Student Spotlight 2022: Emmanuel Fuentes, U.S. Air Force

Tell us about yourself.

I am from Bakersfield, CA, and I served in the U.S. Air Force as a dental technician. I joined the military because I knew I needed to get “unstuck” from where I was in life. A fun fact about myself is that I once delivered a goat on my grandparents’ farm. I think at 11 years old, my desire to pursue medicine was awakened.

What was your educational background prior to attending WSP, and which of our courses did you attend?

I attended the humanities course at Williams College this past summer and completed my first semester at Creighton University a few weeks before going to WSP. This was actually my second time doing the humanities course; my first time was in October 2021, virtually. I did it again because I truly wanted the immersive experience the in-person courses offered and because Williams College is my dream school.

Why did you decide to participate in WSP this summer, and was there a shift in your confidence level from the first day of the course to the last day?

I had a moderate level of confidence starting the course, but only because I was familiar with the material; however, I was nervous about being in the room with some brilliant minds. My confidence level was 10/10 walking away on the final day of the course, so much so that I couldn’t even get through my end-of-course reception speech without crying (no shame in my game).

What were some key insights you gained during your courses, and what is your biggest takeaway?

I touched on this during the course, but my biggest realization was that these spaces of academia are not out of reach. In fact, I have a place at the table reserved with my name on it. I belong here, too. The most important thing I learned is that a whole team of other Warrior-Scholars are in my corner, cheering me on every step of the way to the graduation stage.

In one word, how would you describe your overall experience? 

Phenomenal!