When Eduardo Zaragoza attended West High school he had not intention to go to college. By the end of his senior year he applied for and was awarded scholarship money. By the next school year he was at the University of Utah majoring in sociology. College gave him the knowledge and realization that he can make a difference in his life and his community. By continuing his education he is now able to help other students who are in the same situation he was in.

“I really wanted to focus on the west side students,” Zaragoza said. “I would also identify myself as a minority, underrepresented, first generation and low income. And in that sense this job is more than just a job or a career this is something that I love. This is a passion of mine and I get to spread the knowledge to other people like me.”

Even though Utah has a very healthy economy it is very likely that minorities with low incomes are not the majority in the universities. Zaragoza is the new college adviser. He was hired this year to help minority, low income, first generation and underrepresented students with their college applications. Such as FAFSA, scholarships and college entrance exams.

Zaragoza first meets with the students and sees what they want to do with their future. The students that he mainly focuses on are the ones that are not on the path to higher education. He then shows them all of the scholarships the can apply for. The more closely he works with the students the more likely they will get the scholarship. One of his favorite parts about this job is seeing the students he helps succeed and get the scholarships. It makes the job worthwhile to him.

“I get to sit back and really enjoy the success I have had,” Zaragoza said. “But I also focus on the students that I could have impacted.”