Judah Contreras applied to college because it felt like a tradition he couldn’t break. You graduate from high school, you go to college. You want a job, you go to college.
He came to The University of Baltimore with a degree and a job in mind.
He’s graduating with a bachelor of arts degree and completely different perspective. The people he met and experiences he enjoyed helped Judah see that college was about more than the endgame.
“It seems just like yesterday that I was starting my first day here, and it's amazing to think that I've been here now two years, and it's just worth it. It's definitely worth it,” Judah said. “I'm glad that I met the people I've met, and I've worked with the people I had the opportunity to work with, and I’ve learned under their mentorship.”
When Judah came to UBalt, he saw an easy commute—a train ride from Fort Meade—and the major he wanted, Policy, Politics and International Affairs.
Once he started, he saw opportunity and he chased after it. Judah was a member of the Student Government Association, International Student Association and Black Student Union. He became a veteran ambassador for The Bob Parsons Veterans Center, where he says he found his second family.
“When you're on campus, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. or even later, if you're me, it's nice to be around people that also know what you either lived through, or the memories that you can relate to,” Judah said of the veterans center. “And so that's my second family. I love those people. It's something that I look forward to stopping by there, even when I'm not working, just to spend time with them.”
Judah also worked as a student assistant in the dean’s office for the College of Public Affairs. He held internships that had him working for a Maryland circuit court level judge and with the Maryland Department of Labor.
“The best experience I've had that I never saw coming was the people I met, the professors I met, the friends I've made, and the course material I've learned,” he said. “I don't think I would have seen it or learned it or met those people at any other campus.”
Judah gushed about the international students he got to meet at UBalt and strike up conversations about shared passions. He deeply values his experiences with the faculty and staff he met, too.
“The people that work here, they want to see you succeed, and they will help you achieve your goals while you're studying here,” he said.
Everything Judah did and everyone he met left an impression. Every experience has shaped his thinking about the future.
He initially wanted to go to law school right after earning his bachelor’s degree, but his experiences opened pathways he hadn’t considered.
One idea that started growing in his mind was joining the military. His father served in the U.S. Army and that shaped so much of Judah’s life. It had been something he considered enough to know he could join at a higher rank with a college degree.
Judah’s last semester at UBalt was when he started thinking more seriously about the option. It combined so much of the things he loves. He’s a dual citizen who grew up in a multicultural household that seamlessly switches between German and English. He’s seen his father and other family members dedicate their lives to military service and gotten to know many more veterans through UBalt’s veterans center. He’s always been interested in world affairs and travel.
“I want to continue the tradition of serving in the military like my father, uncles and grandparents started,” he said.
It doesn’t hurt either that heading to officer candidate school would mean a break from schooling. Judah said he wants to turn focus to a professional career and maybe starting a family.
He’s not completely done with his initial aspiration to go to law school. He knows he has time. And right now, a new opportunity is on the horizon, and Judah is ready to chase it.