Adrian Guzman remembers what his own experience was like growing up.
And those memories are what motivates the Saint John’s University sophomore to try and make things a little better for those facing similar situations.
Guzman is a graduate of Immokalee (Florida) High School, located in one of Florida’s poorest communities. He’s now at SJU, thanks in part to the Immokalee Scholarship Program, which was founded to help first-generation college students from the area pursue higher education at the school.
But his ties to his home community remain strong. As a freshman last December, he organized a toy drive for students at Village Oaks Elementary, where he completed 500 volunteer hours in high school working with students in kindergarten through second grade as part of the Guadalupe Center’s Tutor Corps program.
Guzman personally secured sponsors for every child in the program and delivered 180 holiday gifts to students and families. Not long after, he partnered with a local business to coordinate a meal distribution program that served 250 freshly prepared meals to families in the community who were in need.
“That community means so much to me,” he said. “It’s where I come from and where I was raised. So it’s important to continue to find ways to give back to the future generations coming after me. I feel lucky to be where I am right now, and I also want to set an example to encourage younger kids.
“Hopefully, they’ll see what I’m doing and realize it’s possible for them too.”
Guzman’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. The Southwest Florida Association of Fundraising Professionals were scheduled to honor him with this year’s Outstanding Philanthropic Youth Award as part of the group’s National Philanthropy Day ceremony Tuesday (Nov. 18) in Naples, Florida.
“Adrian leads with heart and action,” said Dawn Montecalvo, president of Guadalupe Center, in a release announcing the honor. “He sees a need and responds with generosity, determination and a deep sense of community.”
Guzman has also established his own nonprofit – Society Born Again – in order to continue his efforts.
“Things are tough for a lot of these kids and their families, especially in today’s current environment,” he said. “I just want to do anything I can to make things a little easier.”
Guzman said that dedication to serving others was instilled in him by his family – parents Alejandro and Carmen, older sister Jasmine (who still resides in Immokalee and has been a big help in his work) and older brother Alex, who also attended SJU.
“They taught me how important it is to be a light in the community,” he said. “Whether you’re doing something big or small, it doesn’t matter as long as you’re doing something.”
Guzman – a global business leadership major – is also grateful for the supportive community he’s discovered at CSB and SJU. He’s part of the First-Gen Organization and Exploring Latin American Culture (ELAC) Club on campus, while also working as part of the CSB and SJU stream team.
He said Malik Stewart, the director of Multicultural Student Services, and English professor Betsy Johnson are among those who have become important mentors, and fellow sophomores Jayden Forniel and John Jumbo have become two of his closest friends and sources of support.
“There’s so many opportunities to get involved and meet people here,” he said. “It’s just an amazing community to be part of.”