“A stepping stone” - Entrada alumni share their stories: Sam Carrasco

By Hadassa Ribeiro

Public Relations Intern

Sam Carrasco attended Entrada as a senior in high school and later worked as a Resident Assistant for the program.

"I’mma keep it mad simple. I tell people it’s just a way you meet a lot of passionate peers who have a variety of talents, and you get to grow together and really solidify the bonds that get you through the experience of being in a PWI (predominantly white institution).”

That’s how Sam Carrasco, ‘22 Calvin alum, described the Entrada Scholars Program. Carrasco attended the program as a senior in high school and still recalls the impact it had both in his college career and beyond. 

For Carrasco, the main motivator to attend Entrada was the scholarship opportunity. “I was going to Calvin; my mom said I needed money,” he said. But he soon learned the value of the experience he acquired lay beyond financial motives. In fact, Carrasco describes his experience as a “stepping stone” into Calvin. 

“Honestly I don’t know if I would have gone to Calvin if I didn’t do Entrada,” he said. 

While Carrasco cherishes simple memories he made like playing basketball with friends, he said Entrada played an essential role in his college experience – from getting that first feel for college to learning how to manage his time and balance requirements for different classes.

“Coming from high school everyone talks about college classes and how hard they are and just how it's different,” Carrasco said. “But you hear that and you’re like ‘what's the big deal?’”

"There's been silver linings of Entrada all through my young life and my young career."

High school juniors and seniors who attend Entrada take a three to four-credit accredited and transferable college class. Courses fulfill general requirements and range from History to Introduction to Psychology. 

Given the questions Carrasco had before college, he said the program helped him get his feet wet. While the class workload at Entrada is not comparable to a regular semester in college, Carrasco found it beneficial to be introduced to those initial requirements “in a really controlled time manner,” before having to learn how to balance additional classes.  

“Entrada was definitely crucial for my college experience,” Carrasco said. 

For Carrasco, his biggest takeaway from the program was that “it takes a village.” He learned that, despite being away from home and stepping into independence, he did not have to learn how to navigate that new stage in his life by himself; he could rely on others too.

“You got to lean on the relationships that you make,” he said. “It's very crucial especially for students of color, you know. Those [relationships] got me through my years.” 

Carrasco soon realized that the people he was connecting with over Entrada would become his family throughout college. “So at least for me, I was like, I better start treating them like it and opening up and being vulnerable because, you know, we’re here for four years; we better get comfortable,” he said.

Yet Carrasco’s experiences in the program are not limited to only memories but play a role to where he is at now. 

“Where my Entrada connections took me, you know, and the leadership stuff that I got to do and was introduced to, that really set me up, you know, to where I am now,” he said.

While Carrasco attended the program as a senior in high school, he also worked as an Entrada Resident Assistant in 2021. 

Now, Carrasco is applying his social work degree in Portland, Oregon, where he works as a youth essential coordinator at Park Lane elementary school. His work focuses on serving third to fifth graders and involves programming, support and advocacy directed to students.

Carrasco, pictured on the left-hand side, is now working as a youth essential coordinator. He said Entrada played a significant role in confirming the people group he wanted to work with.

In a nutshell, Carrasco said the work he does entails “advocacy for our students in my different ways” and “helping out students become better leaders in their schools and in their lives as well.”

To this day, Carrasco sees Entrada as a true gateway to where he was headed in the future. 

“It really just solidified, you know, the people group that I wanted to be with,” he said. 

Carrasco said that Entrada helped direct him to what he wanted to do in social work and his desire to work with diverse populations. “These are thoughts that I had in Entrada, but now, you know, they’re real life,” he said.

“Really, there's been silver linings of Entrada all through my young life and my young career so I constantly think about that,” Carrasco said.

For students who are still reluctant to attend college, Carrasco has one piece of advice: “Just try it.”

“Because if you don’t like it, then that’s fine, you know, but at least you have an answer, he said. “If you don't, then you're filled with regret for the rest of your life. Just try.” 

The Entrada Scholars Program is a 3-week program in which juniors and seniors in high school get to take a 3 or 4-credit college course, receive academic coaching, and take part in a variety of activities all while living on campus for a first-hand introduction of higher education. Upon successful completion of the program, high school graduating seniors who choose to attend Calvin University will be awarded a $4,000 scholarship renewable for four years.  Learn more about this program and others on our website.