Turning College Hopes into Reality
BU People: Bobby Treviño makes admissions more accessible
When he finished high school, Bobby Treviño’s main goal was to get out of El Paso, Tex. But five years later, he’s delighted to have a job that sends him back to his hometown regularly. An assistant director in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Treviño (CAS’05) says he wants to make sure other students from
“I really want to see them up here, because it’s an experience they can’t have down in Texas,” he says. “I felt like I had the best of both worlds in my new experience in
Treviño never expected to work in higher education — as an undergraduate, he pursued a double major in biochemistry and classical civilization and planned to go to medical school. He initially stayed away from cultural groups on campus, choosing to spend his free time playing alto saxophone in the marching and pep bands and joining the Pre-Med Society.
Halfway through college, however, Treviño realized that he didn’t need to keep his past and present separate and got involved with La Fuerza, the Latino cultural group on campus. At the same time, he joined the newly formed Admissions Student Diversity Board (ASDB), an initiative designed to help recruit qualified students from four underrepresented minority groups — black and African-American, Hispanic and Latino, Native American, and native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. As a student member of ASDB, he helped plan the annual Multi-Cultural Weekend in March, participated in phone-a-thons to reach out to minority students, and helped enlist student hosts for campus visits. After graduating, Treviño realized his work with the admissions office meant more to him than his plans to become a doctor. He began working full-time for the Office of Admissions in 2005.
“I get to really relate to some of these students from all over Texas,” he says, “and say, ‘Hey, this kid from El Paso went to BU. Why can’t you?’”
Jessica Ullian can be reached at jullian@bu.edu.