At K-State, a southwest Kansas kid with a dream becomes a graduate with a career

Monday, Oct. 21, 2024 — By Rafael Garcia, K‑State News and Communications Services
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Hundreds of first-year and transfer students like Bryant Tamayo are discovering the world-class education and learning opportunities K-State makes possible. | Download this photo.

 

MANHATTAN — Bryant Tamayo is going to be a Formula One team engineer.

It’s what he’s dreamed of ever since he was a kid racing his Hot Wheels on the carpet-printed roads in his bedroom. It’s what he’s felt he is capable of after he rebuilt a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado in high school.

He knows it’ll take more hard work to realize that dream, but Tamayo also knows he’s at the right place to succeed.

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Tamayo, a junior transfer student majoring in mechanical engineering from Garden City, is one of several hundred first-year students at Kansas State University this fall finding the abundance of opportunity the university provides through its world-class education, applied learning experiences, student-led clubs and competitive performance teams.

“It’s such a small number of people who get those chances to join an F1 team,” Tamayo said. “But you can’t become a racing engineer without first being an engineer, and K-State is helping me do that through both in the education and in the connections and experiences I’m receiving.”

K-State programs help students realize their dreams

Like many first-generation students, Tamayo initially thought his dream might be out of reach. He began his journey at Garden City Community College, where he joined the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation, or LSAMP, program.

This experience led to a scholarship at K-State through the Bridges to the Future program, which recruits underrepresented students from community colleges in Dodge City, Garden City and Seward County.

Funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, the program offers scholarships covering tuition at students’ community colleges and K-State, along with opportunities for undergraduate research through K-State’s Developing Scholars Program.

Thanks to Bridges, Tamayo is the first in his family to attend a university, and he takes pride in honoring his parents’ hard work while setting an example for his siblings.

“K-State opened a huge door that I’m lucky to have the chance to run through,” Tamayo said. “For a lot of kids like me from southwest Kansas, going off to college often means going far from home. But K-State has been a great choice for me because it still feels similar to our small towns while offering opportunities we couldn’t find at home.”

Campus experience and learning opportunities to set students apart

At K-State, Tamayo is taking his first semester to fully embrace the university experience. He jokes that he’s probably walked more in his first two months at K-State than during his two years at community college, but he welcomes that challenge that comes with a larger campus and its many opportunities.

Some of his closest friends at K-State have come from the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering’s Scholars Assisting Scholars program, which offers free tutoring and peer support in similar classes.

“I know some of the classes will be challenging, and that’s okay because they will make me a better engineer,” Tamayo said. “But I also want to enjoy this experience. I want to meet new people, do as many cool things and attend as many football games as I can.”

As he settles in, Tamayo is eager to dive into his coursework and join clubs like the Hispanic American Leadership Organization and Powercat Motorsports, K-State’s Society of Automotive Engineers Formula Race team.

It’s yet another opportunity K-State offers Tamayo, and it's one he is racing to take.

“When I graduate, I want to have had those opportunities, like being on the SAE Team,” Tamayo said. “Not just because it’ll set me apart when I list it on my resume but because it’s something I enjoy and love to do. I know these experiences will make a world of difference for me, and I’m excited to take them.”

Do you know a student with a great K-State story? Nominate them to be featured by K-State News and Communications Services at media@k-state.edu.