"In Our Own Voices" is a photo and story gallery celebrating diversity and the voices that make the UNH Manchester community a wonderful place to live, learn and grow. Their stories are our story—and we are proud to tell it. Carlo Capuz '21, a computer information systems major, shares his story below.
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“College was a turning point in my life. It became an opportunity to reinvent myself.”
Moving to the United States as an immigrant was one of the major decisions we made as a family. It was a mixture of different emotions. We all had feelings of fear, excitement, anxiety, and happiness, not realizing what future was ahead of us. We experienced huge culture shock. On my first day in high school, I remember feeling abandoned and left out while watching teachers and groups of students with their friends, laughing and talking as they greeted each other. I, on the other hand, sat in a dark corner completely baffled and distressed, suddenly realizing the bizarre situation I was in. Throughout high school, I had trouble socializing because of that feeling of being an outsider. I became socially selective and graduated high school with just a couple of friends I could trust.
College was a turning point in my life. It became an opportunity to reinvent myself. I wanted to become better and push myself out of my comfort zone. When I transferred to UNH Manchester, I felt like I belonged here. Everyone was accommodating and warm, and the staff were helpful and supportive. In my first two semesters at UNH Manchester, I made numerous connections and have done so much to improve myself, both academically and personally. UNH Manchester helped me become a better version of myself.
