Human Development Student Ready to Make a Difference

CSUSM NewsCenter

Carlos Olivares had a difficult time adjusting to life in the United States after moving from Mexico when he was 9.“I struggled a lot growing up,” Carlos said. “I struggled adapting to a new culture and I rebelled quite a bit.”

The struggles continued into his freshman year at Escondido High School where his grade-point average was just 1.25 that first year.

Needless to say, college wasn’t on his radar back then. He wasn’t even thinking about graduating from high school.

“My goal was just to break necks in football,” he said. “I was angry.”

Carlos overcame that anger and those struggles, becoming the first in his family to attend college. He will cross the commencement stage at Cal State San Marcos next month after earning his bachelor’s in human development.

Carlos credits his turnaround to a high school counselor. First, she put him on a program to recover lost credits from his freshman year. By the end of his sophomore year, his grade-point average was 4.0. As a junior, Carlos started taking Advanced Placement classes and began to think about attending Palomar College. It wasn’t long before he set his sights on a four-year university. He was accepted to all five universities to which he applied, but there was little doubt that he would choose CSUSM.

“This is my community,” he said. “This is where I grew up. Before I make a difference anywhere else, I need to make a difference here.”

Though Carlos said he struggled again during his first year at CSUSM, he was better equipped to handle those struggles. He credits CSUSM’s Personalized Academic Success Services (PASS) for helping him hone the skills he needed to be successful in college.

Carlos’ efforts culminated in a trip to Chicago in March for the annual Scientific Meeting of the Association for Applied Psychophysiological and Biofeedback.

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