Jefferson Vasquez-Reyes had two thoughts when Maryland Gov. Wes Moore asked him to stand during Moore’s State of the State address on Wednesday.
First, the 18-year-old Montgomery College student said, “It felt incredible,” as members of the General Assembly and invited guests burst into applause in the historic State House.
Then, Vasquez-Reyes said he felt a sense of responsibility.
“Right after that moment, I felt I had no choice but to complete whatever I started,” he told WTOP.
Vasquez-Reyes, 18, was being spotlighted as a success story. The son of immigrant parents whose family came to the U.S. from El Salvador, he attends the college and plans on becoming a doctor.
Moore mentioned Vasquez-Reyes and Montgomery College as a way of highlighting Maryland’s two-year colleges. “Like me, he is on the path to graduate from a two-year college,” Moore said during his address.
As a young teenager, Vasquez-Reyes found himself serving as a translator whenever his mother and grandmother had medical appointments, including visits to the emergency room.
“I had to be there for my mother or grandmother whether it was 3 a.m. in the morning or 10 p.m. at night.”
He said his decision to pursue medicine came during one visit, when a Latino doctor handled his family’s emergency.
“The environment felt completely different,” Vasquez-Reyes said. The doctor’s ability to address the family in their native language and his understanding of their culture boosted their comfort level immediately.
“There was an ability to have trust,” he said. At that point, he said, he had made a decision. “That doctor showed me the kind of impact that I could make.”
Kimberly Jones, director of Student Life at Montgomery College’s Takoma Park and Silver Spring campus told WTOP, “To have this moment, where we’re being recognized for the work that folks are doing at the college really does mean a lot.”
She said the strength of the college comes from the diversity of its students and its staff.
“Anybody and everyone is welcomed at Montgomery College.”
Jones said Moore’s invitation to the State of the State address was especially meaningful given Moore’s own history-making status.
“When it comes to representation — Wes Moore being the first African American governor in the state of Maryland meant everything,” Jones said.
Vasquez-Reyes said in addition to the responsibility he feels to achieve his dream of becoming a doctor, he also feels incredible support, not just from the educators at Montgomery College, “but at the government level — from the governor and lieutenant governor.”
