Student Story

Catawba has helped me to develop my character and my skills.”

Jenifer Yaneth Castillo Pacas is a senior here at Catawba. She is a Spanish major with a double minor in both Psychology and Humanities. She is a mentor of the Unanue Scholar’s Program, Vice President of the Spanish Club, and will be the first student to graduate from Catawba with a Humanities minor.

“The humanities minor included some classes which I had already begun to take due to the liberal art’s general education classes. I was recommended to pick up the Humanities minor and I’m glad I did. I had to take some additional religion, philosophy, and history courses which have helped me to develop a diverse perspective on various day to day situations I encounter,” Jenifer said.

She added, “Not only are these classes interesting on their own, but many times the content would overlap. This only helped me to strengthen my knowledge on the overlapping topics and succeed in the courses.”

Jenifer learned about Catawba through her advisor in high school. “I learned about Catawba through my high school advisor at Salisbury High School. His name was Mr. Bell. I remember it was college application week and I applied to many colleges like Gardner-Webb, Pfeiffer University, Campbell, Livingstone, Lenoir-Rhyne, and UNC Pembroke which all accepted me. Then one day he asked me if I had applied to Catawba yet. At the time I had not, so he explained how Catawba often gave good financial aid and that’s when I decided to apply.”

Jenifer chose Catawba for several reasons. “I chose Catawba due to the proximity to my house. I live about 10 minutes away from Catawba, so I have been able to easily commute every class day for 4 years. That is not the only reason. I could’ve chosen Livingstone for that reason, but the main reason I chose Catawba is due to the high amount of financial aid they provided and the welcoming feeling I felt when I visited the campus.”

When asked what she likes about Catawba, she said, “Catawba after four years feels like home. I see many of the same faces on a day-to-day basis, which helps me to create an environment I am familiar with and feel safe in. The small class numbers are such an advantage to students like me, who are introverts and have a harder time opening up. The small class sizes allow for small group discussion in classes which have helped me develop my social and discussion skills. I could go on and on about the benefits of the small student to professor ratios but some of them are how easy it is to reach out to professors, how easy it is to ask for help after class hours, how safe it feels to speak out in class comfortably, and many more. I have created relationships with many of my professors during my four years at Catawba. They are professors from various disciplines which I trust and have become mentors in my life.”

Jenifer began her work with the Unanue Scholar’s Program her sophomore year at Catawba. “When I was informed about the program and offered a spot as a mentor, I was so excited to help the young Latinas in my area. I have now been a mentor for three years and have met a lot of Latina students in the county. I see a lot of myself in a lot of the students I have encountered. Young Latinas who are determined to succeed but are trying to overcome the barrier of a being a first-generation student. If I could’ve, I would’ve taken a shot at the program. It’s such an amazing opportunity to get a step ahead and a sense of what college is like. Which can be such a scary feeling when you’re a first-gen student, like many of the young ladies in the Unanue Program,” she said.

“This program helps to build reading skills, social skills, communication skills and many of the skills which are needed to be successful in a college course. I believe if I would’ve had a mentor who was around my age during my freshman year then I would’ve had an easier transition into college. I remember not knowing who to reach out to when I had general questions about college but also not wanting to reach out because I felt like I should know this and not ask about it. As Unanue mentors we try to help students feel comfortable and know that they have someone there for them whenever they need a hand,” she added.