Gorety Valdivia is a graduate of El Cerrito High School who currently attends Berkeley City College. Gorety plans to major in Animation.

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: A little about myself is I guess that I’m creative since I’m in what you’d call a creative major. Both of my parents are very hard-working and came to this country for a better opportunity including for me and my brothers, they definitely motivate me a lot. It inspires me to create something that speaks about the difficulties that they’ve had. That’s my main goal; creating something that speaks up about things that they’ve been through

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

A: It was more of a progressive thing. If I’m being honest, I never seriously thought about college. Going to live in the dorm like in the movies was the only reason I thought about going. Then I slowly realized that I should go to college for the education, and not the fun parties that movies show.

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

A: They have offered various resources and while I do plan on using those resources, they are always going to be there. Richmond Promise has always said they would be there if you need help or support in general.

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

A: I chose to apply because both of my parents never went to college or had an education in high school or even middle school so I had no idea what to do in my college experience. I applied to get help in my college career and my future as well.

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

A: Just offering what I can, my talents and experiences to help others. My mom says that it doesn’t matter what you study so long as you help others, I just want to help the community with whatever they need and speak up about their own experiences in life.

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

A: It’s definitely very different from high school, a lot of work and the professors that I’v had have been great. I would say the best part was meeting others, while I’m not a very social person, meeting others even if it is online or through texting is nice.

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

A: Definitely my parents, they’re not really keen on me choosing a creative career. My mom doesn’t mind as much that I’m taking animation but my dad is a bit more vocal about it. Even if my parents don’t really agree, I can do a lot of things with animation. They think that it might not be a good career because you get overworked and aren’t paid well but the same thing applies for any field, there are good and bad things about any job.

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: My advice, since it’s definitely nothing like high school, is to mentally prepare yourself because it is really a jump from high school to college. In high school, some teachers might say that college is super chill or strict, but no matter what they say, always mentally prepare yourself. In higher education it’s really hard, I honestly wished that I had learned more about the real college experience and not being told a sugar coated version about it. Definitely prepare yourself for the workload, the people that you will meet, and the classes that you will take.

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

A: I’m not sure to be honest, I hope to go on vacation. (laughs) after 4 years it would be nice to take a break. Afterward I’d like to look for a job or continue with my own projects, maybe I’ll try freelancing.