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Ignacio Roman finds his passion in giving back to the community
Talk to Ignacio Roman and the first thing you notice is his broad smile. Take a walk with Roman and you’ll learn a thing or two about humility. Roman has made an impact on the peer culture at PHRS through his role in Peer Communications and volunteer work. He has dedicated his academic and leadership abilities to give back to the community, uplifting students from all backgrounds, while balancing his AP Physics, Calculus, and Literature classes and a 4.0 GPA.
“Peer was my one opportunity to try and leave a positive impact on this campus while I was still here,” Roman said, who joined the program his junior year after attending the annual Bearcats Care event.
Peer Communications teacher Matt Carroll spotted a empathetic proponent on the track field and in his honors English classroom. He invited then sophomore Roman to Bearcats Care, an outreach and anti-bullying program organized by Peer Communications committed to breaking down social and emotional barriers between students on campus.
“He just really grew to the role, and expanded it, and became more social and built more connections on campus. He became the perfect ‘Peer Communicator.’ He’s very humorous, but at the same time, he steps up to the plate when we need him. He brings warmth wherever he goes, and in the hardest of times we rely on him and the community relies on him,” Mr. Carroll, who took over the program in 2017, said.
he did blossom. Over a year later, after joining Peer, Roman was a speaker for the same Bearcats Care event on October 11.
And “A big part of Peer is uplifting the ones who might feel like outsiders or who aren’t socially active as others, who might be struggling with either school work or something at home,” Roman said. “When I started as a freshman, I kinda related to that. Inside, I felt very isolated, excluded, like an outsider. But by slowly getting involved in stuff, I started realizing how much better it would make me feel. And so as I got into Peer, I felt like, deep down, I connected with those students, so I wanted to try to do something to help them, because I was down that path, too.”
Roman’s mission to help others has influenced more than his high school career. He has been accepted into two colleges: UC Merced and San Jose State University. Between the two, Roman chose San Jose to study mathematics and teaching, which makes him a first generation college student and AVID graduate.
“Ultimately, I would like to come back to Paso because I have a strong connection to this school. This is where I’ve met a lot of my friends, where a lot of highs and lows of my life had happened. I want to come back. I want to give back to people in my community, especially students like myself, not necessarily undocumented, but underrepresented in our school. I want to be like a hopeful figure to potential students,” Roman said.
Through the highs and lows of high school, Roman’s parents, siblings, friends, and teachers have supported him every step of the way. From encouraging him to pursue a better life to helping him develop the tools for success, Roman has taken that wisdom to put it back into the world.
“I want to be able to repay those who helped me by helping out others,” Roman concluded.
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Carmesi | Pintando su caracter
Ignacio Roman ha tenido un impacto en la cultura en PRHS, a través de su papel en la clase de Comunicaciones de ‘Peer’ y trabajo voluntario. Él ha dedicado sus habilidades académicas y de liderazgo para retribuir a la comunidad, alentando a los estudiantes de todos los orígenes, mientras equilibra sus clases de física, cálculo, clases de literatura y un GPA de 4.0.
“Peer fue mi única oportunidad de dejar un impacto positivo en este campus mientras aún estaba aquí,” dijo Roman, quien se unió al programa en su tercer año después de asistir al evento anual de Bearcats Care.
La misión de Roman de ayudar a otros ha influido más que su carrera en la escuela secundaria. Finalmente, decidió asistir a San José para estudiar matemáticas y enseñanza, lo que lo convierte en un estudiante universitario de primera generación y graduado de AVID de cuatro años.
“Quiero poder pagar a quienes me ayudaron ayudando a otros”, concluyó Roman, quien planea regresar a PRHS para enseñar.
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