Page 11 - Access Magazine 2023

BY DOUGLAS HOAGLAND
The email from Fresno State landed in Mateo Nuñez’s inbox, and he froze.
NNuñez had lost hope of leaving Ec- uador to study at an American uni- versity because his family couldn’t afford the expense. But he got excited as he scanned the email and then yelled for his parents. “I translated it for them into Spanish, and we all started crying and hugging.”
Nuñez had been accepted at Fresno State, where he would study computer science. And, he also learned about the university’s Hans L. Beck and Anna Beck Scholarship that gives preference to students who demon- strate interest in Denmark or Ecuador. Nuñez received the scholarship to cover his tuition as well as room and board for four years.
He would experience more support once he arrived at Fresno State in 2021, especially after an accident left him with an injured leg. But even before that, Nuñez knew Fresno was the right place for him.
“ People had told me that Fresno is diverse, but it’s really, really diverse,” he says.
That’s what really impressed me the most. Here everyone is open and friendly to the different cultures from around the world.” Nuñez also felt an immediate connection to the Valley’s Latino culture, and early on he made friends with Hispanic students. They helped him become more fluent in English, and their bonds deepened in the student group at the St. Paul Catholic Newman Cen- ter near Fresno State. “We share that sense of God, of the church and of helping others.”
Nuñez also found connections through the university’s International Office and its Cof- fee Hour, a weekly opportunity for presenters to speak about their culture, study abroad, or international service-learning experienc- es. He made a presentation about Ecuador
(“many people don’t know it exists”), and then for one semester he served as coordina- tor of the Coffee Hour. Nuñez then became a student assistant in the office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.
“It let me grow in
my communication and
interpersonal skills, and it
allows me to be part of the
team at Fresno State that helps ÌSome of his professors offered to defer his
students in the same way I’ve received help from the staff.”
Meanwhile, as Nuñez settled into dorm life, he discovered mac and cheese in the residence dining hall. “I had never had that before, and they make a very good one.” He liked it so much that on a trip home he found a store that imports American food and his parents tried the dish. They liked it, too.
To keep in touch with his family, Nuñez does a video chat almost everyday. “But you miss that personal contact,” he says. That was never more true than the day he broke his leg. He was riding a scooter to class on a rainy day when he skidded on a campus sidewalk and crashed to the ground. In the hours, days and weeks that followed, support flowed his way. It took many forms as he had surgery and then did rehabilitation:
ÌFriends slept in the hospital parking lot in case Nuñez needed them in a moment’s no- tice. “I was very thankful for them,” he says.
ÌDr. Sarah Lam, Professor and Assistant Vice President of International Affairs, visited him in the hospital. “When an international student faces challenges, as Mateo experi- enced, I consider it my honor to be there for him, not just representing Fresno State lead- ers, but in thinking that his mother would have wanted to be there for him,” Lam says.
finals as he recovered. “They said, ‘Take your time. Your health is the most important thing,’ ” Nuñez says. In the end, he didn’t need extra time, and he kept his 4.0 grade point average. “I wasn’t going to let this thing keep me from my academic life.”
ÌDorm officials moved him to a new room where his mother could stay when she arrived from Ecuador after his surgery. “Thankfully, I had my mom.” She remained with Nuñez for several weeks until they re- turned to Ecuador over the summer break.
ÌFresno State’s Services for Students with Disabilities drove him around the campus in a golf cart after he returned from Ecuador and still had trouble walking long distances.
Ì“All the help I received at the university demonstrated to me that that Fresno State is a place where people care for each other,” Nuñez says. “I really like that.”
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Nuñez enjoys
DIVERSITY in California's Central Valley