“Wherever you want to go, start at HFC and you will get there,” says first-gen student Justin Villanueva
HFC alumnus Justin Villanueva remembers when he first enrolled for classes: He didn’t know the difference between a community college and a university.
“I was so nervous when enrolling, my wife filled out my paperwork. She took me by the hand and guided me through the process,” recalled Villanueva with a laugh.
Born in California and the youngest of three sons, Villanueva is a Transfer Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. He lives in Ann Arbor with his wife of 21 years, Melissa, an elementary school teacher, and their two sons: Creed, 18, and Ryan, 16. When his oldest son graduates this spring from Huron High School in Ann Arbor, he will be attending Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor.
“I firmly believe in the community college route, 110 percent. If we still lived in Taylor, you’d better believe my kids would be going to HFC!” said Villanueva, who got his own career jump-start at HFC.
The value of asking questions
A 1998 graduate of Clarenceville High School in Livonia – where he participated in football, basketball, and track – Villanueva admitted that while he was a good athlete, he wasn’t a good student. After he graduated, he earned his journeyman card through the United Association of Plumbers, Fitters, Welders, and Service Techs. He remains a card-carrying union sprinkler-fitter for the Local 704 in Detroit, and was a journeyman from 2000-17. In those 17 years, he worked on some well-known buildings, including Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Melissa took me to a class she was taking at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. It was the first time I was in an environment where it was okay not to know the subject matter and to ask questions. In fact, asking questions was encouraged – and this was at a major university. I liked that idea.”
“First generation everything”
After his wife helped him register for classes at the College, Villanueva attended part-time while continuing to work as a sprinkler-fitter, motivated by his newfound love of learning.
“I had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge,” said Villanueva. “I’m not only a first-generation college student in my family, I’m a first-generation everything. I’m a first-generation husband and a first-generation father, since my dad left my family at a young age. I took what I learned at HFC and applied it to my life as a student, as a worker, as a husband, as a father – as a human being.”
Villanueva was attracted to being in the classroom.
“It was just awesome to able to raise your hand and ask questions if you didn’t understand the material. The professors didn’t yell at me or anything. The professors helped me understand the material; in fact, they went out of their way to help me understand the material. By going to HFC, I not only learned about myself and what I’m capable of, but also about the world we lived in,” he said.
Maintaining a 4.0 GPA
One of Villanueva’s favorite professors and mentors during his time at HFC was Dr. Henry J. Bowers, a professor of social science.
“I wanted very hard to reach and maintain a 4.0 GPA. People told me it wasn’t the end of the world if I didn’t, but I wanted to prove to the world that someone like me – who wasn’t the greatest student in high school – could do this,” explained Villanueva. “Dr. Bowers told me it was a worthy goal and affirmed that I can do this. He’s one of the first teachers who ever believed in me.”
Villanueva graduated summa cum laude from HFC in 2014 (after taking classes for 12 years), earning his associate degree in liberal arts. He transferred to U-M in Ann Arbor, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2018 and his master’s degree in higher education in 2019.
“By going to U-M, I wanted to set a legacy for my family and show them they can succeed,” said Villanueva. “I come from a poor family of immigrants who struggled. My mom was a single mom who sacrificed so much for my brothers and me. When she died in 2005, I found one of her old journals where she wrote that she felt she hadn’t done enough for us, and that she was a terrible mom. Not true. My success at both HFC and U-M proves that she was a good mom. I want to prove to my kids that they can do anything they want as long as they set their mind to it. It sounds cliché, but it’s true. I’m very passionate about education, about learning, and about getting people into U-M.”
“I really enjoy getting HFC students to transfer to U-M”
As a Transfer Recruiting Coordinator for U-M LSA, Villanueva works with students from other colleges and universities who wish to transfer to U-M. He works with the Transfer Bridges to the Humanities @ Michigan (TB2H) program, which is a partnership between HFC and U-M. HFC students who want to study the humanities will take their first two years at HFC and then transfer to U-M LSA where they will complete their bachelor’s degree.
“I really enjoy getting HFC students to transfer to U-M,” he said. “I think it’s awesome that HFC has opened up this route to U-M for students who might not have attended otherwise.”
Villanueva has been in his current position for seven months.
“It’s been great. I still have a lot to learn about this huge mechanism called higher education, but I’m up for it. I got so much capital out of my education at HFC,” said Villanueva.
Living proof
In his final year of undergrad at U-M, Villanueva decided to attend full-time since he was getting burned out working a full-time job as a sprinkler-fitter – where he says he was making a very good salary – raising a family, and attending classes. After he graduated, he asked himself what he would do with the rest of his life if he didn’t have any restrictions and inhibitions.
“My answer was I want to help people go to college, regardless of what they want to study. I want to help people like me go to a place like HFC and then transfer to a place like U-M. I’m living proof that it can be done.”
He encourages people to get their start at HFC like he did.
“There is no other place like HFC to help you find answers and better yourselves. It’s not just about saving money,” said Villanueva. “HFC helped to create meaning for me to stay in my job as a sprinkler-fitter and see the power of that job – I was making a good salary and providing for my family. It also allowed me to take a risk and led to my current job at U-M. I believe in HFC so much. It gave me my life. U-M helped me take command of my life, but I found my life and purpose at HFC.”
He continued: “If you can take anything from my story, it is this: I want my story to help students who aren’t sure about pursuing higher education or what they want to do with their lives to realize that they have it within them to pursue their goals, dreams, and passions – and HFC is the place where they should start. They will find their answers at this amazing educational institution. They care about you and your success, your mental health, your situation, your family, and how you view yourself as an individual and as a person living in the world. There’s nowhere else in the world like HFC. Wherever you want to go, you’ll get there because HFC will make it possible.”