Alumni Spotlight - Diego Gavilanes
As a guest student from Ecuador, Diego Gavilanes planned to return to his home country after a year of attending 12th grade in the United States. Days before graduation, however, he decided to work as a YMCA summer camp counselor and attend college here. Calling his decision to attend EvCC “one of the best decisions of my life,” Diego studied hard. He was assigned a column in the student newspaper, where he expressed his views on war and government openly, amazed that he could exercise freedom of expression. Instead of returning to his native land, he eventually went on to earn a law degree. “Attending EvCC was equivalent to an explosion of learning in my mind,” he says. “I studied law because I wanted to see more people in more places have more justice. As an immigration lawyer, in a small way, I’m helping to change the face of this country for the better.”
What is your current occupation/career?
I am an attorney at law.
How did you choose EvCC? Was there a selection process involved in your decision making?
It was just good luck that I chose Everett Community College. I was a young 18 year old and had my bags packed to return to my home country, Ecuador, after graduation from Mt. Rainier High School in Seattle. I had come to the U.S. as a guest student for just one academic year, my 12th grade. It had been a good year. And then, days before the end of the school year, I was offered an opportunity to work as a counselor at the YMCA summer camp on Orcas Island. If I was unsure about staying in the U.S., the summer of 1968 helped me to decide to go to college here. I applied for admission and went to school at EvCC, one of the best decisions of my life.
Do you think your time at EvCC helped you pursue your current career? How?
I was a young and innocent 18 year old who did not know about the world we live in before I started as a student at EvCC. The war in Vietnam was raging in 1968. Race riots had broken out in Watts and throughout the U.S. after the death of Martin Luther King on April 5. Senator Robert Kennedy had been assassinated that same year. Attending EvCC was equivalent to an explosion of learning in my mind. I studied hard and participated in the student anti-war demonstrations that ultimately brought an end to that war. I took Journalism, and Professor Koroch assigned to me a column on the student newspaper, The Clipper, where I expressed my views on the war and government misconduct openly. It was amazing that a young foreign student could exercise his freedom of expression to such level. What a country! I thought. And instead of returning to my native land, I fell in love more deeply with this country and decided to stay. First one year, then two. Then the roots got deeper. The treatment of foreign students by the U.S .government was bad. I wanted to study law and become a lawyer, in part to help change that situation. I graduated from EvCC and transferred to the UW where two years later, armed with a BA degree I was admitted at the UW Law School. On my application for admission, I wrote that the reason why I wanted to study law was that “… I want to see more people in more places have more justice.” Now, as an immigration lawyer, in a small way, I’m helping to change the face of this country for the better. And as a personal injury and accident lawyer, I’m helping to bring fair and just compensation for victims of other’s negligence and carelessness.
Was there anyone during your time at EvCC who acted as a mentor for you? Tell me about that relationship and why it was valuable.
I had many favorite teachers at EvCC: Eldon Koroch, Gary London, Mr. Houghtaling who taught Philosophy, Mrs. Day who taught English with a smile, Dave McCourt, Mr. Karber who introduced me to the International Student Movement for the United Nations (ISMUN), and many others. Each of these teachers had an impact in my career and in my life. I am thankful to them for what I am today.
What words of advice would you give to current EvCC students?
Study hard, strive for excellence, connect with your instructors individually. Have fun.
Alumni ad published 10/13/2014