Mario (preferred name: Ari)
Ari, a first-generation college student who plans to study graphic design, finds their people at HCC.
Ari Cardoza (they/them/theirs/themself) is a familiar face on campus. With storytelling roots, they produce the Instagram and TikTok video series “Dragon of the Week.” After work in Student Life, Ari went from Academic Commons to the Rouse Company Foundation Gallery, stopping to shake hands and wave to passing dragons.
“You are constantly meeting new people around campus, and since it’s a tight-knit, welcoming community, you end up calling them friends,” said Ari. “You will find your people here is what I am trying to say.”
Their family came from Honduras, a Central American country between Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Honduras was once the center of Mayan civilization and folklore. In the art gallery, Ari took a moment to appreciate the traditional stories, vibrant colors, rich history, and various interpretations of Hispanic and Latinx culture through the “Nuestra Herencia” exhibit. With their photography experience, Ari shared their knowledge of this multimedia work which is by HCC students, faculty, staff, and alumni, commenting on the composition of every piece.
“Photography only captures a moment in time,” Ari said about piece #13, Rene’ Trevino’s “Onward.” “There’s a story behind it that, for me, creates drama.”
As a first-generation college student, Ari enrolled at HCC in the spring of 2022, majoring in general studies with plans to transfer to the University of Maryland’s graphic design program. Through the Ambiciones cohort scholarship program, Ari has gained opportunities to explore their vast interests and discovered Familia.
“My family doesn’t come from wealth, so I get scholarships from Ambiciones, which is specifically for Hispanic students,” said Ari. “But there are a variety of other scholarships that students can apply for here at HCC. Even if you don’t qualify, it’s worth a shot.”