Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and briefly raised in the Barahona province, Jose Garcia-Orozco immigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of three—despite his parents getting divorced, the assimilation process, as he recalls, was smooth— his grandparents were the first to move the U.S. followed by his aunts and then later, his mother, the last member to join. As the oldest child, Garcia-Orozco lived in Newark, New Jersey, for most of his life. 

As with many immigrants, the prospect of improving their socioeconomic situation seems to be one of the countless and unique reasons why many come chasing the famous American Dream. 

Garcia-Orozco notes that his mother wanted “a better life and better education for me and my siblings and the future of the family she wanted to start,” which provided countless opportunities the Dominican was able to take advantage of—a full college scholarship, meet Vice President Kamala Harris, and receive a job offer from Ernst & Young, growth opportunities later discussed. 

A true Villanovan

Before attending Villanova University, Garcia-Orozco, and his family moved to East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania— “a big move for us,” explained Garcia-Orozco, who went to an all-boys private Catholic school and in 7th grade was accepted to St. Benedict’s Preparatory School, a Catholic college, that serves boys and girls in kindergarten through twelfth grade. During his time here, Jose was on high honors for eight semesters, including being the President of the National Honors Society and Business Manager of the school newspaper. Worth noting, that during his time at St. Benedict's, the high school was all boys. 

St. Benedict’s motto is “Whatever hurts my brother hurts me. Whatever helps my brother helps me.” Young men at the school benefit from Early College Courses and College Placement. 

Garcia-Orozco shared his acceptance story with The Villanova and said, “I just remember knowing that whatever I do here, not only academically, but also extracurricular, I will, as a person, I will grow my leadership skills, and I will be successful no matter what.”

His confidence and desire to succeed led him to change career paths from computer engineering to pursuing an accounting major, which he credits to “exploring the world a bit more” for his newfound sense of direction—wanting to have his own business and accounting. Although a broad profession, he will focus on forensic accounting, investigations, and compliance work. 

The recent graduate obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting with double minors in Real Estate and Business Law. 

Garcia-Orozco has deferred EY’s job offer for 2024 because he will be pursuing a Master's in Accounting from Villanova University. 

ASEZ

ASEZ (“Save the Earth from A to Z”) is a group of university student volunteers of the World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG) that seek to impact the world and implement the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through volunteer efforts on campus and around the community. ASEZ aims to create real and lasting change through the SAVE (Social Service, Awareness Raising, Victim Relief, Environmental Protection) movement. 

According to the WMSCOG, the work of ASEZ takes place in more than 175 different countries, with ASEZ volunteers partnering with government officials and municipalities.

The chapter has received many accolades: the U.S. President’s Volunteer Service Award (Gold) from former U.S. President Donald Trump and President Barack Obama, President Biden, and recognition from the Korean Government, the White House, and local agencies. 

The goal, explains Jose, is to establish clubs around the globe to ensure student involvement— ASEZ unites students and communities to attain a common goal— the SAVE movement. 

The worldwide organization is something Garcia-Orozco is passionate about, adding that it has been “the most amazing group that I have been a part of just because the work that we do focuses on volunteer services, disaster relief, and social services.” 

The UN established the 2030 Agenda for Sustainability Development with 17 SDGs, urgent calls for action like no poverty, zero hunger, quality education, gender equality, reduced inequalities, and sustainable cities and communities. Garcia-Orozco has been able to help fulfill those goals, which he said: “has been amazing, and then working with different people…has been a great passion of mine.” 

Garcia was first invited to the White House as the Student Body President of Villanova. Through that listening session held in January, students discussed climate change and other issues affecting them. Additionally, Garcia was invited to the Vice President's Residence for a networking opportunity to "get people together that have common initiative to helping save the world," he explained.