Meet UNC GOAL student, Desiree! A sophomore from Ketchikan, AK, Desiree is studying Special Education, because she was inspired by one of her former teachers. Although "some classes are harder than others," Desiree gets support from GOAL staff and peer mentors in her "academics, vocational skills, and cooking skills."
Desiree lives in the GOAL residential learning community (RLC), a welcoming, inclusive dorm with trained Resident Advisors (RAs) who offer guidance and support. Desiree says, "dorm life is really good! You get to choose who your roommates are," and peer mentors help create evening and weekend programming within the RLC and around the community.
Her favorite part of college is "all [her] classes and making new friends." In her freshman year, Desiree joined an a capella singing group on campus called Vocal Iron. She loved singing in high school and wanted this hobby to continue in Greeley! She also joined IN! as a mentor for the INspiring Futures College Mentorship Program, which pairs high school students with intellectual disability (ID) with their college counterparts. Desiree enjoys being a mentor because she gets to "meet new people and talk about [her] college experience."
Desiree's advice for incoming students is "try to make new friends and just make the best out of coming to college" by joining clubs and getting a job. For students who will be living far away from home, she adds, "it's okay to be homesick!"
According to Desiree, the opportunity to go to college means, "I get to meet new people because of my new classes and make new friendships out of it." It is so powerful to see students like Desiree thrive on campus! We are so excited to watch Desiree's college experience continue.
For more of this inspiring story, watch a video of Desiree reflecting on her college experience.
