萨拉·海因兹(Sara Hinds)撰写
图片由伊凡Ortega-Nguyen提供
伊凡Ortega-Nguyen, 21岁 is writing his own chapter on finding success as a 第一代 college graduate.
His story includes familiar characters and themes to those of any new graduate. A curious main character who struggles to merge their passions into a decent job. 高期望的父母.
First-generation students face these challenges to an nth degree. 你必须以优异的成绩毕业. 你必须在你做的事情上做到最好.
“作为第一代学生, my parents were extremely hard on me to be successful, 成为所有这些东西, 成为一名医生, (一)工程师, [all] the stereotypes that my parents gave me as a kid,他说.
Ivan’s mom emigrated from Vietnam, his dad from Mexico. Their expectations for Ivan weren’t projections as much as they were protection.
“They have a lot of dreams that they wanted to achieve growing up, 但由于环境原因，他们做不到,伊凡说.
即便如此, upsetting his parents for a short time was worth it to pursue his ultimate passion: professional gaming.
新的现实
Video games started as an “avenue” for Ivan to experience a world outside 克里特岛, 内布拉斯加州, 他成长的乡村城市.
在大学里，它们变成了新的现实.
Ivan placed fifth in his first national tournament and won a cash prize. With each subsequent tournament, Ivan found more success, prize money and friends.
His engineering-trained brain started to do the math. Gaming could be the answer to everything from a paycheck to the question “what are you going to do after graduation?”
He broached the subject with his parents his freshman year, and to his surprise they listened.
“我很, extremely grateful that my parents had something in them that just listened to me that day,伊万想起. “And really understood where I was coming from and try to understand. Even if they may have not agreed with it at that time, they were there to listen to me.”
然而，宇宙有其他的计划. The pandemic halted in-person gaming events and tournaments, and served as a reality check to Ivan. He couldn’t solely rely on gaming to bring in a paycheck. 反正还没有.
主角能量
几年之后, 和伊万辐射平静, professional demeanor as he explains the logistics of Colonly, an app he developed alongside Brian Ortega. The pair received money to create the app from a 内布拉斯加州 Innovation Fund Prototype Grant in 2022.
Ivan flexes the 计算机科学 degree and liberal arts skills he learned at Doane (i.e., 协作, 创造力, entrepreneurial spirit) in the all-hands-on-deck approach to launching the app. Aside from building the back end of the app, 他负责市场营销, applies for grants and is well-versed in LLCs.
The app will connect individuals who want extra cash with individuals who need help with chores like lawn care, 保姆, 经营杂货店和照看宠物. Existing apps and websites like Rover and DoorDash offer these services, but rarely focus on communities with lesser populations. Colonly will prioritize small towns, starting with 克里特岛.
In everything Ivan does, he wants to give back. 通过应用程序向他的社区, 通过他在游戏上的成功来感谢他的家人, “or doing something cool that no one in my community expects.”
“这一直是我的目标, to be the best version of myself and to really show others that no matter what, 如果你有梦想, 你可以做到的,他说.
Oh, have we not given an update on Ivan’s gaming successes? 复数. 是时候这么做了.
平整了
While the pandemic slowed his roll, Ivan never stopped gaming. He practices 3-5 times a week with teammates. In October 2023, he traveled — with his dad! — to Seattle for the Halo World Championships and placed third.
Where Ivan is cool and collected playing in front of crowds the size you’d see at a football game, you can tell how important his dad’s physical support in Seattle meant.
The main character never forgets where they came from, though. 决定他们行动的斗争. 时不时地, Ivan remembers the pressure to perform as a 第一代 student and son of immigrant parents, and realizes his story doesn’t align with what was written for him. 但他很快又回到了现实.
“对事情不介意是可以的，对吧? You're human, you make mistakes, you have your time. 它是好的. 头. In the gaming world, we call it ‘regain,’伊凡说.
的恢复?
“重获，”他点点头. “It's like you refill your gas tank… You lose a match? 打回球-你很好.”
And he continues writing his story, playing the main character.
