Onel Gonzalez ‘18

Onel Gonzalez ‘18

My Name is Onel Gonzalez and I am a first-generation college student. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics in 2018 and I currently work at UBS covering our East Division spanning from Maine to North Carolina. In my current role, I support field leaders in driving sales strategy by leveraging the global capabilities of UBS, proven best practices, and existing tools and data, as well as supporting them in driving their net new money efforts.

I was adopted twice and grew up in Newark NJ. Growing up in an underserved area and being the first in my family to attend college, it was very intimidating and overwhelming to navigate. Intimidating because of the new environment and lack of guidance; overwhelming because of the pressure that comes with being a first-generation college student. When I was applying to colleges as a high school student, I was fortunate enough to be accepted into Saint Peter’s University through the Academic Success Program (ASP) and later became a TRiO student. Both programs really helped with my transition into SPU and to overcome the socioeconomic and cultural barriers to higher education. The TRiO Program gave me another look at reality. It made me realize that there were many faculty, staff and administration members who were dedicated to helping young urban men and women like myself. Whether it was career, academic or personal guidance, SPU made my college experience a bit easier to maneuver. I was able to build relationships with the faculty, staff and administration that have helped me with my education and career.