Home Away from Home: Jacob Maya Morales finds ‘warmth’ in Rider Broncs

By Brannagh Rattigan

Home for Jacob Maya Morales is in Cali, Colombia, but his dedication to his personal and educational growth brought him thousands of miles away to spend his four years of undergraduate schooling at Rider.

As a freshman music production major, Maya understands that in the world of music, it is crucial to be surrounded by his passion. For him, music is everywhere, in both professional and friendly atmospheres.

“I like to make samples and beats with my friends in my free time,” Maya said. “The more I do, the more I put in, the easier it is going to go in the future and the more credentials I’ll have for the music industry.”

Maya decided the U.S. was the right place for him to pursue higher education because he valued the opportunities to grow professionally and socially that new places bring. 

“There’s a lot of good friends I’ve made, the experiences I’ve had like going to New York, and most of all the opportunities I get now that I’ve traveled are what I love about being here — the main reason I came here is for opportunities,” Maya said.

Despite all the joys of studying away from home, being away from what is comfortable is not an easy task. Maya expressed that, although he loves the experiences at Rider, like joining the rock climbing club, he still misses his life back home.

“I miss the colors of my country, in my city, and I really miss the warmth of the people,” Maya said.

While it can be thrilling to experience life in a new country at a young age, Maya communicated that being alone for the first time in his life was challenging — especially being alone in a different country. 

“The culture is different, the people are different, I had to adapt in order to make friends,” Maya said.

However, Maya had no trouble facing these challenges head on. Doing everyday activities on his own for the first time was a task he was ready to overcome, and Maya believes he has become a better person because of it.

He said, “I think I’ve grown a lot since I came here, and that was my goal, to grow as a person and find all the opportunities I want in my life.”

Jackson Babino, a sophomore secondary education major and Maya’s roommate, shared how Maya has impacted his life at Rider.

“Maya has made my time on campus way more entertaining,” Babino said. “We go on random journeys all the time and always have a good laugh together.”

Babino says that he and Maya became fast friends, as Maya has a good balance of character in all his interactions with people.

“Maya is a very colorful and humorous person, but also one who will listen to what you have to say,” Babino said.

Maya plans to stay at Rider to complete a bachelor’s degree and hopes to move with his family to Europe in the future. 

Maya emphasized that his future plans are all because of the opportunities he had to grow and mature into a better version of himself, and he would not trade that for anything.

He said, “All the growth I’ve gotten is worth it for all the things I’ve missed back home. I know this is necessary for my future.”

This article is part of the Home Away From Home series by The Rider News to highlight international students from the OIE.