While many students seem to struggle to get involved on campus upon arrival, Gerardo Gomez, a sophomore biopsychology major, is no stranger to being active on campus. Acting as the Elimination of Prejudice (EOP) coordinator for Pi Lambda Phi, the treasurer of Pride at Pace, a member of the Pep Band, and a campus activities assistant for the Student Development and Campus Activities office, Gomez certainly has a lot on his plate, but that does not prevent him from making the most of his college experience.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to get so involved on campus, but I just wanted to do so many things,” said Gomez. “But, I’m happy with it. I’m happy to be so involved.”

Gomez said that this involvement was inspired by an orientation activity that made him reflect upon his future college career. As a quiet student in high school, Gomez felt that he should put himself out there to get involved once he attended college. As a result, he joined a plethora of activities on campus over time to get to where he is now.

“With organizations like Pep Band and Pi Lam, you get to meet a lot of different people who you probably wouldn’t meet if you hadn’t joined, so it’s a really nice experience,” he said. “And, as treasurer of Pride at Pace, it’s really nice to get to know everyone who comes to the meetings, especially when all of you have the same values. It’s just been really nice to be involved like that.”

In addition to being a member of so many organizations, Gomez also volunteers around campus. Gomez is a volunteer for the Center for Community Action and Research (CCAR) and is a mentor within the African-American, Latino, Asian, and Native American (AALANA) Program.

In addition to his on-campus involvement, Gomez has big plans for after college. Hoping to eventually get his doctorate, he wants to go into research with a neuroscience or biopsychology focus. He has a special interest in the brain and how behaviors can be explained through biological processes in the brain, and he hopes to one day come to a new breakthrough that will benefit others.

“I realized that [psychology] could help a lot of people, and I wanted to be able to help a lot of people,” Gomez said. “But, I knew I wanted to be in a more science-based major, so when I was looking for colleges I found that Pace offered biopsychology and that major really called out to me. So, that’s what I’m doing now.” 

While Gomez is fostering these big ambitions alongside his current college experience, it has not seemed to slow him down or be too much to handle.

“College is a definitely a lot, but it’s fun and it’s an experience that I feel like people should get,” he said. “You get to meet a lot of people from different backgrounds, you’re more independent, and you get to have opportunities that you wouldn’t have otherwise . . . For me, personally, it’s been fun and it’s an exciting journey to go through.”

Despite multiple roles the sophomore has at Pace, Gomez also makes time for traveling, exploring, and photography. Gomez is originally from Brooklyn but Pace Pleasantville gives him a change of scenery that has plenty to explore.

Gomez’s love of exploration also extends to his love of travel. He has been to several different states, and he also loves travelling to the city, but his most exciting travel opportunity came this past summer in St. John.

“I stayed [in St. John] for two weeks,” said Gomez. “We were just removing debris and helping out the residents because their houses were destroyed after the two hurricanes they went through.”

While these are just some of the things that Gomez has found himself involved in during his time at Pace thus far, he is sure to take these experiences and ambitions with him to ensure that he makes the most of his remaining time at Pace.