Aaliyah Tellez is a graduate of John Henry High School who currently attends Contra Costa College. Aaliyah plans to pursue a major in advertisement.

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Is there anything in particular that motivates you as you go through college and prepare yourself for a career?

A: I’m a first-generation Mexican American and growing up I have been fortunate to see how fast one’s life can thrive with ambition and courage. That gave me a sense to truly pursue my goals. When making these goals, I wanted to keep in mind to do things for myself but also the women in my family. With that I made a goal to be the first to graduate college. And that is what motivates me. I’m grateful enough to be given words of advice from former professors and friends to continue to not only pursue my major but also possibilities after school. 

Q: When did you first realize that you were college-bound?

A: I’ve always expressed my desire to go to college. The true realization of being college bound was not only the motivation of executing my goal, but the moment of my senior year (of high school) when applying and taking a tour to the University of San Francisco made me truly see a future there. It made me finally feel the cliché college experience. 

Q: How has Richmond Promise played a role in your education?

A: Richmond Promise definitely helps me continue towards my goal. It made me feel seen from my community. Richmond Promise gave me the confidence to start my education at the University of San Francisco. Since I knew financially I was going to be the one to pay my tuition, Richmond Promise gave me the cushion to have enough money to pay for transportation and my books.

Q: Why did you choose to apply for RP Leads, and what are you hoping to take from the experience?

A: I choose to participate in RP Leads because why not take advantage of an opportunity of gaining experience and securing an internship. I learned the importance of internships from former professors who always (talked about) internships since my major had a lot to do with hands-on experiences. And I was blessed enough to win an internship for a small restaurant in San Francisco. From there, when I heard about the opportunities RP Leads had, it made me very interested to join. 

Q: What do you want to contribute to Richmond and/or the world?

A: I hope some day in the future I can help Richmond’s image and bring connections to the city that can help benefit the community. But, I’d like to start off by bringing awareness to Richmond’s events and organizations like RYSE and Richmond Promise. I want to bring my generation to contribute and be enlightened on what’s happening in the city. And, build a stronger form of public relations, since we have so much history within Richmond. 

Q: How has your current college experience gone, and what has been the best part?

A: I’m very grateful for the experience. The first year of college exposed me to a lot of things such as new people, group projects and insights of my future career. Advertisement 101 was probably one of the best classes that helped me meet my friends, and as we worked together for group projects, I got to see different perspectives from different places. Whether they were from San Diego or South Korea, I was so happy to learn about each other’s cultures while exploring San Francisco. The best part is every time I went to class made me realize I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I was glad to be in a major with people who loved being social. It’s practically one of the qualities we needed to succeed in the field. I was glad that our professors would send us to tours of advertisement agencies and contests to show our skills we learned in class. 

Q: What challenges have you overcome to get to where you are today?

A: So far my college experience has been a great life lesson, I honestly love how my first year showed me how resilient I am since I was able to manage commuting from the city back to Richmond everyday. It was definitely tiring at times while also being very interesting especially when it would rain. I went to a very small high school. My graduating class was only 75 people. And at the University of San Francisco, I had to learn how to navigate the campus and resources they had for students. But all these little adjustments built trust within myself to overcome and find the answers to my problems. 

Q: What advice would you give to a first-year Richmond Promise Scholar who is just heading off to a new college or CTE program?

A: A piece of advice I would give a first-year Richmond Promise Scholar would be to take a chance. Sometimes that leap of faith leaves you with core memories like self-achievements. I never once regretted making the choice of pursuing my education. Now, a part of growing up is to go through the ups and downs. And there are moments of uncertainty, but that’s where it’s up to you to navigate yourself to your future. Maybe situations create new purpose. As long as you remember your purpose of continuing to pursue higher education for your dream job, you will adapt and be resilient for the workforce. 

Q: What are you looking forward to doing after finishing school?

A: I’m looking forward to working with well known brands as well as up and coming small businesses that will one day compete with those corporations. I hope to work with these businesses by being in charge of their public relations and media, and work for an advertising agency that one day my friends and I will own so we are able to work with integrity by giving back to communities. I would like to live a life of peace in my home with lots of land and trees while also creating a network to help as many people as I can.