Hey everyone! My name is Jonathan Perez, I’m from Guadalajara, Mexico, and now I’m a current student at the University of Notre Dame. I’m currently studying Strategic Management and Finance at the Mendoza College of Business. I went to high school at The American School Foundation of Guadalajara, a bilingual private school offering academic programs in dual languages, English and Spanish, from primary to high school. As the only U.S. State Department-accredited school in Guadalajara, graduates receive both a Mexican and a U.S. Diploma
It was Christmas Eve when I could still feel the bittersweet taste of my first college rejection, and worry invaded me in the following months when my rejection streak started to be implacable, until a ‘Welcome Home’ appeared on my screen that March afternoon. Thanks to all this, I stand upon the phrase of ‘If others can, why not you?’
I’m one of those ‘others’, but I was once one of those who the quote challenges. But to completely understand the ‘how’ of such a transition, let’s start from the very beginning.
Why the U.S?
From a very young age, studying in the U.S was my dream. Maybe because of those popular American movies or the culture in general. Growing up, I realized it was just a dream, but something I could look forward to. The U.S has many educational opportunities, just like any first-world country, but not many offer the same financial aid capacity for foreign students. Without a doubt, American colleges and universities are extremely expensive for most, there are a handful of institutions with strong financial aid for international students. Indeed, it is quite challenging to apply for a reasonable amount of aid, but it’s completely possible to achieve it if you can prove you need the aid. In contrast with other non-U.S.-based colleges, it is by far more competitive to earn a scholarship that covers most of the costs.
In my case, I applied to Mexico’s most recognized university nationally, Monterrey Institute of Technology (also known as Tec de Monterrey), and I got in with the best scholarship they offer, which is only given to two students out of hundreds of students applying for it. However, this selective scholarship covers only 70% of tuition, excluding transportation, food, and housing costs that my family was unable to cover. This shows how, although there are resources for students pursuing higher education in Mexico, it can’t compete or compare with the resources available in the U.S, where hundreds of international students receive full funding every year.
Although many colleges in Mexico and from other countries may have the same academic rigor and level as many American colleges, I’ll say not many have the same networking culture as U.S institutions. It’s incredible how many people you can get to know because they stay connected to their alma mater after they graduate, and the way they support young students pursue their goals; it’s just amazing!
Why the ‘Golden Dome’?
First, a college with an undergraduate business school was definitely a priority for me when searching for a future home for the next four years. I was looking for a school that could offer me a more practical and pragmatic approach to my interest, in this case, business. I didn’t want to major in something closely related yet not entirely grounded in business such as Economics or Sociology, because to be honest, I see myself in the future working in the administrative side of money. This non-negotiable eventually led me to add Notre Dame to my college list. Luckily, timing was on my side, as the year I applied was the same year Notre Dame became need-blind for international students—a policy where admission is based solely on merit, regardless of the student financial situation. If you get accepted, then that’s when they check your finances and give you what you need, and you can even ask the college for more financial aid if you still can’t afford it.
As a Catholic, I felt deeply connected to Notre Dame’s commitment on shaping each one of its students into a ‘Force for Good’. At Mendoza, this mission translates into growing good in business, which is based on their Catholic Social Teaching.
Academics
Studying at one of Mexico’s most distinguished schools was a privilege. There, I had the opportunity to study with classmates from all over the world, and most of the classes were taught in English. Honors and APs were offered, and I took most of them; I took 11 AP classes through my high school career and 4 Honor classes, which add up to 15 advanced classes to finish high school with a GPA of 99.2/100 and as a member of the National Honor Society. By the time I was applying, many schools were test-optional, so I opted not to submit any test scores because I would have a good performance on practice tests, but I would get really nervous in the real-time setting.
Before entering ASFG, I previously studied at public schools. For elementary school, I attended Escuela 20 de Noviembre, Escuela 15 de Mayo, and then technical high school Número 15. At this point, you may wonder why such a drastic change for a high school? Well, I had a dream, and my parents knew it, so they made a huge sacrifice for me to attend an international school and have all the opportunities to accomplish my dream of studying abroad. I’m incredibly thankful for each one of their efforts put into my education, and I’m proud to say it paid off, and it will continue to do so!
CURIOSITY+SERVICE+YOUTHEMPOWERMENT=My EXTRACURRICULARS!
During my first two years of High School, you could see me everywhere: in a suit with a lanyard attending and leading committees at Model UN conferences, drilling a basketball for my school’s team, re-reading my script to perform at a stage for the theater club, and I was part of Techo, which is a non-profit that builds houses for those in poverty in the communities surrounding mine. I was doing everything you could possibly think of! I did all of this not because I wanted to ‘stand out’, but because I wanted to find what really was my thing.
After those years, I founded my school’s entrepreneurship club, where we hosted entrepreneurship conferences open to students, always tried to promote support to local and small businesses, and organized a bazaar. One time, we partnered with another educational institution that provided a cost-free auditorium to host one of our events! Likewise, I was part of Pandillas, which is a youth Catholic group where we called ourselves ‘Pandilleros de Cristo’. There, I helped to organize retreats and to host conferences.
One of my friend’s moms (whom I consider an aunt) used to organize big events with 500-600 attendees, and she invited me to help her with whatever came up. I received the speakers for the events and helped with the overall organization and marketing strategies. My aunt once publicly noted that I was working without compensation, and it may sound silly, but that reality had never crossed my mind. To me, this was a privilege, something I would even pay to do, as I did a lot of networking and learned so much. She gave me this opportunity once she knew I was hardworking and very interested in entrepreneurship, so I recommend everyone to put themselves out there and always be disciplined because you never know when life-changing opportunities might be waiting for you!
