Francisco Arvizu-Mancilla was a student at Grand Rapids Community College when he learned about the Go Blue Guarantee, a free tuition program for Michigan families with incomes under $125,000 and assets below that same dollar amount. It seemed too good to be true. There was no way it could apply to him—or was there?
“When I saw the University of Michigan tabling at GRCC, finance was a big thing on my mind. Right off the bat, I saw a flyer for the Go Blue Guarantee, and I started reading the fine print. Full-time student, yes. In-state residency, yes. I keep reading and I realize I check all the boxes,” he recalls.
Today, Arvizu-Mancilla is a transfer student who is nearing graduation with a bachelor’s degree in political science and international studies from the College of LSA. He plans to then study for the LSAT and go to law school.
At U-M, he has been active in the unit that first connected him with the university—the Transfer Student Center—as a transfer ambassador. He has also been active with the multicultural fraternity Sigma Lambda Beta. “I’ve loved every minute of it. The brotherhood, bonding, community service events that we host, even the paperwork,” he laughs.
His law school aspirations are rooted in his upbringing and community. “I’m a first-generation Mexican American college student. I grew up around members of my community who experienced a lot of legal battles, to the point that even just a simple traffic stop could be very traumatizing for the people,” he says. “Seeing that kind of fear as a young kid made me realize that, knowing English and Spanish, I could possibly be a valuable asset in this field. I also have strong morals and a strong sense of justice.”
Courses at LSA, such as Political Science 449, “Legal Theory: What Is Law?”, are helping to prepare him for the LSAT and law school. Other courses about global security, U.S.-China relations, and geopolitics have helped to shape his interest in international relations.
He is open to law school leading him to practice in a community or against an international backdrop. Either way, he’s grateful to have had the opportunity to advance his academic career at LSA. As a transfer ambassador, he often shares his journey with prospective students and tells them that the payoff is well worth the gamble.
“I’ll tell them, the thoughts that you’re having of self doubt and worrying about your current responsibilities are totally like valid, but I will say I’m glad that I decided to take the risk,” Arvizu-Mancilla says. “Take that initiative, make that jump, because you’re going to meet so much connections here, so many people, be able to join so many different organizations. Having a degree from the University of Michigan can open up so many doors that you will never have imagined those. It’s ultimately priceless.”
Photography by Natalie Condon
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