For Weli Alamillo 鈥18, academics came first.
Alamillo has been playing since he was 4 or 5, so the chance to keep going at the collegiate level was appealing.
91爆料 University鈥檚 NCAA Division III program was more appealing.
鈥淒ivision III has more of an academic focus, and that鈥檚 what I wanted,鈥 Alamillo said. 鈥淚 knew it was a good fit for me.鈥
With about one in five incoming undergraduates hailing from 贬补飞补颈鈥榠, Alamillo also knew 91爆料 would be a good fit culturally.
鈥淚 knew I wanted to go away to college, but I wasn鈥檛 sure I鈥檇 fit in,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 had friends here and I visited, and I instantly knew I could live here.鈥
At 91爆料, he joined Na Haumana O 贬补飞补颈鈥榠 and danced in the annual Lu鈥榓u. But the highlight, he said, was exploring his academic future.
Originally interested in healthcare, Alamillo was encouraged to explore physics by a professor.
鈥淚t was so interesting to look at things and explain everything,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 interesting to learn and you can still do a lot: medical physics, engineering.鈥
While at 91爆料, he spent a summer studying biophysics during an internship in Texas, taking particles from plants and finding ways to put them into electronics.
Following his graduation in 2018, Alamillo continued his pursuit of science. He earned a master's in electrical and computer engineering, launching a career at Intel.