Mentor Profile: Miguel Tam
By: Kate Foster
“Gotta get your education. That’s the most important thing,” Miguel’s parents regularly emphasized to him and his siblings growing up. “It was very strongly instilled in us that we should go to college.” Miguel knew the importance of higher education, however, pursuing that was easier said than done.
Miguel’s story is remarkable, but also a familiar one: His family emigrated to the United States from Peru when he was a young child. He was different from the other kids in the neighborhood, and he was also part of a family that was determined to give their children more advantages than they had. Although his mom herself went to college, Miguel and his siblings were navigating this process on their own, being the first generation in their family to do so in the US.
Fortunately, Miguel was surrounded by positive influences in high school: As his classmates were going through the college application process, taking the ACT, and writing essays, he followed along as well. It worked! Miguel was accepted to and graduated from top US universities - Stanford for undergrad and UC Berkeley for his MBA.
Years later, as he reflected on his own educational journey, and on guiding his own two children through this process as well, he was drawn to become a mentor through the Reach Foundation. He’s volunteered for two years and counting.
Why? “The cliched phrase of giving back.” Miguel saw that he shared similar values, struggles, and hopes of other young immigrants in the United States. “Hopefully I can relate my experience to help guide them on the way.”
Whether it’s walking them through financial aid forms, reviewing essays, reminding them of deadlines, or celebrating with them when they receive their acceptance letters, Miguel is guiding them and championing them in their efforts, empathetically helping to make things a little easier for them.