THE RISE
WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN
Paying forward what made the difference .
CHARLIE MORALES ’ 13 got the call one
BY JARRETT HALEY night in September 2006 — his admission appeal had gone through , his UC San Diego acceptance reinstated , and , as it was the last day of orientation , could he be down here tomorrow ? From his family home in the San Francisco Bay area , he said , “ Yes , of course ,” stuffed his belongings into three garbage bags and begged his brother to drive him down through the night . That morning , he was a Marshall College student .
He ’ d avoided the first instance that could have ended his time as a Triton , but Morales struggled his first year — in and out of academic probation , using every resource opportunity provided through OASIS , the Office of Academic Support & Instructional Services . He also joined the Latino-based fraternity Nu Alpha Kappa ( NAK ) for additional mentorship and support . Despite those efforts , he wrestled with grades and fitting in with his peers , so he finally took a leave of absence during his sophomore year and moved back to San Francisco . “ I told my counselor that I would come back and graduate from UCSD ,” he says . “ They expressed surprise when I actually did .”
GOOD AS GOLD Charlie Morales ’ 13 is now a college counselor and member of the GOLD ( Graduates of the Last Decade ) Steering Committee at UC San Diego .
But his time at home had come with its own difficulties . Two of his brothers were shot in an attempted house robbery , and Morales was in a motorcycle accident , requiring ankle surgery that limited his ability to walk . Morales returned no better off than he was before , but he began to realize the many resources available to help with the trauma and heavy emotions he had endured throughout his upbringing .
10 TRITON | WINTER 2020