As I exponentially started to enter the world of business and entrepreneurship, I also found myself immersed in the mission of amplifying others’ voices, especially the youngest ones. As a result, I founded a podcast called Teenkers during my senior year of high school. As of today, I have interviewed 36 guests who have shared their goals, dreams, and how they are taking action to make them a reality. I still continue working with Teenkers by bringing young leaders from Mexico and from the rest of the world to inspire the youngest minds. I created this podcast because most creators share the stories of people who have already made a name for themselves, the typical 70-year-old shark who already is a billionaire, and the list of attributes goes on, and this story keeps repeating itself in most channels. Definitely, they are great role models, but what I mean is that when people are older, they might have different and outdated ideas, and they don't really know much about what young people talk about, what young people are looking for, what young people want these days.
I felt that, oftentimes, young people aren't given a voice. People say young people are lazy, that the whole new generation is wasting their lives entirely, and the cure to this is to listen to the adults or the wealthy people at the top. I wanted to break this misconception and show the world that young minds are actually passionate, hungry for knowledge, and have something to say about the topic reserved for the ‘experienced’.
We, young people, who are trying to fulfill our dreams, who are trying to figure out how to do it, who are searching, who are hungry for change, who are following what we like, what we're passionate about, is what requires people to be inspired. Inspire the older ones, the younger ones, those our age, but showing that age is just a number, not a limitation.
The HEART of my Application
My personal statement is one of the essays I can remember the most. In 650 words, I wrote about a combination of events of my childhood that were the seed that planted my hunger for good in my life and others. My parents are doctors, so growing up, I was very exposed to both social and health issues of others, especially when every weekend we traveled together to different rural towns. At the waiting rooms, I got to know amazing kids who shared my interests and were pretty much like me, until I realized they didn’t have access to proper health services and couldn’t afford such services. These interactions opened my eyes and were my fuel for me to become a changemaker in every stage of my life.
Eventually, I co-founded a startup with my mom named ‘Accedar Salud’. It focuses on providing accessible and better health services in the private sector with quality, excellence, and a preventive approach to physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Now that I’m studying at Notre Dame, I’m basically the spokesperson of the project, and my mom is taking care of this social mission. With this in mind, I dedicate my education to creating a tangible solution to the problem I once identified as a kid in my native Mexico.
As for supplemental essays, Notre Dame has two established prompts and a set of five questions where the student is free to answer three of those. One of the three prompts I recall choosing was ‘How does faith influence the decisions you make?’ and I wrote how Jesus inspired me as a human being to not rely on excuses and do what I had to do in this life, because all the pain I've ever felt and I could possibly use as an excuse to give up will never compare to His. I believe this was one of the most heartfelt and sincere essays I wrote in my college admission process.
ALL you NEED is ONE
I applied to 15 colleges across the United States and paid the application fees with my savings and family support. My first rejection came by applying ED in mid-December, then I submitted my RD applications, hoping for the best. As for March 17th, 2025, I had an unbreakable rejection streak until the Notre Dame decision was released a day after. Rejections did come after my first acceptance, but that didn’t matter anymore, because the path was way clearer than before. Notre Dame saw what the other 14 colleges probably underestimate about me.
There were days when I obviously felt the worst, but at the end of those days, I reminded myself that if others could, why wouldn’t I? I didn’t lose my faith, and I always tried to stand up. I believe ND did look at me as a whole person and somehow saw my resilience through the process.
The ND Fit
In contrast with all the other institutions I applied to, Notre Dame was undoubtedly the most human one. Most colleges will look for students who show service, commitment, or leadership, and Notre Dame does look for those qualities, too, but in a more actionable or humanitarian approach. ND is searching for students who won’t use their careers to solely focus on the revenue or titles, but rather focus on the lives they could impact. I believe my profile unconsciously aligned perfectly with its mission. I recognize that I had good academics, yet I was likely neither the smartest nor the most involved student in the applicant pool, but I did show my most human side to them. Notre Dame sees you as the human you are, not just another number!
Life Under the GOLDEN DOME
Coming for the first time to campus in mid-August was a bittersweet experience. It was my first time traveling by plane, and from that moment I started feeling much more independent. I tried Chipotle—ahhh so nice!
In between such beautiful first-time experiences, I felt sad for leaving my family in Mexico. I still miss my family very much! Still, I remember this is an opportunity I have thanks to them, so I’m more than grateful to be here.
Everything was completely different here: streets without potholes, ‘Mexican’ food, parties with no reggaeton, crazy dining hours, and much more safety. Back in Mexico, I could never go outside in the middle of the night, but here inside the campus, I feel relieved that no matter the hour I go outside, I know I’ll be safe. And the best part: the people. Everyone here is really outgoing and very nice.
If others CAN, why not YOU?
Do not let the comments of others influence your decisions! There will be people who have heavy burdens full of hate and will try to ‘feel better’ by making you feel worse with their comments. Do not ever listen to them. Trust yourself and stay true to what you believe. Do not let failures stop you from becoming the person you have dreamed of becoming, and always be authentic!
When you get to where you dreamed of, don’t forget where you come from. It’s common to be blinded by brand new success, but remember every step you had to take to even start your journey in the first place. Outside, there’s a battle of egos, and you’ll decide if you focus more on what you do with this opportunity or what you can brag about it with others.
To all my Mexican people and community, remember that you are all MexiCAN, not MexiCAN’T !!
