January 2022
Daniela Vazquez Loriga (Class of ’18), Boston College, Graduating Spring 2022
Degree: Bachelor’s of Arts in International Studies with a Minor in History
Career Goals: In the future, I aim to attend law school and pursue a focus on international law and work as a legal consultant for international organizations.
What has been the biggest surprise about the college experience? The biggest surprise about the college experience is how isolating it can be at first, especially if you go to a PWI. I went really far for college, and I felt a lot of pressure to make friends and form strong bonds, and in reality that just takes time. A lot of freshman year was meeting a lot of different people and trying different things, and some people stick and some don't. It feels like a fever dream looking back at it, but just be open to new experiences and meeting new people. I didn't find my core group of friends until sophomore and junior year; it just comes naturally, and I found my group of people through cultural clubs and affinity groups.
Most challenging coursework in college: I do have a lot of readings because of my major and I usually have to plan my week in advance in order to make sure I complete them all. For one class, I had about 170 pages of reading…for just one class. Those classes are particularly challenging, just because I have to block out my schedule in advance and dedicate hours to it. It's essential to do the reading though because my coursework is comprised mostly of papers and research papers, so missing a reading is the worst thing ever because then you have nothing to write about or have no evidence to add to your argument and you'll just end up trying to read a whole book before submitting your paper (which I am guilty of), so I've learned the hard way to just lock myself in the library and get it done.
Accomplishment most proud of:
Bishop Oscar A. Romero Scholarship Recipient (2021) The Saint Oscar A. Romero Scholarship recognizes a Boston College junior who has demonstrated superior academic achievement, extracurricular leadership, community service, and involvement with the Hispanic/Latino community and Hispanic/Latino issues both on and off campus.
Ronald E. McNair Scholar (2020-Present) A preparation program for first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students aiming to attain an advanced degree and career in research and academic. Currently, I am doing research on Guatemalan federal policies on femicides.
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Recipient (2020) Scholarship funded by the U.S Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, providing funds to low-income students for study abroad programs. Declined due to COVID-19.
I published my first article, “LGBT Rights in Russia: The ‘Gay Propaganda’ Law and Its Consequences in Chechnya,” in the Bellarmine Law Society Review Journal. I was also able to present a section of my McNair project at the 17th Annual Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program Research Symposium and will be presenting my research thesis at the Southwestern Social Science Association Conference in April 2022.
Can you provide any advice to our current Knights? Join a lot of clubs that you find interesting! It's a good getaway from the stress of schools and I basically found all my friends through cultural clubs. I especially like mentorship programs and I think I was in about five different mentorship programs at my school, and I found it helpful to talk to my upperclassmen or faculty mentors about my thoughts, experiences, and goals. I also met all of my future roommates through a mentorship program for first-year minority students and I'm so lucky to have found them. I found the mentorship programs very helpful because I felt like I was really focused in high school about getting into college and then when I started attending college, I was a bit lost on where to go from there, so I leaned heavily on resources for first-generation students and minority status students.
I paid for college with…: I got pretty much a full ride to Boston College with a combination of institutional grants (~$58,000), federal and state grants ($2,500), the federal pell grant ($6,295), and outside scholarships (Mas Familia Scholarship ($7,000) and Take Stock in Children Scholarship (~$1,500)), all of which are renewable. I was also awarded a Boston College internal scholarship for my senior year (Romero Scholarship (~$40,000)) and I have taken out a small amount of subsidized loans (~$10,000 in total). I also worked a part-time job throughout my entire college experience.
Fondest memory from high school: One of my favorite memories at Jose Marti were during senior year, specifically senior breakfast and GradBash. It was nice to have fun with my peers before we all went our separate ways.