Skip to main content

Meet Our Students: Kimberly Chaparro-Olmos

 Name: Kimberly Chaparro-Olmos, LUChA Vice President of Communications and Outreach

Pronouns: She/her

Age: 18

Residence: Tooele, Utah

Major: Surgical Tech

Academic goals: My academic goals have been to join clubs. I joined LUChA but I also want to join the National Honors club. I also want to see if I can do a research program. Then just finish my prerequisites for my major and applying for the surgical tech program.

Dream job: My dream job right now is in surgical tech and then depending on how that goes, if I like the route, I might be a general surgeon. But if I end up feeling like surgery is a little too much for me then I plan to go into nursing.

Plan B: Nursing

Why higher education: Because I felt like it was something that I needed to do for my family. I am a first-generation student. In a way, I guess it's a tradition in my family not to go to college. I wanted to break that tradition and just try something new. Honestly, I like school and I like the challenge. I felt like college would be a step forward towards a bigger challenge, and it would help me get closer to a job that I could enjoy and get better pay.

Why SLCC: For one because I'm first gen, I don't exactly have the financial money to go to a higher educational school. I felt like SLCC was financially good for me and community-wise, I felt like I would be more comfortable here. I know a lot of relatives that would go to bigger universities, and they felt lost. And I would go on field trips to the other universities, and I felt lost as well, even though I wasn't going there as a student. When I came here, I saw that people seem a lot closer, it looks more like a community. It’s not necessarily smaller, but it's more connected in a way and I like that.

What motivates you or inspires you at school or in life: My sisters. I'm the oldest of three siblings and can help set them on their paths. Because my parents didn't go to college and didn't finish high school, they couldn't really help me. I didn't have that knowledge of what I needed or what I could do in college. So just being that help and support for my sisters motivates me. Also, another thing that motivates me is thinking about my future goals and wanting to pursue them. I have heard this saying where either you sacrifice your time now, or your time later is going to be sacrificed because you didn't sacrifice it back then. I like to think of it as a sacrifice now so I can enjoy it later on.

Meaningful life or career lessons you have learned so far: Career wise, I've never had a job, but I've taken medical classes and I've done externships and the lessons that I've learned from there is that every single person has a family. And that has helped me realize that I have to keep a professional mindset and, in some cases, emotional mindset, but I can't really get involved. I have to be empathetic. For example, in surgery, say this person I’m working with, they have a family, they have feelings, they're just like me, so I need to keep that in mind when I'm working with them to ensure that I do the best work that I can. In life lessons, I would say just continuing to push even if you fail, you can do it again. Because life is just full of mistakes. You can fix them. And I've learned that the hard way.

Family: I live with my mom, my dad and my three sisters. My dad is from Mexico and came to the U.S. when he was 14 years old. And my mom was born in Jalisco and came here when she was 2.

Hobbies: I love sports. I do track, cross country, soccer and wrestling.

Awards/accomplishments: In wresting, I won third place in State in my junior year in high school and then my second year I won second place in State. And then I won first place twice in region for wrestling. I also won first place in a writing competition that was based in Spain. I also have a certification in medical terminology, and I have my Medical Assistant certification.


Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rev Up Your Future at SLCC Annuals Hop into College

SLCC West Valley Center will be opening its doors on Friday, August 2, from 6-9 pm for their annual lowrider event that celebrates the automotive culture and welcomes current, past, and future Bruins into the SLCC community. This unique event allows lowriders to showcase their vehicles and for spectators to witness the creativity, craftsmanship, and passion that goes into a lowrider car. From the sleek custom paint jobs to the impressive hydraulics showcased at the hop-off, attendees get immersed in the vibrant culture created by SLCC West Valley’s community. Beyond the car show, Hop into College provides prospective students and their families the opportunity to explore SLCC, engage with their future peers, staff and faculty and obtain valuable insight into the degrees and programs offered. Furthermore, the community is provided with countless beneficial resources not only as an SLCC student but as a community member. Whether interested in learning more about the lowrider community o...
Post a Comment
Read more

SLCC Alumnus and U.S. Diplomat to Speak at 2025 Commencement

Salt Lake Community College’s 2025 Commencement speaker Branigan Knowlton will share his perspectives drawn from a 12-year career as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. In serving his country, Knowlton has honed his foreign relations and diplomacy skills in Hong Kong, Mexico, Colombia and Italy. Knowlton is also a proud Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) alumnus (2002).     Knowlton currently serves at the U.S. Embassy in Rome. Before reporting to the embassy, he was detailed to the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport as part of the Transatlantic Diplomatic Fellowship program. In Bogotá, Knowlton worked for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, and in Hermosillo, Mexico, he worked for the Bureau of Consular Affairs. His first assignment abroad was in Hong Kong, where he worked for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.     "I've actively sought opportunities that push me into the unfamiliar, even when ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Recognizing SLCC's 2025 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Andrew Vogt, PhD Associate Professor, Engineering

The Distinguished Faculty Lecturer is a recognition of quality work by one of Salt Lake Community College’s full-time faculty and a charge to develop that work over an academic year into a public presentation. A committee chosen by the Associate Provost for Learning Advancement selects the faculty lecturer each year. The lecture takes place in the spring. Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Andrew Vogt, PhD Associate Professor, Engineering Dr. Andrew Vogt’s teaching philosophy is guided by two principles, curiosity and efficiency.  “Curiosity leads us to study a topic and allows us to really understand the ins and outs of research, while efficiency is all about sustainability,” he says. Andrew describes curiosity as a pure, open-minded impulse to explore, such as the ease with which children learn new concepts with virtually no instruction. Efficiency adds maturity to that childlike impulse, creating structures and pathways for accomplishment.  Andrew’s work has alwa...
Post a Comment
Read more