Learn about Brian Delgado's Elon experience in this installment of "I Am Elon," a multimedia series featuring Elon students in their own words.
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Born four months premature, Brian Delgado was not supposed to live, but the Elon sophomore is a fighter who embraces obstacles as a way to get stronger. Overcoming economic, academic and health issues, he is the first in his family to attend college. His mother, who is from El Salvador, began working as a teenager, and her sacrifices keep him motivated.
“There are certain privileges I have that my family did not have. I have no excuse,” he says.
Brian is an Elon Academy alumnus who credits a near collision with a pole at his high school for bringing him where he is today. Daydreaming, he dodged the pole at the last minute, but noticed a flier advertising the Elon Academy posted on it. He applied immediately, and says the program helped pave the way to the college education he wanted at a university he adores.
He looks forward to a career as a school counselor after graduating. In the meantime, he is a mentor with the S.M.A.R.T. program, which pairs upperclassmen with first-year students for support and guidance. As a freshman, Brian benefitted from the program and says he’s been “dedicated from day one” to ensure his four mentees have the best college experience possible.