Juliette’s sign says “Si se puede!” (“Yes you can!)

Juliette Palacios Perez is an ambitious leader and first-generation student who is the head of the Student Equity Council and a student advisor to TRIO Upward Bound. (At Central Piedmont, we offer TRIO-Student Support Services, a college retention and degree completion program centered on academic, personal, social, and career support for under-resourced college students). Juliette provides her Spanish-speaking skills to the Hispanic community through these organizations.

Juliette has always had a dream to pursue higher education. “I sought a place to make my dreams come true. After the initial failure and rejection, I learned that Central Piedmont would be the place that would catapult me in the right direction,” explains Juliette. “I chose Central Piedmont because of the resources they offer that have allowed me to be accepted into my dream school, UNC Chapel Hill.”

Perez comes from a single-parent household where her mother worked two jobs and always taught her to stand up for herself and others. Juliette’s mother always told her to “dream big Mija, education is the only thing that can’t be taken away from you.” As a result, Juliette decided to major in both Sociology and Political Science in order to gain knowledge of government systems and advocate on behalf of others. Juliette’s future degree from UNC Chapel Hill will help her pursue her dreams of becoming an attorney who fights for the rights of others. “My passion is to inspire, and through that, I will one day become an immigration attorney,” Juliette explains.

From being involved in student engagement, to having amazing advisors there for constant support, Central Piedmont has shown Juliette what a supportive community looks like. Juliette decided to start Conexion Latinx, the Latinx student club at Central Piedmont, after receiving so much support. “I wanted to create this club to help other first-generation Hispanic students feel safe, heard, and supported,” Juliette says.

Jules Omakinda is a hardworking student who dreams of becoming a pilot one day.

Jules is currently pursuing his associate degree in cyber security at Central Piedmont Community College. “Central Piedmont has a positive reputation and offers many opportunities that students can take advantage of,” says Jules. Jules enjoys feeling like he is a part of a community. As he explains it, “Central Piedmont is a place that truly feels like home, and I appreciate how the community works together to help me succeed in my career.”

Jules knew as early as he could remember that he would like to be a pilot someday. For him, Central Piedmont is the ideal place to begin his aviation goals. As a result of his cyber security associate degree, he plans to attend another institution to obtain his master’s degree in cyber security. His goal is to secure a high-paying job that will help him pay for aviation school.

One thing Jules would like anyone reading this to remember would be to, “keep your goals at the forefront of your mind and utilize all that Central Piedmont provides you to reach your next chapter in life.”