Adelin Tiburcio
Chapman University
Adelin is an individual filled with a great deal of dedication, enthusiasm, maturity, and spirit whose commitment to learning, leading, and serving has prepared her to be a positive agent of change for her community. Adelin cares deeply about underrepresented populations and translates that passion into work meant to increase access to education. She has served as a tutor at her local library and teaching assistant at a local high school for many years, strengthening a commitment to and passion for serving undocumented students. She has set a goal of becoming an elementary school teacher in the nearby community of Santa Ana. In addition, she also plans to create a non-profit organization to help meet the needs of local undocumented students, providing them with support in the form of financial aid and access to professionals who can guide them on their journeys as undocumented students. Adelin is a very talented individual, and her enthusiasm for working with others and striving for equality, equity, and diversity in education is inspiring. She has a vision to make the world a better place in concrete ways, which, as someone who knows how to translate ideas into action, she will no doubt achieve.
Personal Statement
I believe that education is an empowering tool that no one can take away from you which is why it made me upset to have so many barriers when trying to apply for college. It was then when I became involved in addressing issues of educational inequality, particularly for undocumented students. During my first semester at Chapman University, I spoke to the Undocumented Program advisor, Dr. Oliver Lopez about my concerns regarding the lack of community support for undocumented students. Working alongside him, we came up with the idea to host an Undocumented Mixer for all undocumented students to meet and create a support group. Since then, I have worked with different individuals to bring awareness about the issue on campus. I shared my student input with the committee that was in charge of the first Undocumented Student Conference. I have published a book review about my experiences as an Undocumented student at Chapman. I am currently in the process of creating an Undocumented student support group hoping that Chapman will eventually have a Dreamers center, a place that will support students during their time at Chapman. Being undocumented should not be a barrier to get an education.
