I am Angela Gutierrez Castillo, a graduate from Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, NC. Where I earned my Bachelors of Science in Accounting Degree. I would have to say that it has been quite a journey since I moved from Honduras to the US to further my studies. Before moving, I was living in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where I had moved from my home city, La Ceiba, to further my studies at “La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras”. While I was there, I was called in for an interview by someone within the Episcopal Church Leadership who always recognized my potential, was constantly supporting me along the way and never has given up on me.  He scheduled this interview with who was at the time a recruiter for International students and Dean of the School of Business at SAU, Dr. Reynolds. He, along with my host parents Stephen and Rhonda Robinson played a great role in me obtaining a Presidential Scholarship (full ride). 

Throughout my college years, and even before, I had a great support system which included my family, friends both in Honduras and US, mentors, advisors, professors, and the Episcopal Church Leadership. 

I would love to highlight someone that played a great role in me being able to develop my communication/English skills. We know her as Ms. Fermina Garcia. She used to be part of the faculty at Holy Trinity Episcopal School, where I attended from 1st-11th grade, and she taught my specific group from 3rd-6th grade. She stressed very much her interest in us learning English properly. This foundation aloud me to better communicate with others once I transitioned to a place where English is spoken about 99% of the time. 

 

As I started off my freshmen year, you could say that I was very shy and barely spoke. Due to me having a Presidential Scholarship, I had many requirements to fulfill, including leadership positions to acquire on campus. As I got more involved with my community on and off campus, I was able to better develop my soft skills. With what I learned day to day in the classrooms, I was also able to develop my technical skills. Allowing me to build a brand for myself and become the scholar and professional that I am today. Don’t get me wrong, not everything was as easy and smooth as it may sound, all this process came with many ups and downs. I had to deal with that fact that I was far away from home, meaning that I had to master the ability to identify good individuals in my community and create strong connections with them. For this specifically, I am forever grateful with Angie Mejia and her family. They are from Honduras and were pivotal in me finding my place in the U.S. They took me in as a daughter and sister and helped me feel like their home was my home away from home. 

 

I had the duty of adjusting to a new system and getting out of my comfort zone to further develop my personality. I learned so much about U.S. community issues and also about HBCUs. HBCU stands for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Saint Augustine’s University is one of them. Being part of this institution just helped me to gain more knowledge and be exposed to many other experiences. 

 

 

Along with managing my mental health, I also had to keep track of my grades. As a Presidential Scholar, one had to keep a GPA (Grade Point Average) of 3.5 or higher. I was able to graduate with great honors, as a Summa Cum Laude Scholar with a 3.977 GPA. 

 

I did mention that I developed soft and leadership skills, and this was through different initiatives, groups and organizations I was part of. Throughout these four years I held the following positions: 

 On Campus

 

Along with these leadership positions I also completed at least 20 community service hours per semester, 160+