Roque Otazo '20 | Computer Science major
Saint Anselm's education prepared me to become a well-rounded person. I received an outstanding college education, and I also formed long-lasting friendships and connections with my peers and professors.
Computer Science major Roque Otazo ‘20 came all the way from South America to find his second home on the Hilltop. Now, he’s an academic advisor for EducationUSA at the National University of Asuncion (UNA) in his home country of Paraguay.
“I work closely with students who are interested in pursuing their higher education career in the United States,” says Otazo, adding that often the students he works with are more interested in graduate programs in the United States. EducationUSA is a network from the United States Department of State, under the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, with over 430 centers around the world. His position at EducationUSA also co-coordinates the Opportunity Funds Program, which selects the brightest high school students in the country with limited financial means to prepare and support them during the application process to American colleges and universities. Otazo’s Saint Anselm education prepared him for this role, and to become a well-rounded person.
Coming from Paraguay, Otazo knew that getting involved would help him find his place at Saint Anselm, so he jumped into activities on campus as soon as he arrived. How do you go from welcoming a U.S. Senator to campus to student mentor in under 10 minutes? When you have as many interests as Otazo, you get very good at scheduling! Although he gave his academics priority, he still found time for all of his out-of-the-classroom experiences. He volunteered, mentored first-year students through the Transitions Program, and supported events at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics as a Kevin B. Harrington Student Ambassador. He was also a member of the Multicultural Student Coalition and the International Relations Club. And if that isn’t enough, he loves photography, so he attended campus events to capture photos for the student newspaper.
“I felt like if I was busy all the time then I was always learning something new,” he says. Otazo particularly enjoyed teaching local high school students computer science and literacy through the Meelia Center for Community Engagement’s Access Academy. He says it was a rewarding experience, but also another opportunity for him to take advantage of all the college offered.
Even though he’s far from the Hilltop today, Otazo remains connected to the College through long-lasting friendships and connections with peers and professors.