Kristina Lopez is graduating this upcoming spring from UMass Boston with a double major in Sociology and Criminal Justice, and minors in History and Latino Studies.

It was the Fall of 2001 when Lopez joined the UMass Boston community. She came as a transfer student from the University of Puerto Rico.

“I have always wanted to study abroad, and I fell in love with Boston when I visited a couple of years before coming here to stay.” Lopez recalls the day she was accepted at UMass, “I received a call saying I had been accepted and that I had to find a place to live. I was in shock.” Lopez was not aware that there were no dorms on campus, but the decision was made and she was still willing to leave Puerto Rico and give Boston a try.

Lopez decided to enroll herself in some kind of club to meet new people and found a “home away from home” in Casa Latina, one of the student-run organizations on campus.

As a Latina , born and raised in Puerto Rico but from Cuban descent, she felt she connected very well with all the other students from so many other places united by a same language. “The diversity of students and professors here is probably what makes UMass so nice.”

With Casa Latina, not only was she able to meet new people, but also participated in many of the activities the center organizes throughout the year. She was an active member for Casa Latina and worked as an assistant coordinator in 2001 through 2002 and she became Casa Latina’s coordinator for the following year. That same year she was a member of the senate as well.

“Perhaps one of the things I enjoyed the most was being one of the researchers for the Recruitment and Retention of Latino Students done in 2002,” says Lopez. The project was done in Massachusetts and Arizona and was sponsored by the senate. Not only was it a great experience for her to go to Arizona, the group of students also held a presentation to report their findings. She hopes this information can be used some day as encouragement to more students to pursue a higher education.

Lopez currently works for the Latino Studies Program and is a real estate agent in Rhode Island and Massachusetts for Prudential Cordano Realty. She is also participating in the Latino Leadership Opportunity Program (LLOP) offered by the Mauricio Gaston Institute. The program has students focus on public policy and research on a Latino issue, her topic: Latino businesses in Massachusetts.

As for her plans in the future, Lopez is not sure what school she wants to attend for graduate school, but she stands firm in her decision of going to law school and studying real estate law combined with developer law.

“I am going to miss all the good friends I made, and the very well prepared professors I have met through these years here who helped me adapt to my new life,” says Lopez. She says she does not regret for one instance leaving her family and friends to start a new life here. “It has been quite a journey, but it was all worth it,” Lopez added.