First-generation college student Jorge Mato Frontela is originally from Havana, Cuba. Moving from Cuba to avoid violent events, Jorge arrived in the United States a year ago. “Despite the events in my homeland, my willingness to achieve my goals remained unaltered,” says Jorge. Before coming to America, Jorge was in the middle of completing a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Havana.

It wasn’t by chance that Jorge’s passion for helping people with cancer developed. As a young child he would accompany his mother at work where he would see patients getting treated for cancer. “After participating in the State and National Chemistry Contests in Cuba, I realized I could use my abilities to help people with cancer,” Jorge explains.

As an active member of several campus organizations, Jorge belongs to the Conexion Latinx Club, Rotaract Club, and Phi Theta Kappa. In addition to his membership in those organizations, Jorge is a tutor for the Academic Learning Center for Chemistry classes. Wait, there’s more; Jorge is also an avid volunteer for the American Red Cross, where he leads fundraising campaigns and assists other blood drives.

Jorge is not only an active member of the community, but he has also been awarded many scholarships to support his education, including the Bank of America Endowed Scholarship, Barnes & Noble Scholarship for books, and the Levine Scholarship. “These scholarships have allowed me to put more effort into my studies and student life by alleviating my financial stress and helping me overcome the economic barrier to higher education,” Jorge says.