My name is Jimena Duran Castellanos, and I am a candidate to graduate with a master’s degree in architecture this Saturday. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 2021 and was part of the women’s tennis team during my four undergrad college years. Prairie View A&M University is one of the most important places in my life. My story with PVAMU involves a lot of people and situations that have been key for me.
I was born and raised in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico, by my mom, Juliana Castellanos. She is an architect, and my dad, Felipe Duran, is an industrial designer with a master’s degree in organization management. My sister Miranda is a fashion designer. I graduated from high school in Pachuca in the summer of 2016. I had planned to take a leap year to apply to universities. As I had liked architecture since I was a kid, that is what I aimed to study. The idea was to start school in the fall of 2017 at a university in Mexico. I had not applied or taken admission tests – I really do not know why. I just had not done anything. I was scared to start anything; I was a very scared person back then.
But that started to change in December 2016. My uncle Rolando had just moved from Mexico to Houston with his family. They invited us to stay with them during Christmas. He told me to bring my tennis racquets so we could play. It was December 23 when we went to hit some balls at the club where he played. That day, Coach Manny Maldonado introduced himself and asked me which university I would play for in the United States. In my head, I thought he was joking. I told him I would enroll at a university in Mexico and hopefully play for their tennis team. He saw the potential in me and told me I could practice with him for a few months while we tried to get me an athletic scholarship somewhere. I thought that was a very crazy idea, but I stayed.
My family left, and I stayed with my uncle and aunt, who opened their doors for me and took care of me while I practiced and studied for something that, at first, I was so scared of. I was also skeptical that it would come true. Playing college tennis in a different country seemed too far away from my possibilities. I was just doing whatever coach Manny and my uncle told me to do, even though I had no idea if I would stay or not. Them pushing me to get paperwork done, the SAT, TSI, and TOEFL done, etc., is what motivated me to pass my tests. Then, they took me to meet Coach Duane Williams, the head tennis coach at PVAMU. He came to watch me play one day at practice, and we talked. My relationship with PVAMU started that day. That was around April of 2017. School would start in August that year.
I applied to PVAMU, and after that, everything happened so fast. Things were coming together as puzzle pieces as if they were meant to be together from the very beginning. I did not understand how, but I got a full athletic scholarship to Prairie View A&M University. I was ready to start school that fall.
I told the story of how I got to PVAMU because that year was very important for me to change the way I think and operate. Being accepted to the university and having a scholarship was so fast, and most importantly, it came true. I did not know how to process it. But the way we made it happen was what made it come true, and I understood that. So, I just kept on doing things that way. That year, I learned that if I wanted to make anything happen, I needed to move, be stubborn and work towards it. Anything is possible, and that is the truth.
During the years I have been at PVAMU, I have grown so much, and I look back, and yes, I have learned thousands of new things, thanks to my experience here. I am also very fortunate to have had the faculty and staff in the School of Architecture who have always seen the best in the students and have pushed us to do better work. They give us opportunities to learn from other cultures, like study abroad, and grow professionally, such as career fairs and mentorships, and we have great resources, i.e., the Fabrication Center, which is amazing. Thanks to every single opportunity the School of Architecture gave me, I got awards from it and the athletic department. So, I feel very thankful to PVAMU for acknowledging my accomplishments and for always helping me in the process.
As I mentioned earlier, I was a student-athlete. In my last two years, I was a captain of the women’s tennis team. Being a student-athlete taught me so much about responsibility and what it means to be a team player and a leader. Each of us on the team are leaders, and the way we behave affects the team as a whole. Being a Lady Panther also gave me so much pride in my school, and I value so much of what the athletic program gave me. A college athlete, in a way, is the face of the school when you meet other universities, and we are responsible for that as a team. The coaches always make it clear that our job is to give the school the championship- simple. So, being part of the athletic program is an important commitment to the university.
My favorite things of PVAMU about the big oak trees around campus, the architecture building, and Panther Stadium. But honestly, what I love the most is the people I met here. They will be in my mind for eternity.
I am currently doing a summer internship with Perkins&Will in Houston. The internship program has given me a great insight into what will come in the very near future. I have enjoyed it very much, and I believe I have done great so far, which means that PVAMU prepared me well for this. I think soon I will have great news on a full-time position for a company, but that is yet to come.
My advice for my fellow students is to follow your heart and always be thankful for what you have. Valuing your present is what will give you the energy and motivation to keep working towards what you want with eagerness and passion. It makes the ride more enjoyable.
I have so many good things to say about Prairie View A&M University, but I will just say that if I had not come here, I do not know where I would be or if I would have had the same opportunities that this fine institution has given me. Who knows what my present would be like? I would not change a thing. Again, I am forever thankful to the people that were part of the process, faculty, staff, family, coaches, teammates, friends, and mentors.
I got PVAMU in my heart, and it will stay there forever.
Jimena Duran Castellanos ’21 will graduate with a master’s degree in architecture on August 13, 2022, from Prairie View A&M University. Click here to view a complete listing of this semester’s notable graduates.