Ramon Sanchez got through his undergraduate degree with what he calls hard-headedness.
Before he earned his B.S. in computer science in December, he had tried the military route; attended community college and two other universities; and took time off from school to help his mother through some health issues.
For better or worse — mostly better — Sanchez always kept pushing forward.
“I wouldn’t say I was good at this stuff,” he said. “I was just super hard-headed. I kind of don’t know when to give up, and sometimes it can get you into trouble. Sometimes you probably should. Sometimes you should take a hint. But that’s why I made it.”
Sanchez, who is a first-generation American and first-generation college student, moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, when he was 12. He did not get good grades in high school, and he was not prepared for or guided toward a college education.
While he had shown an early aptitude for math and science, he’s still hesitant to say that he was good at those subjects, especially when reflecting on the courses he had to take at NC State.
“I just kind of tortured myself enough to get to the point where I can get through it,” he laughed.
The fact that I was able to get into this school, for this major, complete it, along with its honors program, and cum laude, will probably always be hard for me to believe.
Sanchez realized his interest in computer science through his love of video games. Video games provided an outlet for his competitive spirit — another factor that keeps him moving forward — as well as offered community and a way to keep up with friends and family. He particularly enjoys multiplayer games, and lately he has been into Dota.
He started his secondary education at Wake Tech Community College before transferring to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for one year, and then to the University of North Carolina at Asheville. But when his mother’s health started declining, he returned to Raleigh.
“I felt like it was my duty to be there for her,” he said. “It was hard. There was a point where it was really hard, and that [point] wasn’t expected.”
He enrolled at NC State — a school that at one point he never thought he’d get into — in fall 2019, balancing tough classes with working and caring for his mom. At the end of one semester, he had to drop all of his classes to be there for his mom.
“Everything was falling apart, it felt like,” he said.
But Sanchez kept going and returned that next fall, retaking classes. He remembers fondly the professors who showed they cared and tried to make their classes fun.
With all his obligations, Sanchez didn’t get as involved on campus as he would’ve liked. He had a job to help support himself, and he did a co-op at Cisco. He joined the Esports Club, and while he’s disappointed NC State’s esports arena didn’t open while he was a student, he plans to continue pursuing that hobby. He is also one of the students who helped start a group specific to Hispanic and Latino students in computer science.
There aren’t many Hispanic and Latinos students enrolled in computer science. While Sanchez said that he was used to being the only or one of a few students who looked like him in a classroom, it would’ve been nice if this group had already been established when he started at NC State. The group plans to offer opportunities for community, academic assistance and networking.
“You see people kind of like you, and it helps in a way,” he said.
While Sanchez is not working in the video game development field that sparked his computer science interest years ago, he did land a job as a full-stack engineer at Fidelity, which he starts in mid-January. In the meantime, he is enjoying some down time after a long four years and potentially traveling within the U.S. Eventually, he plans to get a passport to visit the Dominican Republic, his family’s home country.
For his actual graduation, his brother came into town, and they celebrated informally with family time, music and food. His family will have a bigger celebration on Christmas for the holiday, several December birthdays and his December graduation — an accomplishment that deserves to be recognized more than once.
“The fact that I was able to get into this school, for this major, complete it, along with its honors program, and cum laude, will probably always be hard for me to believe,” he said. “Especially since I’ve always felt I wasn’t really supposed to be here or belonged along with the rest of the students. I was just always grateful for how lucky I was to have gotten this far.”
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