Melissa Gonzalez

Peer Advisor
Melissa Gonzalez
Melissa Veronica Gonzalez
Pronouns: She/Her/Ella
Major: Nutrition with a concentration in Dietetics
ALVS Identities: Adult Learner
Sign up for a 1:1 with Melissa here: https://calendly.com/melissavgonzalez 

My name is Melissa V. Gonzalez, I am a Chicana who can’t eat beans, onions, and garlic which helps explain my major. I am a Nutrition major with a concentration in Dietetics. My goal is to bring diversity into a world of very Eurocentric dietetic practices. If I’m brave enough I might try and shoot for a Chemistry minor by the end of my undergrad. Wish me luck.

My mother always told me I was a chola sin barrio while growing up. I think she helped shape my nomadic tendencies. I’ve lived all over California and just moved to Colorado this August. The journey has been long but I knew I found my people when a counselor and I cried together on my visit to this campus. this community has been so kind, y’all make every day fantastic.

My first attempt at a University was through a more traditional route. Fresh out of high school I moved to Northern California and ended up without resources and financial support. By 19 I was running a half-star motel as a live-in manager. I was only able to leave my job to go to classes. Needless to say, it was too much for me. I spent years gaining my independence and finding my way back to a four-year institution.

The ALVS office was one of the first places I was able to find a space that I was truly comfortable in. Having a safe space is something I feel every student should have. We exist in so many intersectionalities and they all should be represented and supported. I want to help find support that wasn’t given to me the first time around.