js3384@cornell.edu
My name is Julio Salas, and I am a first-generation low-income (FGLI) Latino college student at Cornell University studying Human Biology, Health, and Society. I walked around the classroom and asked a young boy this question and his response was, “My goal is to be like you.” I was stunned and warm inside. I am an aspiring primary care physician for low-income communities, a public health researcher, and a professor. One day, I intend to write a memoir about my life with intentions of it landing in the hands of kids who were once like me. Lost. Confused. Afraid. Low-income background. No guidance.
I joined Brain Days ultimately for one reason; the kids. Kids have potential out of this world and are the future. Sometimes that potential can be hard to see, especially when the world around you is difficult for reasons out of our control. But, it can take just one moment, one person, or one thing for one to see that potential and accomplish amazing things. With everything that I do, and want to do, in life, I hope to accomplish everything. I hope to help see kids realize their potential and see them accomplish things they once thought impossible. Because I once thought many things were not possible. But, they are.
One of the most out of all the beautiful moments I had with Brain Days, was on our March 29, 2019, visit. Part of the lesson plan for that day asked the students about their goals, why those were their goals, and how could they plan for those goals? I walked around the classroom and asked a young boy this question, and his response was, “My goal is to be like you.” I was stunned and warm inside. I took a double take because I was unsure if that was what he really said, but it was. My response was, “I want you to be even better.” That moment for me is one I will never forget, and it couldn’t have been possible without Brain Days. That is just one example of how beautiful and powerful the Brain Days are. It also couldn’t be possible without the kids. And, that is why I am a part of the wonderful team of Brain Days. It all comes down to and is for, the kids.