That sense of community and belonging — I found it here at UVU. Because no matter where you are in life, you are accepted here.
I started high school when I turned 13. I was terrified because I was the youngest in my class, and I felt some expectations for me to be exceptionally smart. So, I suffered from impostor syndrome because I was like, “Okay, I know how I got here. I know I’m a hard worker.” But I didn’t feel like I was at my peers’ level.
When I was a junior in high school, I transferred to a local community college and I absolutely loved it. I thrived in college. I was able to join my college’s cheer and dance team and I thought that it was the most amazing experience. Being 15 at the time, it was just insane that no one looked at me like, “Oh, she’s 15.” They looked at me like I was at their level because we were accomplishing the same things.
I looked at many different colleges before I came to UVU. I loved my community college. I loved that I didn’t have to go to a TA and that my professors knew my name. I wanted that at a university level. People always ask me, “Why UVU? Why would you go to UVU when you had all those options?” And I just say, “Why wouldn’t I go to UVU?” That sense of community and belonging — I found it here at UVU. Because no matter where you are in life, you are accepted here.
My favorite thing about our university is the fact that we have open enrollment. Everyone deserves an affordable education and education shouldn’t be exclusive, period.
I hadn't even stepped foot on campus before I got involved with student government. I put in my application for five different positions, and I got the most perfect position as the inclusion chair. I learned a lot in my position. There's nothing more empowering than being your own representation. Inclusion work is very nitty gritty. A lot of people don't like to look at it. A lot of people don't like having those uncomfortable conversations.
Since I was the only position that deals with inclusion, I was going to have to open people up to those conversations. I couldn't look to someone else. So, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone because I wanted to better the student body. I wanted to make sure everyone felt like they had a sense of belonging.
I realized one day that there's a huge need in my community. Women are impacted by generational trauma and really aren't encouraged to speak out and focus on their personal well-being.
I founded my core organization called ENACT, which stands for Eliminating the Normalization of Abuse as Cultural Together. We provide free therapeutic and legal support to young women and marginalized communities. So that could be someone who's suffered sexual trauma, racial trauma, or religious trauma. I really want to cultivate a healing space for those who have been culturally silenced so they can start their own personal journey, not dependent on anyone else.
I suffer from huge impostor syndrome all the time because I am biracial. It's a constant battle between, “Am I Hispanic enough to be doing X, Y, or Z,” and, “Am I white enough to be doing X, Y, or Z?” I tried to defy the odds of being like, no, you can be both.
You can embrace all the sides of your cultural identity without having to feel like you are walking around in someone else's skin. I can embrace my half being Hispanic Puerto Rican and then my other half being Czech white. I'm more than happy to embrace it. UVU has really shown me that you should just be you and you’ll have a sense of belonging.
Being your own representation is extremely empowering. Just because you think you don't fit into the category of something you want to apply yourself to, doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. My biggest piece of advice is to always go for it, no matter how scary it may seem. If I was scared of doing things and I didn't push myself outside of my comfort zone, I genuinely would not be here. I wouldn't have been on student government, I wouldn't have my own organization, and I wouldn't have been so determined to graduate with my [associate degree] early. You have to put yourself in those uncomfortable situations in order to succeed.
Links:
Ava Gonzalez on Instagram
Eliminating the Normalization of Abuse as Cultural — ENACT
Utah Valley University Student Association (UVUSA)
