Kimberly Yupa-Cuzco: Overcoming the Roller Coaster of Emotions

By: Sofía García

Edited by: Ariana Arias

Word Count: 520

Estimated Read Time: 2 minutes

Kimberly Yupa-Cuzco is an Ecuadorian student leader who enjoys getting involved in extracurriculars. Facing challenges, joining clubs and finding community all played a role in her college journey.

Yupa-Cuzco faced many challenges that are common among college students. She had a difficult time adjusting to being away from home, especially as the first of her siblings to attend college.

Learning to navigate new experiences and adjusting to living alone for the first time is a challenging part of life. It takes much courage to overcome this without any guidance, especially as a first-generation student.

She described her undergraduate journey as a “roller coaster of emotions.”

Facing the challenge of moving away from home is a difficult stressor to deal with.

Not only did Yupa-Cuzco face the challenge of moving away from home, but she also faced a career-altering challenge.

She changed her major from nursing to public health. Her goal was to pursue a career in the medical field.

But what makes Kimberly’s journey so admirable is that she took it upon herself to look for a supportive community to overcome the stressors that come with college.

Joining clubs alongside her friend Diana Portillo helped Kimberly make connections. When she became a part of Pasión (Latin Dance Team) and the Latin-American Student Organization (LASO), she earned a sense of belonging and found community.

Friendships evolved from Yupa-Cuzco’s courage.

“I am grateful to anyone that has come through my journey in college and left a meaningful impact,” Yupa-Cuzco said.

Kimberly values her friendships and is very close to the Latino community here at Towson University.

She also values her family and finds them to be a great source of motivation for academic achievement.

One of her goals is to be able to retire her parents because they have always worked hard and encouraged her to pursue higher education.

What keeps Kimberly going is, “Knowing I will be working in my field soon motivates me. Knowing my parents support my decisions also motivates me. Seeing other Latinos succeed motivates me.”

Kimberly will move forward with pursuing her career in the health care professions. But that does not mean we should overlook all that she has accomplished.

During her senior year, Kimberly became co-vice president of Towson University’s Students for Public Health. This leadership role allowed her to promote this career field and it provided her with the opportunity to help connect current public health students to employers.

She was very grateful to join a student organization that provided her with networking opportunities and allowed her to advocate for issues in public health.

This is not the only leadership role that she earned.

Previously, the concept of Kimberly joining Pasión was mentioned. Not only was she once a general member, she also eventually rose to be a part of the executive board.

Kimberly’s dedication to academic achievement has helped her take the next step and cross the stage.

She is graduating in spring 2026 and has one last piece of advice that she would like to provide to her fellow Towson Tigers.

“Do not give up. You are almost at the finish line.”