Manuel Sosa-Garcia

"It is important to understand repeating cycles in history if we want to create a changed world. I see my role in history as breaking free of stereotypes and creating new ways of addressing societal problems."

Born in Tehuitzingo, Mexico, Manuel Erasmo Sosa-Garcia began his US educational journey in Paterson, New Jersey, where he then attended schools in Las Vegas, Nevada, Passaic, and Newark, New Jersey, where he is now working to earn his bachelor's degree from Rutgers University—Newark. Manuel, a first-generation college student, coined the term Ecua-Mex to address questions about his cultural upbringing, as he, his mom, and sister are now part of a Mexican-Ecuadorian family in the United States. Manuel credits his mother’s “leap of faith” in coming to NJ from Las Vegas, along with her work ethic and dedication to her children and the support of his Ecuadorian family for the many opportunities that have opened to him.

As a rising senior, Manuel was a summer intern at The Newark Public Library’s NJ Hispanic Research and Information Center. His work included researching, updating archival materials, and community outreach for La Sala Hispanoamericana, such as library card applications and teaching Spanish-speaking patrons how to use online tools and resources. He enjoyed the public-facing aspects of his work and working behind the scenes in the archives. 

Manuel’s dedication to community service can be linked, in part, to the Rutgers Future Scholars Program (RFS), which he joined when he was in seventh grade. RFS offered him opportunities to learn the ins and outs of navigating college and skills he considers inspirational such as learning to speak up in class and introducing yourself in new settings in meaningful ways. In his current work as an RFS College Readiness mentor mentoring rising high school seniors, he strives to remember how important it was for his potential for success to be acknowledged in a college setting, adding to the encouragement he received from his family and mentors. Manuel remembers completing school assignments successfully after being encouraged by his family to see himself as resourceful, something he hadn’t considered before. Seeing himself in a new way gave Manuel confidence in his abilities. 

At Rutgers, as a scholar of the Rutgers University-Newark Honors Living-Learning Community, Manuel, a firm believer in giving back to the community that molded him, has served as a peer mentor, peer coordinator, and finally, peer advisor, always conscious of his progress from being afraid and how this fear motivated him to excel. Manuel’s awareness of what it meant to be undocumented heightened in 2016 because of hateful public rhetoric surrounding this status. “I knew I was a good student. I earned excellent grades and was elected student council president – on paper, I was the student schools were looking for, except I lacked the one piece of paper that made me feel as if I belonged.” His mother and stepfather worked for four years to gain permanent residency for him. Now when Manuel speaks about what being undocumented meant to him, he finds this journey often puts his mentees and others at ease. 

“There are not enough words to thank the sacrifices people made to support me,” Manuel says. He is determined to support others and notes that believing in someone’s potential, even before they themselves know it, is vital. “I brought motivation from my loved ones to Rutgers and aspirations of creating a better tomorrow.”