{"id":1948,"date":"2016-05-20T10:16:16","date_gmt":"2016-05-20T15:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=1948"},"modified":"2017-02-15T11:47:20","modified_gmt":"2017-02-15T17:47:20","slug":"student-spotlight-julissa-castillo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/student-spotlight-julissa-castillo\/","title":{"rendered":"Julissa Castillo: Campus Explorer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reading time: 5 minutes<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

First-year student Julissa Castillo blew in from Donna, Texas, like a tornado last fall\u2014and she hasn\u2019t stopped swirling since.<\/p>\n

Castillo can\u2019t seem to absorb enough campus experiences and cultural diversity. She belongs to the Latino Student Alliance and Association of Black Collegians. She\u2019s a senator in Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Student Government, Physical Therapy Club member, has two work-study jobs, and she will be a residential life assistant next year.<\/p>\n

Castillo\u2019s internship involves helping to write a book featuring St. Louis people who have escaped poverty. And she\u2019s featured as part of Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\u2019s Digital World project to document student experiences.<\/p>\n

Of course, that\u2019s all on top of the rigorous courses she\u2019s taking in anticipation of acceptance into Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\u2019s physical therapy program. Nearly every day this past year, she woke up for an 8 a.m. class with the help of her morning coffee. But even with her busy schedule, Castillo doesn\u2019t feel stressed out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not see everything I do as \u2018so much work,\u2019\u201d Castillo says. \u201cInstead I see it as so many opportunities \u2014 opportunities that not everyone in the world will ever have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Born Teacher<\/strong><\/h6>\n

The small south Texas town Castillo calls home is known as \u201cthe city with a heart,\u201d but poverty runs strong through the veins of its daily existence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not see everything I do as \u2018so much work,\u2019\u201d Castillo says. \u201cInstead I see it as so many opportunities \u2014 opportunities that not everyone in the world will ever have.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Castillo is the oldest of five kids who grew up speaking Spanish in a three-room trailer where love was plentiful, but luxuries were rare. Her father worked three jobs and her mother taught the children how to hunt for thrift-store bargains.<\/p>\n

They had a computer, but no internet service. So, as the big sister, Castillo spent weekends and school breaks pushing her siblings toward educational excellence using her old textbooks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had my sister doing fifth-grade math. And she responded with \u2018I\u2019m only in third grade!\u2019\u201d Castillo laughs.<\/p>\n

Castillo saw the value of education first-hand after her father completed his two-year certification as an occupational therapist assistant, and the family enjoyed their first real vacation in Monterrey, Mexico, when she was 13.<\/p>\n

As a high-school junior, she enjoyed trips to Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri, thanks to a college-tour provided by her charter school. When she stepped onto the campus of Ä¢¹½´«Ã½, she knew it was the right place.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople were so friendly, the whole community was very, very nice,\u201d Castillo says.<\/p>\n

When she arrived last fall, Castillo immediately dove into sharing her own culture and immersing herself in others\u2019. She began helping a friend from Egypt practice his Spanish; now he\u2019s teaching her new words.<\/p>\n

She sampled Greek, African, and Korean food, and recently attended a soul-food \u201cAround the Table\u201d gathering sponsored by the Association of Black Collegians and the Inclusion at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ group. She was surprised to discover black-eyed peas on the buffet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought that was just a band; I didn\u2019t know it was an actual food,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Food can also be medicine, Castillo learned. When she was sick, her Ethiopian-born roommate introduced her to an unfamiliar remedy: steaming ramen noodle soup with onions and green peppers, eaten under a blanket.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe told me to put the blanket over my head, and I\u2019m like, \u2018What?\u2019\u201d Castillo said. \u201cI started sweating and she said, \u2018You\u2019re sweating out the toxins.\u2019 Two days later, I was better.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Changing Lives<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Just one week into her work-study job at the Center for Student Engagement, Castillo helped recruit a prospective student who was there with her mother. She connected the high-school senior with the Jewish organizations she sought, and told her about the Multicultural Scholars Program \u2014 of which Castillo is a part. They kept in touch, and Castillo recently learned the young woman had won a Multicultural Dean\u2019s Award scholarship.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe wants to bring a lot of diversity to the Jewish community,\u201d Castillo said. \u201cShe and I are already talking about multicultural objectives for next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later on, Castillo\u2019s plans include returning to her roots. After she earns her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, she wants to go home to Donna, Texas, and open a practice. When Castillo imagines what the work will be like, she sees similarities to the days and years spent educating her siblings.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a Physical Therapist resembles being a teacher; I\u2019ll be able to teach people to get back on their feet and continue their lives,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Castillos\u2019 overall goal is to make a difference, whether it\u2019s in the professional or personal realm.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want for people to say, \u2018Because of her, my life has changed,\u2019\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This story was originally published in the Spring 2016 edition of<\/em> Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Magazine.<\/p>\n

<\/i>Love<\/span>0<\/span><\/span><\/a> <\/i> <\/i>