The Richter Center Student Leaders

Daniel Cisneros is one of the inaugural Ambassadors. These are his thoughts as he gets ready to graduate next week.

There are a number of thoughts running through my head as graduation nears. I ask myself, what will life after college be like? It’s an overwhelming feeling not to know what is going to happen next, what new journey I will embark on, and which experiences I will be exposed too. However, despite the unknown, I must admit that my experiences at Fresno State have prepared me for what many of us college students fear is the “real world.” I owe this primarily to the service that I have been able to engage in while being a student at Fresno State.

As I reminisce about the last four years that I have been in college, I cannot help but think about my involvement in many service activities, from being on the executive board of several clubs and organizations, to being a scholar in the American Humanics (AH) Program. The AH program at Fresno State has opened my eyes to a career option that I will most likely pursue, a career in the community benefit sector (non-profit). Taking classes such as grant writing, philanthropy, entrepreneurship and social policy have prepared me to enter the workforce because I have had the opportunity to engage in several service-learning projects through these courses, and through various other means.

I will never forget my first service opportunity in college when I went abroad to study in Argentina for the summer. It was because of my past service experiences that I was one chosen out of several hundred students worldwide to participate in the Global Leadership study abroad program in Cordoba, Argentina.  It was in this whole other country that I learned a great deal about myself and my role in the global community. I felt a part of something greater than myself simply by exchanging ideas with 23 other global students from various backgrounds and countries. Together we implemented a cloth and food drive for two local orphanages in Cordoba. We spent days planting trees and painting the inner walls of these orphanages.

As a result of my involvement in the AH program and my past experience serving not only the local community, but the global one, I feel fortunate enough to call myself a Richter Center Ambassador. As a founding Ambassador, I am proud to say that I was a part of an organization that has made a difference in the community and will continue to do so in the future. My fellow ambassadors have constantly reminded me that although life can be tough, there’s no reason to frown. I owe all of them my sincere respect and gratitude, for they are not only my colleagues but also some of my closest friends.

In a few days I will be wearing that cap and gown proudly sporting my alma mater “Fresno State!” As I walk on stage to receive my diploma, I will remember all the people that I have been able to serve, but most importantly all the people who have helped me serve others. It’s a bittersweet emotion saying goodbye to one chapter in my life, and waking up into a new world. But as I continue my journey through life, I will proudly say that I am a Fresno State Alum, because my experience at this university has changed my life for the better. I firmly believe that each of us can make a positive impact on the world around us; all it takes is a little motivation and a willingness to serve. It is time!

-Daniel Cisneros
Richter Center Ambassador