My name is Joziah Perez and I’m from Austin, Texas. I graduated from Lehman high school in 2023, and I am a first-year freshman majoring in cybersecurity and computer science at the University of Dubuque. My goal is to become a well empowered man with a degree in my pocket and be successful in the electronic field. I am on the UD football team playing on the defensive line. Coming straight out of high school to UD has been a solid and smooth transition to college, with the help from admin, professors, and coaches. Being a student athlete, I have suffered personal, physical, and mental health issues through the years. One thing I have learned on how to overcome those issues is to understand failure is good, that when you fail it’s you are teaching yourself and able to fix what you failed in. That you’re never alone wherever you are, it just takes one second to ask for help and asking for help is not making you look weak or soft. Through all this I have overcome many things and am still overcoming a few things, but I have found new things about myself, I’m strong in many areas, and it shows in what I have done and what I have become. Life is not always easy, but being strong and having confidence in yourself will overcome any issue or obstacle that comes your way. Be who you are and believe in yourself.
