ASHLEY VASQUEZ: A MONTCLAIR STATE PROFILE FEATURE

 HOW ASHLEY VASQUEZ, A MONTCLAIR STATE COMMUNICATION, AND MEDIA ARTS  MAJOR, FOUND HER PASSION THROUGH CULTURE AND FAMILY

By: Nina Borja

Ashley Vasquez at home where she takes remote courses.

Photo courtesy of Ashley Vasquez

Although there is no magic formula on how to find your dream career, the experiences and people you meet along the way make the adventure of finding your passion all the more meaningful. For Ashley Vasquez, her family and friends inspired her to take the first steps in finding what she dreams of doing. Vasquez, a Sophomore at Montclair State University, is the first to attend college in her family as she studies Communication and Media Arts. Coming from a Colombian-American immigrant family, Vasquez hopes to solidify her goals of eventually working in the entertainment business and help marginalized groups get more media representation. Throughout this journey, Vasquez plans to center her familial and cultural values as she figures out where to take her professional endeavors forward. 

Vasquez, like many immigrants in America, has her fair share of overcoming racial and ethnic obstacles on top of pursuing her education. Vasquez grew up in Dover, New Jersey,  a culturally rich and diverse area. It was only until Vasquez and her family moved to Sparta, New Jersey when she was in fifth grade that she learned what it meant to be a person of color in America.  “Sparta was a very white town so it was really hard for me in the transition because I went from having all my family to us moving to this place where everyone kind of looked down on people like me,” Vasquez said. That key point in Vasquez’s life helped shape her perspective of the world. However, when some might get discouraged, Vasquez stayed vigilant. “Being different doesn’t have to be a bad thing,” Vasquez said, “I love being Colombian and no matter what anyone says, that part of me influences how I personally and professionally move through the world.” 

Vasquez’s transition in her learning environments, not only shaped who she is today but also strengthened her family ties. Vasquez, now 19 years old, and her family are still very close. Although she grew up with strict parents, Vasquez knows that her parents do it out of love. Vasquez’s parents grew up in Colombia and moved to America to give both her and her sisters a better life and opportunities. “Since I am the first of my immediate family to go to college,” said Vasquez, “It’s something that I am very proud of and can directly thank my parents and their hard work for.” 

One of the greatest accomplishments Vasquez has made is making it into the Presidential Scholar Program, an achievement she knows makes her family proud as well. By taking account of her educational journey so far, Vasquez’s cultural values are, once again, a major factor of who she is. Once Vasquez graduates in 2023, she aims to empower others just as her family did for her. More specifically, Vasquez wants to focus on a media enriched career where she can help lift up people of color. “I want to work hard and do everything just the way my parents always dreamt of me doing. It all goes back to them, everything I’m doing now. I just want to make sure all their hard work wasn’t for nothing,” Vaquez said.

Currently, Vasquez is a working student in the hopes of continuing to strengthen her work ethics. Working alongside Tori Maciorski, a coworker at Jefferson Dairy, both Vasquez and Maciorski share similar cultural experiences growing up. “Ashley is such an endearing person who cares for people beyond herself,” Mackiorski said, “She gives everything her all, despite the things the world throws at her, and I think that’s what makes her a great worker.”