Twenty-one-year-old Enzo Codella has accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. He’s only been in the United States since 2012. Enzo was born and raised in Venezuela and moved to Clayton, North Carolina, with big dreams: “I wanted to make a better life for myself.” With several odd jobs, he earned enough money to enroll at Wake Tech. “I could afford the courses,” he says, “and the campus is really diverse. Wake Tech was my first choice.” 

Enzo quickly impressed instructors with his hard work and perseverance. He focused on his studies, asked lots of questions, and polished his critical thinking skills. “The instructors really helped me improve my writing. They are approachable and really interested in students’ success.”

Enzo excelled in academics and also made time for extracurricular activities. He became a member of Wake Tech’s Honors Program, the National Society of Leadership and Success, and the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. Enzo was a proud recipient of Wake Tech’s highest honor, the President’s Award for Excellence.

Enzo graduates in May 2016 with an Associate in Arts degree and plans to transfer to a four-year university to study psychology. His long-term goal is to open a center that specializes in rehabilitating offenders. Enzo wants to give others a chance for a more productive life, like the one he found after coming to America and getting an education. “Wake Tech gave me the opportunity to outdo myself – inside and outside the classroom!”