Omar Garcia is a recent Berkeley alum in the architecture department. Omar grew up in Barrio Logan and was involved in Barrio Logan College Institute (BLCI) since third grade. Omar and I discuss different ways his community and family influenced, inspired, and allowed him to reach for higher education. Omar will go into detail about his childhood and adolescence, and will discuss how he ended up at  UC Berkeley instead of another school. Omar will also share how the roots of his success comes from his family and BLCI. This interview covers topics such as staying grounded, fighting off unsettling feelings such as imposter syndrome, and how to stay motivated during your college career.

Omar and I were introduced through BLCI and the interview was conducted over Zoom in order to practice social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. The interview was conducted by Valeria Almaraz Corona (she/hers), a third year Ethnic Studies Major at UCSD who is interested in uplifting people’s voices especially those from communities who have been silenced.

Omar Garcia’s Interview conducted over Zoom during Spring 2021