Esteffany Lorena Castillo-Patino's first year at Onondaga Community College was extremely challenging. During her freshman year Covid was in full bloom and she didn't feel she was getting the total college experience. This year has been much different. "My first year I didn't do much outside of class because of the pandemic and I didn't have many friends. Things have gotten much better. I've gotten the whole experience of being a student here and have made a lot of friends."
Castillo-Patino was born and raised in Colombia. In 2017 she moved to the United States with her mother. She completed her last three years of high school at Jamesville-Dewitt, graduating in 2020. Thanks to her academic excellence there, she entered OCC as member of the Lillian Slutzker Honors College. "If I didn't get the scholarship, I wouldn't have been able to afford coming here."
While working toward her Mathematics & Science degree Castillo-Patino was active in the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program. She was also inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) honor society and became part of its leadership team. She spent much of her sophomore year working on a PTK project aimed at amplifying different voices in the community such as those of international students and immigrants.
Castillo-Patino will graduate in May. She plans to transfer to SUNY-ESF and work toward a career in Conservation Biology. "It's been really amazing to be here. I have had so many new experiences and gained so much knowledge. I've become more organized and have thought a lot more about what I want to do with my life and where I want to be. The education here is much better than it is in Columbia. There's too much snow during the winter but the education makes it worth it!"
