At John Jay College, we know that our diversity is our strength. A vital component of that diversity comes from our proud immigrant community. Over 30 percent of the John Jay student population identifies as being an immigrant—a number that balloons if we consider students who are children of immigrants. In an effort to acknowledge, celebrate, and better understand the immigrant experience at John Jay, we’ve created this article series called “An Immigrant Story.” Here, we hope to share the rich, varied, and inspiring journeys of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni from our immigrant community.

Mateo Saenz ’22, a Queens, New York resident, has found great success at John Jay. He’s a PRISM student, Cell and Molecular Biology major, a SASP Peer Success Coach, and a medical school hopeful. But despite growing up in Queens, Saenz’s native Ecuador is never far from his heart. “I was born in Quito, Ecuador and lived there for the first few years of my life. I fondly remember the temperature always being warm and I was surrounded by nature. Our neighbors had cows and sheep, and we had a giant green garden that I would run through every morning,” says Saenz. “Of course, who could forget the festivities. There was always a celebration to be had.”

Leaving Quito when he was just seven years old, Saenz immigrated to the United States to reunite with his mother, who left their native country months earlier to work as a doctor in New York City. “Learning in the U.S., specifically in New York City’s public school system, was very important to my mom who lived in the U.S. the first 10 years of her life and went to public school, taking honors and enrichment courses. She wanted my sister and I to have those same experiences and opportunities,” he says, crediting his mother for his academic journey. “My mother wanted us to have a better chance for success. And while Ecuador had good schools, they were too expensive and not many people could afford them. I’m glad she made the sacrifice and brought us here. Without her, I wouldn’t be at John Jay and on the path to becoming a doctor.”

Moving to a New City
Arriving at what he calls the “City of Dreams,” Saenz was immediately enrolled in a school where he acknowledges the transition was challenging in many ways. “The transition to life in the U.S. was a bit traumatizing, at first. I went from a place that is green and sunny year-round, to a city of concrete, skyscrapers, and four distinct seasons of weather,” he says with a laugh. “When I enrolled in school, everyone around me spoke English really fast. I had no clue what they were saying because I had never heard English before and that was extremely frustrating for me.” Luckily, he had a classmate who helped ease the learning process a bit. “His family was from the Dominican Republic, and he spoke some Spanish. He sat next to me in class and helped me with those first few assignments before I was enrolled in the ESL [English as a Second Language] program.”

Learning a New Language
While he adapted to the new school environment, Saenz found comfort at home by his mother and grandfather’s side—both of whom began to teach him how to speak, read, and write in English. “My mother and grandfather knew English because they had previously lived here for some time. To help me, they both started to label everything in the house—windows and doors, household cleaning products, appliances, and food items—by its English name. Before I was allowed to use the item, I had to say its name in English,” recalls Saenz. “My mother was determined to see me succeed; she didn’t want my not knowing English to hold me back. So, every night we would practice. I would say the Pledge of Allegiance. We would read books in English. She even bought me grammar workbooks. I was always doing extra work so that I could read and write in English, and it worked. I began to excel in school.”

Transferring to John Jay
After completing the two-year associate degree program in Biotechnology at Queensborough Community College, Saenz wanted to continue his education. So, he searched for a diverse institution where he could conduct research, gain deeper insight into the world of first responders, and pave his path to medical school. By chance, he learned about John Jay. “I met Liliana Garces, Administrative Specialist at the Department of Security, Fire and Emergency Management during a conference, and she told me about the College, its incredible diversity, the strength of John Jay’s research and programming, and its ties to the first-responder community. And the College lived up to the hype,” he says. “Once I visited John Jay, I was able to see how the College was a place that supported not only the first-responder community but also the immigrant community, and I knew right away that it was the school for me.”

As a first-year transfer student at John Jay, Saenz was assigned a mentor, Leslie Ramirez ’21, who helped him navigate his transition to the College. “Not only was Leslie a John Jay student, she was also a fellow Queensborough alumni, and an immigrant like me. Before my first official day of class, she walked with me around the campus showing me the classrooms I’d be in and talking about inclusivity at the College,” he recalls. “She spoke about how the student community really has a voice at John Jay. And, she told me about the important safe spaces I should frequent as a John Jay student—like the Immigrant Student Success Center, Student Government’s Office, and the Career Center. I was very lucky to have her guide me into my John Jay experience.”

Making Connections
Having a John Jay guide who also lived the immigrant experience had a profound impact on Saenz. It made him want to be a mentor himself—he became a SASP Peer Success Coach last August, mentoring first-year transfer students—and it showed him how John Jay College, a Hispanic- and Minority- Serving Institution (HSI and MSI), supports and celebrates diversity. “I’ve been in the U.S. for 18 years and while I feel very American, I’m reminded every day that I’m an immigrant,” he says. “Because of that, I try to connect with people who have similar lived experiences, whether they’re a peer mentee, student, staff, faculty, or mentor at the College. What I have found at John Jay is that the hallways here are filled with good people who come from all over the world. I love how diverse John Jay College is. It’s a place where I can see myself in other people, and where I feel comfortable and valued.”

Wanting to deepen his connections and create an impact on a global scale, Saenz immersed himself in innovative scientific research in the College’s PRISM program and in Angelique Corthals’ Ph.D. research lab. “Dr. Corthals does cutting edge research, but what most excited me about working with her was her mission of advocating for access to medical technology and medical care for all communities,” says Saenz, who’s currently working with Corthals on a National Science Foundation-funded Covid-19 research project. “From day one, Dr. Corthals brought me under her wing and supported my inquisitive nature. In this current research, we’re working with Yale University and Stony Brook University to figure out why bats can carry SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19 in humans, but are immune to illness. Being part of this groundbreaking research really illuminates for me what it means to do research at a CUNY institution like John Jay. It doesn’t matter where you come from, at John Jay and at CUNY, you’re getting an opportunity to do breakthrough research, conduct innovative investigations, and get real hands-on experience. You can have a really big impact on the world.”

Helping the Global Community
As he gets ready for his senior year at John Jay, Saenz feels humbled by his  experience at the College, the connections he’s made, and the things he’s learned. He’s also really excited about his future. “I have a lot of different aspirations for myself. But ultimately, my mission is to help others through my work in medicine. I want to be a medical doctor, practicing field and rural medicine, and helping underserved and underrepresented communities worldwide,” says Saenz. “Having lived the immigrant experience, being a product of the public school system, and learning at John Jay has shaped me into who I am today. It has shown me that every single person, no matter their status or where they come from, deserves a chance to thrive in life. It’s enabled me to live with an open mind, lead with empathy, and be of service. But more importantly, this journey has taught me to be proud of who I am and where I come from.”