.
“It can be difficult at times being a first-gen Latina, but that should always be a drive to pursue more,” Montiel said. “Don’t let people’s words get to you because you will get there.”