Sergio Silva remembers growing up in his native Colombia with ambitions of one day running his own company, a dream that stayed with him when he entered college as one of the first class of Dell Scholars in 2004. During his business studies at San Diego State University in California, Sergio found what he most enjoyed was working with numbers and he saw accounting as the route to making sure his future company would be profitable. He graduated in 2008 from San Diego State with a Bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting.

Currently, Sergio is gaining essential business experience working as an accountant in Dallas, Texas at a major hotel and resort, one of three companies that made recruitment offers to Sergio prior to his graduation. He is pleased with his choice and counting on a successful career as he works towards becoming a controller for a hotel or corporation with visions of eventually realizing his entrepreneurial dreams.

Staying Focused

Sergio’s parents are proud of his accomplishments. He was able to overcome family changes as well as the transition to American culture during his adolescence, a difficult time for any teenager, and stay focused on school and his life goals. Sergio credits his parents for being his model. Both hold degrees and continuously stressed the importance of higher education to get ahead. His father is an agricultural engineer for the government of Colombia and his mother holds a degree in interior design.

When Sergio was around age 13, he moved with his mother and stepfather to San Clemente, California. Having studied English in Colombia, the language barrier was less of a hurdle for Sergio than the culture shock and it affected his attitude for a while. Then he began to see that the changes in his life presented new opportunities to grow as person and into a professional. It drove him to overcome his personal challenges and begin to do more for himself. He became involved in the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) Program during his junior year at San Clemente High School, which helped him stay focused on his college goals.

Dreams Come True

The $20,000 scholarship from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation gave him financial and mentoring support so he could to excel. Throughout college, Dell Scholars stayed in touch with Sergio, helping him not only utilize his scholarship funds in the best way, but also guiding him to ensure he made the best experience out of college and his career path.
While he was attending college, Sergio also had the opportunity to go back and speak to the AVID class at San Clemente High School. He encouraged the kids in need of funding, letting them know that people are out there offering support and urging them to apply to the Dell Scholars Program.

For information on the Dell Scholars Program visit: www.dellscholars.org