First-Gen and Figuring It Out: Valerie Carrillo on College, Courage, and Choosing Your Own Path
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First-Gen and Figuring It Out: Valerie Carrillo on College, Courage, and Choosing Your Own Path
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There is a quiet kind of courage that comes with being the first. First to apply. First to navigate systems your parents never had access to. First to make decisions without a roadmap. This episode is about that courage, and the trust it takes to keep moving anyway.
In today’s episode of Amiga Handle Your Shit, Jackie Tapia sits down with Valerie Carrillo, a first-generation Latina navigating the college application process largely on her own. With parents who did not attend college, Valerie shares what it has meant to figure things out in real time, ask for help when she needed it, and learn how to advocate for herself in rooms she was never taught how to enter.
Valerie reflects on studying abroad at a young age, returning home with a broader sense of what is possible, and how that experience shaped her confidence and resilience. She opens up about the pressure many first-gen students carry, the fear of rejection, and the mindset shifts that helped her stay grounded while applying to competitive schools without guarantees.
The conversation also touches on faith, timing, and learning to trust that not getting what you want right away does not mean you are failing. Valerie reminds us that outcomes do not define worth and that sometimes the long way around still gets you exactly where you are meant to be.
Tune in to episode 270 of Amiga Handle Your Shit for a real and refreshing conversation on first-generation ambition, self-trust, and navigating the unknown without losing yourself.
Episode Takeaways:
- What it’s like to be first-gen with no blueprint for college (04:40)
- How studying abroad early built confidence and independence (11:50)
- Why asking for help became a turning point in her application process (24:30)
- The emotional side of applying to competitive universities (26:40)
- How faith and perspective helped her release fear around outcomes (34:10)
- Why rejection does not mean you are off track (34:50)
Connect with Valerie:
Let's Connect!
- Website
- Jackie Tapia Arbonne's website
- Book: The AMIGA Way: Release Cultural Limiting Beliefs to Transform Your Life
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