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Diana Flores was nearly a second-gen student. Her father attended university in Puebla, Mexico, but left school to join the protest movement against the Mexican government before he could complete his degree. Her mother attended high school in rural Mexico. The couple moved to Aspen, Colo., to raise their family of four daughters.

“None of us ever felt pressured to go to college,” Flores said. “My dad used to tell us, ‘When you get an A in class, I love you so much, and you’re my daughter, and that’s excellent. But if you get an F, I love you so much, and you’re my daughter, and that’s excellent.’ That was just the way they raised us.”

But no pressure was necessary, because Flores loved to learn and pursued a challenging International Baccalaureate during her high school years.

As she began her search for a university, Flores met Gary Ross, the Jones and Wood Family Vice President for admission and financial aid, at a college fair. Ross took the time amid the bustle to have a meaningful conversation — not so much about �󷢲�Ʊ but about Flores’ interests and goals. By not talking solely about the University, he sold her on it. The inclination was reinforced by her high school counselor and a few older classmates, who also thought it would be a perfect fit.

“I came with my dad in April, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, there are so many hills!’” The hills that inspired in the spring of 2016 became home by autumn. And although her love of science came along for the ride, Flores’ �󷢲�Ʊ coursework introduced her to peace and conflict studies and reminded her of how much she enjoyed history. The disciplines became her double major.

“I didn’t know we had military bases on islands that no one talks about,” she said. “It seemed so important to me to know these things that I had never known, and that outweighed biology.”

As a junior, Flores spent a full year abroad. Studying at the University of Cape Town in the fall, she saw an educational system in the throes of a modern-day decolonization. Digging through the British Archives in London during the spring, she read historical documents of a colonizer trying to maintain control of its dominions.

Flores — a Link staffer and member of the Spanish Debate Club — is now preparing for graduation and pondering a career in law. But she will take a gap year after graduation from �󷢲�Ʊ to consider her options. “The universe inspires,” she said. “Life has been good to me. I feel like I’ll end up wherever I need to be.”

�󷢲�Ʊ Highlight: Membership in the Spanish Debate Club
Debate has really taught me to take a step back. I’ve had constructive conversations with people I don’t agree with, because I’m able to explain to them very persuasively why I am the way that I am, but I’m also able to accept their points as well.

�󷢲�Ʊ Challenge: Confronting my own identity
Freshman year for me was really a challenge. I felt like I didn’t belong to either community [white or Mexican American], which was hard. I was confused. I’ve learned a lot about myself and my position as a person of color, which is something I had never really ever had to confront at home.

Wright was born in Harlem, N.Y. From the age of 12, he lived with his grandmother in her apartment just a few blocks from Central Park, eventually taking a daily train ride from Manhattan’s east side to its west side, where he attended Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School.

Based on Wright’s preference for a smaller college, his high school counselor recommended that he apply to �󷢲�Ʊ. “When I was accepted,” Wright recalled, “I came for April visit days, saw