By Sapphire Gallegos
PPCC Student President, Adonis Jaramillo, began his academic journey by taking classes at the college to create a better future for himself and his family.
In 2015, Jaramillo was inspired to run for office after he visited Student Life for a passport signature for his AAA class. Since then, his life changed and so have his career choices.
“Student Government has changed me, it made me change my degree plan. I went from an Associates of Business to an Associates of Communication,” said Jaramillo.
Though most students know him as the student body president, he is also known for being a military veteran. From 1988 to 1991, Jaramillo fought for the military in missions, including Desert Storm. Combat was brutal for him and he decided to retire.
Jaramillo’s wife and sons attend PPCC, too, and the family was recently featured in the Colorado Springs Gazette.
Jaramillo is proud of his children and his wife for their accomplishments so far.
Reflecting over the last two years, Jaramillo is very proud of what he has done as a student and contributor to the college. He is also thankful for the people and the instructors he has encountered.
“The people I have met have opened so many doors for me and my future is looking great,” Jaramillo said.
Before he met his wife, Nancy, Jaramillo was a single parent. In charge of two sons, his mission for them was to have a successful life. He said he spoke to his children often about graduating from high school and going on to college.
After he graduates from PPCC, Jaramillo plans to go to UCCS for his Bachelor’s degree and hopes to participate in the work study program there and be able to still work for PPCC.
While Jaramillo thinks of PPCC as a place of education, he also thinks of the school as his first family. Since most of his family goes to the college, he feels it is his home, a place he can never get away from.
In addition, he has learned to be open-minded and diverse with his communication around all three campuses. With both of these skills, he has been able to increase his involvement as a student.
“I actually want to go into higher learning, to get a degree that will help me work for Student Life or somewhere else in the college that will help benefit students,” Jaramillo states.
Jaramillo would like to share with prospective students that if they want to have a great start to academic success, they should try PPCC, and he will hopefully be there to greet them in the future.
