Selena

“Failing is an opportunity.”

Selena graduated with an AS in science in 2016. At the time of this interview, she was majoring in electrical engineering at University of Illinois in Champagne. Selena’s parents grew up in Mexico and did not have access to education; her “big why” for attending college is to honor her father. She also traces her motivation back to a childhood memory, which showed her the importance of education. Selena’s biggest tip for incoming students is to learn about fixed versus growth mindset. Selena speaks highly of the help she got for her test-taking anxiety at the Wellness Center. She also used a number of other resources including office hours and tutoring.

Topics Addressed

• 00:00 Introduction and Background

• 01:10 Big why for going to college

• 02:28 Biggest Obstacle, Asking for Help, and Tutoring

• 07:28 Resources and Support: The Wellness Center

• 11:33 Learning to Ask for Help

• 12:29 Prioritizing Time

• 13:42 How do you prioritize your time based on your values?

• 16:03 Transitioning to a 4-year College

• 18:22 How do you define success?

• 18:57 What is the purpose of a college eduction?

• 20:08 Message to Students: Fixed versus Growth Mindset

• 22:19 Staying Motivated

• 24:32 Views on Failure

• 29:14 If You Could Do It Again…

• 30:20 Staying Motivated: Selena’s “Box of Memories”

• 33:24 What do you hope comes out of the Student Wisdom Project?

• 34:22 Motivating Students