Escrito por: Dulce Ortiz 🇬🇹
Headshot of Irving Bravo. (Diana Rivera)
Irving Bravo, a proud, Latino architecture student, is determined to make a change in his family and the world.
Raised in a Mexican household in Prince George’s County, Irving creció soñando de ir a la Universidad de Maryland, influenced by field trips, educational programs, and family mentors.
He’s the youngest of three siblings and the first of them to go to college. Decidió estudiar arquitectura por el conocimiento del trabajo en construcción de su papá y los sueños que sus papás tenían para él.
“Being able to say [my dad] has a home, sons, cars, property... I was born here, I have rights, I know both languages, and will have a college education. If my dad’s able to do that, then I’m able to do much more.”
Even before coming to UMD, Irving was aware of the lack of Latino awareness on campus. Over the years, he’s seen and experienced imposter syndrome, noting how Latinos here suppress their cultures. Eso tenía que cambiar.
“Historically, Latinos want to chase the American dream, right? We’re known to be very hard workers. We tend to not complain. We tend to put up with things for the means of our family.” This inspired his academic mindset.
His freshman year, completely virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic, negatively impacted his beginnings at UMD. He struggled to find friends and adjust to culture shock after attending a diverse high school. Despite that, Irving shares that he liked his UMD experience, though he wishes he could’ve done more.
The highlight of his college experience was passing Architecture Studio, composed of several intense, six hour credit courses. Su trabajo lo inspiró a crear una organización con sus compañeros para los futuros arquitectos latinos. Comenzando en diciembre del 2023, la organización promueve el mundo profesional y la presencia Latino en los estudios de arquitectura.
One goal of the program is to introduce a how-to on basics required for architecture, like machinery and different systems, through an upperclassmen-led peer-mentor system.
Al final, Irving dice que la meta mas grande seria en graduarse. When the time comes, he hopes to get a job at an architecture firm until qualifying for the architectural exam. Once in a stable job, he wants to help his family through their own challenges.
Irving highlights the honor he feels to hear his parent's pride when they share accomplishments with their friends and coworkers. También se siente orgulloso de estar en su último año, a través de conocer la dificultad que es graduarse de una universidad, especialmente una igual de prestigiosa como la universidad de Maryland.
“Seeing the way my parents work here [the US] and their experiences of what they went through, I feel like I’ve captured that myself. The work ethic is there, the ambition is there, and the need to want to be better is there too, solely for my parents as well.”
Cuando piensa en su mejor influencia, siempre piensa en sus papás. “They’re my heroes - the people I look up to. They’re the people I want to be.”
Irving reminds everyone to “give your mom or dad a hug; tell them you care about them. Even if they can’t express their love, you can.”
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