Fabiola Flores ’18 is a daughter of immigrants, the youngest of four siblings, and a first-generation college student. She faced many tough challenges while in college. During her first year at Whittier, Flores’ mother unexpectedly passed away.
“There were many moments in which I actually considered dropping out of college,” she said.
But Flores was not defeated by these trials and continued to persevere with the goal of walking across the Commencement stage to receive her degree.
During her time at Whittier, Flores was a co-chair for the Diversity Council, a leader within M.E.Ch.A, a tutor at the Modern Language Lab, and a peer mentor and community advisor to first-year students. She was also the inaugural recipient of the Martin Ortiz Alianza de los Amigos Fellowship, which funded her internship with the New State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Department of Epidemiology in New York.
Flores graduated with a double-major in Spanish and sociology. Soon, she will begin working at the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, conducting research on their Dreamfields, a program that provides a safe place for youth to conduct positive recreational activity. Flores plans to pursue a master’s degree, and eventually a Ph.D. She ultimately sees herself working in education, urban planning, or social research, helping to make life easier for marginalized communities.
