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Hometown: Bronx, NY
Major: Secondary education and history
Notable Activities: 2015-2016 Fulbright Scholar; Ronald McNair Research Scholar; Steppingstone Foundation teaching assistant; First Year Experience peer advisor; College Bound tutor; McNair Research Symposium presenter; student teacher at schools in Newton, Waltham, Brighton and in Greece.
Post-Graduation Plans: 2015-16 Fulbright Scholarship in Poland, followed by graduate studies.
Overview: Gamboa entered Boston College planning to study physics and mathematics, but it was a love of history and teaching that led him to the Lynch School of Education. That shift highlighted his emphasis on using his undergraduate years to learn as much as he could about himself and the world. Gamboa pursued his research interests as a Ronald McNair Research Scholar and through an Advanced Study Grant and a McGillycuddy-Logue Travel Grant. He has presented his research on family structure both at BC and at North Carolina State University, during the Atlantic Coast Conference-sponsored Meeting of the Minds. He spent a semester abroad in Greece and following graduation he will spend a year in Poland as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching English and studying the country’s educational system.
How has BC made a difference in your life?
These four years made me realize places like BC, and the people who work here as professors and staff, actually exist. Whether it was by luck or fate, I ended up figuring out what was here for us. Opportunities like Advanced Study Grants, the McGillycuddy-Logue Travel Grant Program, the Fulbright grants, the Montserrat Coalition. BC is a place where there are so many opportunities available to us, all you have to do is look for them.
What was your reaction to being named a Fulbright scholar in Poland for the 2015-16 academic year?
When I came to BC, this was like a different world. I grew up in a housing project in the North Bronx called Boston Secor. Going from a low-income, inner-city neighborhood to here was like coming to a different world. To think that a kid from Boston Secor would be invited to be a cultural ambassador to another country is unfathomable. The Fulbright gives me a platform to try to help make the world a better place. It confirms that all the struggles I’ve gone through have been worth it.
Who have been some of the most influential people you've met at BC?
[Lynch School] Assistant Dean Audrey Friedman, [Academic Advising] Assistant Director Rebecca Schmitz and Lecturer Julia Whitcavitch-DeVoy. I took Professor DeVoy’s Child Growth and Development class and it was instrumental in guiding me in my research. She was my advisor as a McNair Scholar and guided me in presenting research at BC and at North Carolina State. I focused on “family maintenance activities” and their effect on the cognitive development of low-income children. I could not have done it without her.
What experience during your time at BC has had the most impact on you?
My semester abroad in Greece. I went there to try to live like the people of Greece live. It had a huge impact not just on my cultural understanding, but on my development as a person. There were only about eight other BC students in Greece, so I think that gave me the space to think about what I wanted to do with teaching; what I wanted to do as a person. Everybody has a BC experience, but you have to do it on your own terms. We’re trying to find ourselves and we should be doing it while we live our lives.
What advice would you give to incoming freshmen?
From an academic standpoint, get to know your professors. Try to get to know one professor per semester. They can watch you develop and you can learn more about them and their work. To find an adult to help lead you to your vocation is a luxury we sometimes take for granted. Don’t. Take advantage of that opportunity. Socially, give yourself time to figure out who you are.