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Kyla Baldonado

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Finalist

General information

Hobbies & Interests

  • Ballet
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Counseling And Therapy
  • Church
  • Dance
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Human Rights
  • Human Resources
  • Gymnastics
  • Bass
  • Guitar
  • Gender Studies
  • Tagalog
  • Social Sciences
  • Student Council or Student Government

Reading

  • Academic

I read books multiple times a week.

Bio

I am a rising second-year student at New College of Florida. My Area of Concentration is Psychology with a Secondary in Sociology. After spending the first half of my life in the United States and the recent decade in the Philippines, I have returned to the US to study and advocate for Asian American mental health. Identifying as one of the only Filipinas on my college campus has been challenging yet wonderful to navigate, but it has pushed me to leadership and academic pursuits that honor my background and community. In my first semester at New College, I founded the Asian American & Pacific Islander Student Alliance. Read about my pride and joy, APISA, here: https://ncfcatalyst.com/asian-american-and-pacific-islander-student-alliance-aapisa-returns-after-two-years-with-fresh-faces-and-initiatives/. In my first year, I served as the student government Diversity Representative. In this role, I honed my ability to understand and serve the interests of a diverse student body. This position sparked in me an eagerness to continue my commitment to improving students' conditions on a bigger platform. Thus, I ran for and was recently elected Vice President of the New College Student Alliance twice! When I am not running around my campus, I lose myself in melodies and 8-counts of classical music and K-Pop. Other times, I spend time with my family whenever they're able to visit me from the Philippines.

Education

New College of Florida

Associate's degree program

2022 – 2024

New College of Florida

Bachelor's degree program

2022 – 2026

Majors:
  • Psychology, General

Miscellaneous

Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Medical school interest:
No

Career

  • Diversity Representative

    Higher Education · New College Student Alliance

    Jan 2022 – Jan 2023

  • Vice President

    Student Government · New College Student Alliance

    Jan 2023 – Present

  • Dance Instructor

    Arts · Clewiston Performing Arts Center

    Jan 2021 – Jan 2022

Miscellaneous

Dream career field:
Mental Health Care
Has nursing license:
No

Future Interests

  • Advocacy
I Can Do Anything Scholarship
She knows that the one and only obstacle that could ever truly get in her way is the belief that there is such an obstacle.
Filipino-American Scholarship
Jollibee calls it Sweet-Sarap. My Lola (grandmother) says "ispageti." For me, it’s a comfort dish in which I can see myself in the shine of its glossy banana-based marinara. The delectable Pinoy-style spaghetti was born from resourceful Filipinos who made their own spin on a meal introduced to them by American visitors. Like our tangy noodles, I lived a Western life first: I was raised in a predominantly white Florida town where I grew accustomed to casual remarks about my eyes and the food I brought to school. I was ten-years-old when my parents decided it was best to move my sisters and I to the Philippines to finally know our country and family more intimately. From jeepneys, taho sellers, and next-door neighbors living in houses that shared walls, the time I spent in my parents’ home country granted me much perspective on the half of my identity that I never explored in the confines of Florida’s peninsula. Today, the American Kyla and the Filipino Kyla have blended together into their own flavorful pasta. With my knowledge of Filipino heritage and my understanding of Filipino life in the US, I have fostered a deep desire to share and inform people about what Filipino-Americans experience in this country. At New College of Florida, I’ve begun my studies in Psychology and creating my own major in Asian American Studies to propel me towards a career in counseling and therapy. This path allows me to shed light on the lack of mental health resources available in our community while also working with Asian American youth who struggle with their identity. My passion for this line of work has already pushed me to take action on my college campus through creating an Asian American club and running for Diversity Representative. I aim to graduate with the confidence and knowledge to advocate for Asian-American mental wellbeing. Filipino spaghetti nowadays is enjoyed by daring American foodies on YouTube, but my goal is to serve a version of it that could be appreciated by all through the service I will one day bring to my Filipino-American community.
Kyla Baldonado Student Profile | Bold.org