Bryan Contreras, a fourth-year student studying in UVA's McIntire School of Commerce, and his sister Joanna Contreras, a second-year student on the pre-Commerce track, are from Warrenton, Virginia.

Tell us a little bit about how you decided to come to UVA. What appealed to you about it?

Bryan: "Coming out of high school, I wasn't sure if I was going to go to college or not. I knew I wanted to go into business, but I wasn't quite sure what my passions were in life. And I felt like college is such a big investment not to know what you want to do.

But my mom - and Joanna can attest to this - is a huge advocate for education. She didn't graduate high school until later in life, and she always wished that she went to college. With that speech, I guess I kind of had to pick up and apply. Luckily, Virginia has some of the best schools in the nation. I literally just looked up 'best school in Virginia,' and UVA was at the top. If I'm going to do something, it's got to be the best. I had never visited here. I mean, we're first generation (college students). But that's how I landed on UVA, and I've loved it since."

Joanna: "I always wanted to go to college. I didn't know where I wanted to go, though. I kind of did want to go out of state just because I was really interested in schools in New York City and Washington, D.C. UVA was my main attraction, though, because it was in-state and still one of the best schools. That's mainly why I chose UVA, but then, with Bryan being here, I also visited a lot.

What stood out to you when you visited UVA?

Joanna: "I made friends with all of Bryan's friends, and I saw the Latinx community here, which is like family, honestly. Because it's a small community everyone knows everyone, and everyone is so supportive of one another. So being here, hanging out with him and his friends in that community, I just absolutely loved it, and I knew I wanted to be here and be a part of that."

What advice do you have for other Latinx students who are considering UVA?

Joanna: "My honest opinion is to get involved when you get here. I feel like there are a lot of Latinx students that come here and maybe because the community is small, they either don't find it - or they think it's too niche to join in when they get here. But I think that we are so welcoming, and we want first-year students to come join us.

There are so many Latinx orgs that you can join. Show up to the Latinx Student Center because there are always people there. Just introduce yourself. It's so easy. Because, once you're involved, it's literally like your home away from home. And everyone understands your background, and where you come from, and why you think the way you do."

Bryan: "Latinos, I think, make up around 6 percent of the students at UVA. There's not a lot of us. I always say, I feel like I know everybody that's Latino here, it's just that easy. But being Latino at a university that's really big, it's hard. A lot of us are first-generation. This is our first time for everything. We're scared. We don't know what's going on. We don't know what we want to major in. We just don't know a lot of things.

So, I think it's important that if you're Latino and you want to apply to UVA, do not be scared to put yourself out there, to put your best foot forward. The biggest advice that I would give to anybody is: do not compare yourself. You are different than everybody, and being Latino, being first-generation makes you that much more unique and special. I think that you should take that and run with it. I think the two of us have done that pretty well here.

I had a quote that someone told me: it's better to be a first-class version of yourself than a second-class version of someone else. So, I say be yourself and don't compare yourself."

If you're ready to apply to UVA, we can't wait to get to know you! Our application deadlines for first-year students are November 1 (Early Action) and January 5 (Regular Decision).