Frankie Carillo-Martinez

Colorado State University - 2027

Youth Mentoring, College Preparedness, Latinx Support, First Generational Support, Transitional Programs for College/University

Issue(s) of Focus: Youth Mentoring, College Preparedness, Latinx Support, First Generational Support, Transitional Programs for College/University

Major(s): Biomedical Sciences (Anatomy and Physiology), Languages, Literatures and Cultures (Spanish)

Project: I was thinking about pursuing a project in helping First Generation and/or Latinx Students who are interested in Veterinary Medicine, and create a program where students will learn about the basics of Vet Med and as well as building a community and allow them to have college preparedness at Colorado State. This would be a summer program at Colorado State allowing students to become familiarized with the institution and gain support from current/past DVM students from CSU.

Inspiration: I decided to pursue this project because coming into Colorado State, I have always had the mindset of working towards becoming a Veterinarian, which led me to join/advocate for support groups for students like me. I joined Pre-Vet Club, Biomedical Student Association, declared a Pre-Vet Track and met with multiple people to help me on my track towards becoming a Veterinarian. All of these different programs are helpful but were a little intimidating and not helpful when entering my first year of college and being told i’m “already behind” on my requirements for the VMCAS and Vet School in general. Which sort of led to me thinking, Am I really prepared for Vet School… Should I even continue? Those thoughts still haunt me when I think about them now and I want to help students who were just like me to gain the knowledge and experience to help them feel prepared and know they are going into an institution where it’s much different than high school, and the start to their careers.

Future Goals: I hope to empower first generation students, latinx students and those who are interested in Veterinary Medicine, to feel prepared for their incoming year at Colorado State and allow them to gain different forms of knowledge whether it’s Veterinary Medicine or College Preparedness, but having them know that they are welcomed at an institution like CSU and providing as much support the summer before their first year up until their last semester at CSU.