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Veronica Aguilar (she/her)
Hello! My name is Veronica (she/her). I was born in Los Angeles. I am the second oldest of four siblings. At the age of nine, my siblings and I were placed in foster care, moving from town to town around Northern California and aging out in 2001 after graduating high school. During my time in foster care, I participated in California Youth Connection. This organization has made changes for the better for many foster youths in and out of the system. I attended Chico State right after graduating from high school. I did not know much about adulting or having a positive family support system to help when life got tough or when my mental health got bad. I was academically disqualified from Chico State in 2003 due to my life choices that led to my low GPA. Not knowing it was ok to take a break, I continued my education at Butte College, but as a new mother with little to no help, it was not the right move. So in 2007 I made a tough choice to put my education on hold. I chose to create memories and raise my son and daughter as a full-time working single mom. Fast forward ten years later, I made a life-changing move with the help of my brother and inspiring scholars at Butte College to finish the educational journey on which I had lost hope. In May 2021, I graduated from Butte College with an AA-T in Psychology. In the fall of 2021, I was readmitted back into Chico State and accepted into the one-year BSW program. I graduated in May of 2023 with my bachelor’s in social work. Despite facing significant challenges, I refused to give up on my dreams. As an older returning student, I have spent the last five years learning the importance of self-care and finding ways to balance my academic journey with my personal life. I believe that being able to build a community with a variety of programs available at school opens the door to many helpful and life-changing resources to help students find unique ways to balance their lives. These resources have helped me pursue grad school at Chico State, and I expect to graduate in May of 2024 with my master’s in social work -- something I never thought possible! When not focusing on school, I enjoy taking my dogs on hikes, spending time with my children, taking trips to different beaches, family camping trips, and the long and fun road trips to visit family back East. As an ARC Academic Coach, I aim to empower and support students so that they, too, can stay focused on their educational goals and overcome any obstacles that come their way.
