Advocating for “invisible people”

A student’s journey from poverty to presidency

By California State University, Bakersfield

May 4^th, 2020

When Aaron Wan was 12 years old, he found himself in a village in the Philippines facing the realities of extreme poverty. He lived alone with his siblings — his 14-year-old brother and 10-year-old sister — and recalls times when they only had a small bowl of rice to share as food for the day.

“I remember having to borrow money from the neighbors and the local stores,” Wan said. “And in the Philippines, in the poor areas, we had to get water from the well. Every day, we woke up early in the morning to get buckets of water to shower and get ready for school."

Wan spent his early childhood wealthy, but when his father’s businesses declined, and his parents divorced, the financial situation in his household changed drastically. His mother moved to the United States to work and provide a better life for her children.

In the meantime, Wan became independent at a young age.

“We were trying to survive on a day-to-day basis, and we would find whatever was fun at night. I never really thought about what would happen in my future,” he said. “I grew up with some of my friends and I remember I used to parkour with them, where we would jump from roof to roof.”

He was raised with limited access to technology, and his social interaction involved knocking on a neighbor’s door and asking friends to play.

But Wan’s life changed when his mother brought him and his siblings to America — and the Central California town of Bakersfield became his new home.

A new home

“It was a culture shock,” Wan said. “There were a lot of social queues I didn’t understand back then.”

Wan was placed in remedial courses in high school because his transcripts from the Philippines did not include transferable credits. But he had strong English skills and soon tested out of those courses, joining advanced placement classes.

“Freshman year, the first two months, was probably the loneliest. That was when I didn't have friends yet,” he said. “I would literally just go to my next classroom before class started, so I was really isolated. But after I met the first friend and the second friend, my friend group just grew."

Wan recalls a distinct moment in high school that would affect the rest of his life: Attending the California Associated Student Leaders conference.

The activities director at East Bakersfield High School suggested Wan attend the conference. Attendees were some of the top students leaders in schools across the state.

“I remember, during the conference, I was crying. My friend was like, ‘Why are you crying?’ And I was like, ‘I got things to do. I got people to change and I can do something.’”

Wan’s natural leadership quickly surfaced.

He joined student government and was eventually elected president. He joined the high school wrestling team and became varsity team captain by junior year. Wan was also involved in several clubs, and remembers days when he was on his high school campus until 7 p.m.

“I guess that just really carried on in college — working on everything, and school had become my second home.”

Invisible people

Wan’s leadership motivation was to advocate for “invisible people.”

“I think it's because the first two months of my life here in the U.S., I was so isolated that for the first time in my life I was really by myself, you know? And that kind of showed me about the invisible students, the invisible people, and sometimes we get so busy caught up with our own life we forget those people who are alone.”

His passion for leadership continued at California State University, Bakersfield. He recalls approaching Ilaria Pesco, executive director for Associated Students, Inc., on his first day on campus.

“I remember that day vividly," she said. "Aaron has a heart of service and wants to inspire those around to get engaged."

That first day, Wan told Pesco he was going to be student body president.

And four years later, he was.

The presidency

Wan’s CSUB campus involvement has been extensive. In addition to active participation in ASI and his work as student body president, Wan joined a fraternity, was involved in the rock climbing club, joined the tennis club and assisted various campus organizations.

Now a 2020 business administration graduate, Wan reflects on his most memorable moments as a student leader.

He recalls meeting an “invisible student” in 2018, an isolated man studying on campus. Wan invited the new friend, Philip, to go rock climbing with him in the Student Recreation Center.

Philip was terrified, but Wan shouted encouragements along the way as he climbed the wall.

Philip was “ecstatic” after afterwards, and he and Wan became fast friends. Wan watched Philip become involved on campus, making more friends as he pursued kickboxing and drums as a hobby.

“I asked him, ‘What was your favorite part of college?’ Because he was graduating, and he was like, ‘You know, this was actually my favorite year when I started getting involved.'"

“And after that, my mind was blown. That was one of my favorite moments with students, when I was able to help somebody get out of their comfort zone and make the most of their college experience.”

Wan said graduating this spring is bittersweet. Though his days on campus have been long — oftentimes staying at CSUB until 10 p.m. — they have been filled with joy.