Less than six years ago, José Oliva ’17 lived with his grandparents in Tiucal, a rural village in Guatemala.
His mother had moved to the U.S. to work in the textile industry when he was a baby. Few people in his hometown attended high school, and fewer still had the opportunity to go to college. He didn’t speak English.
Today, José thrives at Guilford. He served the College as the first Latino president of Community Senate during his sophomore year, and he has served the wider community by educating hundreds of high school students — immigrants and the children of immigrants — about the college application process.