FACES OF GRCC

Kevin Curiel-Vazquez is the External
Affairs Director of the Grand Rapids
Community College Student Alliance
and works hard to set an example for
fellow Hispanic students.
Curiel, 25, is from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
and moved to Grand Rapids 17 years
ago when he was 8. And while his childhood
went smoothly, he remembers that things
really got challenging once he graduated
high school and started thinking of college.
“As a first-generation college student, there
are resources that you don’t have,” Curiel
said. “Nobody is going to tell you how to do
college. Nobody is going to tell you how to
do it, or how to do it right. Your parents can’t
do a lot for you, and you have to pave your
own path and figure it out by yourself.”
As a Deferred Action Childhood Arrival
(DACA) Student, Curiel has a green card,
and is allowed to go to school and work in
the United States, however he is not eligible
to receive federal financial aid or scholarships
to do so. This can make completing
college almost impossible due to busy, fulltime
work and class schedules.
Curiel has been a student at GRCC for six
years, attending part-time, taking one or
two classes at a time as he can afford them.
After his first couple of years, Curiel noticed
a lack of Hispanic student involvement, and
decided to take action and provide an example
in his community. He began to work
with the Hispanic Student Organization, and
doors started to open for him. He saw the
growing Hispanic population here at GRCC,
and wanted to encourage other Hispanic
students to continue with school and recognize
the benefits of having an education.
“This year was the first year that Hispanic
students were the highest minority in GRCC,
so this is where I saw a good opportunity,”
Curiel said. “This year alone they are putting
a lot of attention on the Hispanic students.
While more of them are coming in, [we’re
focused on] how are we going to make sure
they succeed, and how are we going to
bring them to GRCC, and how are we going
to make sure that they get the credentials
that they need.”
Curiel’s days are busy, working mornings
at Costco, spending afternoons fulfilling his
responsibilities to the Student Alliance and
attending class, and working on homework
at the end of his day. Despite having a very
busy schedule, he is happy to just have the
opportunity to get an education.
Curiel is studying architecture, and is very
passionate about the “Green Movement.”
He hopes to go to the University of Michigan,
which is the only four-year university
in Michigan that provides financial aid to
DACA students. This has motivated him to
improve his grades and to get more involved
here at GRCC.
Curiel’s advice to DACA students who are
attempting to get an education is to not get
discouraged.
“Because our situation is very delicate and
unique, the most important thing is to let
people hear your story, hear your voice,”
Curiel said. “Go out there, start getting more
involved. The more you get involved, that’s
when the doors start opening for you. That’s
when you realize that there is support for
DACA students, and there is support to help
us go through school, but that’s not going
to happen if we just wait for that opportunity
to come to us. You can’t really wait for
a miracle to happen, you’ve got to be the
miracle, and go out there and really take
action and personal responsibility for your
future.”
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