Un sueño sin fronteras

Escrito por: Dulce Ortiz 🇬🇹

Headshot of Jhennifer Celestino Alva. (Sanya Wason)

After fulfilling her dreams to strengthen her relationship with the Latino community and studying abroad in Brazil, Jhennifer Celestino Alva accomplished her greatest desire: setting foot on a college campus.

Despite her two siblings currently attending community college, she is the first to attend university. She is also a proud daughter of Peruvian immigrants. Ha desarrollado un inmenso orgullo de ser hija de dos personas tan influyentes.  

“They gave up a lot to be here. The fact that they’re working so hard to live here and to take care of my siblings and to take care of me—I love them so much,” she said.

Because of the financial burden of college, she didn’t think she’d get the opportunity to pursue a higher education. That all changed when she was accepted into UMD through the C.D. Mote, Jr. Incentive Awards Program. Reconociendo sus bendiciones, decidió vivir los siguientes cuatro años al máximo. 

Celestino Alva applied to join the Latinx Student Union’s (LSU) e-board during her senior year of high school and became LSU president two years later. 

“LSU has always been my home, and I feel like I've met great and amazing people,” she said. “It's been great to not only learn more about my own culture, because I know people who are also Peruvian, but it's just great to hear about other cultures."

She also explored other leadership positions, including co-president for the Coalition of Latinx Student Organizations and vice president for the Latinx Pre-Health Society.

Family of Jhennifer Celestino Alva. (Courtesy of Jhennifer Celestino Alva)

La carrera de premedicina siempre fue una meta para Celestino Alva. As a student in the Global Public Health College Park Scholars Program, she noticed inequalities in the healthcare system, especially against Latinos. Thinking about the hardships her own family faces every day, she decided to pursue a public health science major alongside a minor in disability studies.

She further developed her interests through internships with The Arc and the Kennedy Krieger Institute. After graduation, she hopes to attend graduate school and PA school to become a physician assistant.

Su historia le enseñó lecciones valiosas sobre las dificultades de la experiencia universitaria. Al tener miedo de pedir ayuda o no saber cómo hacer las cosas bien debido a los recursos limitados para los estudiantes de primera generación, aprendió la importancia de crear un sistema de apoyo. 

“I think it gets more comforting when you surround yourself with people that you love and that really want the best for you. And I think that's sometimes hard in college to find, but I feel like I've been so lucky to find that through the Latinx community.”

Though this chapter may be closing, Celestino Alva is only beginning a lifetime of triumphs, successes, and dreams. Eagerly, she faces the unknown, representing the true embodiment of an inspirational leader y un sueño sin fronteras.

“I am my parents’ and my grandparents’ wildest dreams,” she said.

“Hola, mi amor. Espero que el día de hoy sea el comienzo de un nuevo futuro para ti. Nos sentimos muy orgullosos de ti, mi amor. Te amamos mucho—tu mami, tus hermanos y yo.” - Celestino Alva’s father