Unlikely Hero

By: Aquib Ali

People these days can beat around the bush all they want. They can jump from one career job to another. Yet, one man knows exactly what he wants to accomplish in life. “I want to go back to my country and help out the poor children in the Dominican Republic,” says Ricardo Castillo, 18, an employee at the Apex Center at Lehman College.

Castillo was born in Puerto Rico, but his parents are from the Dominican Republic. He considers himself to be 100 percent Dominican, but in the early years of his life he went to school in Puerto Rico. When he was ten, Castillo and his family came to New York City. He said it was tough for him to adjust to the American system because he didn’t know any English. He struggled in his studies, but eventually got help from his father and quickly turned into a good student. Castillo attended middle school at P.S. 95, and attended high school at Evander Childs. After High School, Castillo decided to stay in the city and attend Lehman College. Castillo is currently a student at Lehman College, and aims to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration and computer applications.

When he isn’t working on the Lehman College campus, Castillo is helping out his father. His father is a superintendent and Castillo has to help make sure the building is in tip top shape. “I paint, plaster, and clean the building,” he said. He credits his father with helping him become the person he is today. He said his father’s pushed him hard and told him “That this is America, and in America you have to work hard and make your own living, or else you’re going to end up a bum.”
After the speech, his father gave him; Castillo wanted to help people in the Dominican Republic. He said after college he wanted to bring his business and computer smarts to Dominican Republic. “I know I wasn’t born there, but my parents were. Giving back to the poor children in the country would be a great feeling and it would set a good example for the kids. One day I want a kid to say I was their role model, like my father was too me,” said Castillo.