Humans of Chaffey: Omar Urbina Nava
Whether coming to a new school or continuing as a student, there are a lot of different things students face along the way and throughout a semester. Omar Urbina Nava, a business and management major, is a Chaffey student from Mexico.
By Alejandrina Avila
Born and raised in a middle-class family in Mexico City, Omar attended La Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala. He decided to transfer to Chaffey College based on the recommendation from his cousin and the great reputation of the business program at Chaffey. Before making the move to California he did extensive research about the school and the state itself. He spoke to his parents, explained why he wanted to make the move, and convinced his parents to agree on letting him make the move.
Omar chose Chaffey College because of the exceptional business program since that is his major along with the school's reasonable tuition price. He did some research before making the move to the US to Chaffey get a quality education. When he said that to me it made me feel proud to be a student here because of the helpful resources and as well scholarships and much more.
Omar enjoys the professors and students he has met. He is not involved with any clubs because he focuses on his studies and work. He misses his home, and as well the food especially a torta de tamal. He so far can not find anything like the ones back in Mexico.
Omar's goal is to become financially stable and enjoy what life has to offer. He is planning to transfer when he finishes at Chaffey. The schools he has in mind are Cal Poly Pomona, University of California Los Angeles, University of California Berkeley, and Cal State San Bernardino. Omar is an ambitious person, which is reflected in his goals and dreams for the future.
I have interviewed a fellow student and made a friend who has brought me closer to my own culture. He has talked about the things he did growing up like playing football (soccer), he said to me he did not understand why it was called football when arms mostly play the game.
We talked about the similarities we share and he said to me: "We are similar but also different." He’s right. I was born and raised in California and living in a melting pot of different people from every walks of life. We saw and felt and experienced different things from each other while he heard about Reik and Plan Band. I heard about Ice Cube and No Doubt. We bonded over the artist Bad Bunny and shared songs that helped me improve my Spanish.
The main reason why I chose him is that when I thought about Humans of Chaffey I thought about him being an international student. He is not only new to the school; he is also new to the state of California. I could not imagine what it would be like to be far from home, from family, and to be in a new country speaking a new language while viewing a whole new perspective. After this experience of knowing the people of Chaffey, I would encourage everyone to go up to someone and socialize and get out of their comfort zone.
There is something you can learn from an International aspect that comes to Chaffey whether it is more about your own culture, you can also see how others succeed and it is inspiring.
At the end of my interview, I asked what would you say to students who are from out of the country and what to study abroad. He said, "Make sure to investigate the school and see if they have the program you are looking for as well to like at the city you'll be staying at".
I hope his story can motivate others to take that leap and get out of your comfort zone. Whether coming from another city or even state, take the leap and expand your horizons.