Get to know Stephanie, one of Access Opportunity's Student Ambassadors for the 2024-25 school year.
Stephanie will be a sophomore at the University of Denver this year. She is a member of the Access Opportunity Class of 2027. Throughout the year, we will get to know her better through her stories, experiences, and advice for her fellow AO students.
In Her Own Words
Hello everyone, my name is Stephanie Maldonado. I was born and raised in Aurora, Colorado, with my five siblings by my mother and grandma. I am a middle child, which I love because it gives me the flexibility to learn from my older sibling's examples and create a new one for my younger siblings.
Currently, I am a rising sophomore at the University of Denver, majoring in political science and international relations with minors in Spanish and leadership. I plan to attend law school after graduation and eventually become a child advocacy lawyer. In my free time, I enjoy poetry, photography, water bottle shopping, and reading romance novels.
AO: How did you first feel when you first got accepted into Access Opportunity?
Stephanie: When I first got accepted into the access opportunity program, I had just gotten out of soccer practice. It was during Covid and I was walking with my best friend Millia, who also got into the program. We were walking and talking about how hard practice had just been as our first game was coming up soon and we were both really nervous because the previous soccer our whole season had been canceled. We had both gotten in our cars and gone separate ways when my phone dinged, I looked down at it seeing the notification but didn't want to open it. I was absolutely positive that I had not gotten in. For a few moments I sat in silence, the atmosphere around me was loud as my mom and sister joked around. I felt so embarrassed and awkward in my skin. I took a few breaths and opened it. When I read the words stunned into silence, the mental prep of a few minutes did not help. I could not believe it, my heart was racing, but I was honestly sure I was reading it wrong. In that movement, I remember the world felt like it was collapsing and opening all at once. Immediately I texted my best friend Millia because I knew she had also applied. Safe to say she got in, too. and we both laughed a combination of stress and excitement filled us. It was a special moment that I got to share with one of my favorite people ever. After, I kind of just blurted it out to my family because I didn't know what else to do. It truly was the moment I started to believe that I could do anything I set my mind to.
AO: What does it mean to you to be a part of the AO family?
Stephanie: Before Access Opportunity, I did not think I could go to college. It was something I really wanted for myself but it seemed like something I said as a joke. I had no confidence in my voice or the power of my words until I applied to AO. They made me feel cherished and important throughout the whole process. Even though I had teachers who were not rooting for me, when I got the interview the warm smiles that I received from the staff made the interview feel more like a chat between people than a panel dissecting me for flaws.
Since I was accepted into the program the words I most commonly associate with AO are fun, safe, kind, and respectable. Furthermore, being part of the AO family means being free to have hopes and dreams because I know that with the support I have at AO, I will accomplish them. It is a special community for me where I have met young ambitious people who I can bounce ideas off of and who motivate me to do more for my community. AO is a program where I found not only confidence in my story and purpose but also my people, who love and support me.
AO: What does it mean to you to be a first-generation/low-income (FGLI) student?
Stephanie: Being a first-generation student means various things to me, like being one of the first people in my family who can explain what the jargon being thrown around in the media truly means. While I can acknowledge the inspiration that being a first-generation student gives me, I also am conscious of the immense pressure I have felt at times.
In my freshman year of school, I took a class that explored the connection between presidents and the role they played in the country's decision to go to war. I was one of only two people of color in the room and during that first class, I left because I felt so undeserving of being there and I did not think there was anything I could add to the conversation. I wanted to drop the class because of the emotional turmoil I experienced, but ultimately I stayed.
My decision to stay came after a few days of heavy reflection. I figured the reason that I had seldom heard history from the perspective of someone of color was that they were not allowed a voice during the time that history was taking place, and since then people of color have felt uncomfortable in such a white-dominated space. I took this class as an opportunity to not have to be in the room and contribute to the way those conversations happen and which narratives are being shared.
My advice to future first-generation students would be, to make college the experience that you want. Join things that you're interested in, and go to events that you think would be fun. Essentially "do you" because college is hard, but if you make decisions that feel most true to you, the journey feels a bit easier.
AO: Are there any ways in your life or educational journey that you feel like a trailblazer?
Stephanie: I don’t feel like a trailblazer if I am being honest. Yet, I don't feel like it is a bad thing. I enjoy the fact that every thought, action, or intention I have ever had has been a continuation of another person's ideas. Whether it was from a family member or a random person, the unoriginality of my ideas makes me feel connected to others who had them before I did.
AO: Thinking back to your time so far in Access Opportunity, do you have a favorite moment that stands out?
Stephanie: Honestly, anytime there is an event where I get to reunite with the AO family, I get so bubbly and excited. I laugh the most at AO events and I am way more outgoing and likely to speak up when in their presence, which is a side effect of me feeling like I am safe. I can be a low-energy person but being around the AO family I feel charged and my energy level is through the roof. I want to talk to everybody, hug everybody, and play all the games.
Yet, if I had to narrow it down even just a little bit, I would say the summer workshop has always been special. I went for the first time the summer before my junior year of high school and it was amazing. Before that event I was the type to call home crying during overnight events if I wasn't with at least one family member, but during the workshop, I can say proudly that I was so comfortable with the people that I was fine not talking to my family for the two days.
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