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(Fall 2021) – “A college diploma is said to be a ticket to the middle class. But does it really work that way for students from different racial and economic backgrounds?” This was the question that guided Diego Villegas, a SMART College Scholar, in his new podcast series, sponsored by the Stupski Foundation.

Diego is now embarking onto his second year at Pitzer College and just released the final two-part episode of his podcast, Amplifying Persistence. In his podcast, Diego takes his audience into the lives of current college students and dives deep into conversations around the injustices surrounding college access and success for underrepresented students on their way to a college degree.

In January 2021, Diego pursued an internship opportunity, joining the team at the Stupski Foundation as their Digital Storytelling Intern. With his interests in education and college access, Diego wanted to find a creative way to share the stories of others. He noticed the lack of student voices in conversations around grantmaking strategies and took the initiative to change that by creating his podcast. Sixteen episodes deep into his journey, Diego says it’s been a really eye-opening experience that’s left him wanting to do more.

The value of education was instilled in Diego early on. To Diego, and to many first-generation college students, education signifies opportunity and growth. “My parents have always told us that education is what will help us out of our financial status,” Diego explained. They had migrated to the United States in 2001, one year before Diego was born, and have sacrificed a lot to support their family. As one of the first in his family to enter college, he is now a role model to his younger sister, Jaqueline, a current SMART Scholar, and to his many cousins after him. “One of my biggest goals is to be able to buy a house for my parents and let them rest, as a form of gratitude for everything they’ve done for me.”

Diego is also motivated by the influence of his grandpa, who had passed away a few years before. He was a great storyteller, who cared deeply about those around him, and Diego loved spending time with him. Today and into the future, Diego hopes to embody his joyful presence and to carry his legacy through his storytelling.

Over the course of seven months, Diego dedicated long hours to shine light on the issues that current students from varying backgrounds encounter. At times, he found the stories he was hearing and the conversations he was having challenging. As time progressed, Diego became more confident in his work and felt more comfortable asking challenging questions. He even saw his participants opening up more.

Through it all, he has learned the value and impact of storytelling. Diego felt a great sense of responsibility, as he was sharing their real-life stories to the world, and appreciated each of his participants for being vulnerable with him. His key takeaways from hosting Amplifying Persistence were the overall learning experience and meeting his participants. “They really carry the podcast,” Diego shared. Since the release, his podcast has received notable feedback from his advisors, peers, and communities from all over!

Click here to check out Amplifying Persistence on Spotify to experience Diego’s wonderful storytelling and to learn more about education access in the U.S.

Visit here to read more about Diego’s experience working with the podcast.