Where Are They Now: Agapito José Pozo, Class of 2020

By: Sarabeth Weszely Thorson, Writer
October 28, 2022

“I don’t want myself to just be a statistic. I don’t want to be one of the few that make it to a nice college. I don’t want to be one of the few that succeed. I want to be one of the many. And I feel that in order for that to happen, I need to be a trailblazer. A trailblazer for the future, for Hispanics, for anyone that comes from a low-income environment, anyone who comes from a place in life where you didn’t have much at the beginning and just had to push through. “– Agapito José Pozo

We work hard to keep close connections with our alumni, not only so that we can support them along their educational and career journeys, but also because their journeys are one of our greatest inspirations as we continue investing in the lives of future leaders each year. 

Agapito José Pozo is currently in his third year at NYU pursuing a Psychology major with a minor in Global Public Health. José is a proud recipient of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund scholarship and holds his Dominican roots close in all of the work he does. If you would like to feel especially encouraged about the world’s future leaders, read on:

Q:What goals are you working towards right now?

A: “In three words, I’m trying to change the world. Psychology is my major because I really like to understand people and the way they think. I’d like to go into hospital administration, which is a whole lot of politics, and it’s important to understand the people that you’re speaking with. It’s also exciting because there aren’t a lot of Hispanics in hospital administration, and through my work at Elmhurst Hospital, I’ve already begun coming up with new ways to help solve policy-related problems that affect people in our community. At the end of the day, what I really want to do is just give back to the community.”

Q: What does community mean to you?

A: “Community is very important to me, because I believe community is what sets the foundation for the kind of character you’re going to have in the future. If you come from a community that’s pretty close-knit, even if the circumstances aren’t the greatest, that pushes you to want to do something about it, to be more involved and serve your community. Whereas if you come from a place where community isn’t as important, you don’t necessarily care about as much about the things that are happening to that community, and you’re probably going to be more focused on your individual self. For me, because I come from a place where family and community has always been important, it pushes me to invest in and serve that community. I think that’s also one of the beautiful things about Inwood Academy, that the school places so much emphasis on community.”

Q: What is next for you?

A: “I want to go to graduate school and pursue my MBA–I believe this will help me a lot with hospital administration. My long term goal: I want to change the world. I know that’s something that might sound a bit silly and the type of thing you’d hear in a comic book, but I genuinely believe I can do it, and I’ve always grown up with that kind of support around me, the people that really want me to get far and motivate me to get far. I don’t want myself to just be a statistic. I don’t want to be one of the few that make it to a nice college. I don’t want to be one of the few that succeed. I want to be one of the many. And I feel that in order for that to happen, I need to be a trailblazer. A trailblazer for the future, for Hispanics, for anyone that comes from a low-income environment, anyone who comes from a place in life where you didn’t have much at the beginning and just had to push through.”

 

Q: What message do you have for people who might want to invest in Inwood Academy students now?

A:“I believe people should invest in the students at Inwood Academy because the students here really are the future. Any investment made toward Inwood Academy is not just an investment in the students. It’s an investment in the future: the future of the community, the future of the ethnic group as a whole – Hispanics, Latinos, Blacks, African Americans – the future of diversity, to really show that New York is not just a place where anything can happen and dreams can come true, but New York is that place where dreams also begin.”

 

On Thursday, November 10th, we are celebrating and supporting the impact of Inwood Academy at our first fundraising event of the year! All proceeds from the event will go towards Inwood Academy’s College & Career Success Program. 

 

“Today’s Leaders, Tomorrow’s Future”

Thursday, November 10th, 2022

6:30 PM EST

Republica Rooftop

José Pozo will be speaking at the event. Listen to José’s interview on our Youtube Channel!