From Bronx Boy to California Kid

Everyone's journey to the University of Rio Grande is unique. For some, it's a convenient, cost-effective solution to earn a high-quality education. For others, it may be the promise of more playing time in a collegiate sport. It could also be the comfort of smaller class sizes on a campus that feels like home. 

For Angel Colon ('69), it was a second chance to do college the right way. 

"I graduated from high school in New York City in 1962 with a 3.5 GPA and a full scholarship to Hunter College," he said. "Unfortunately, I did not receive much pre-college counseling. I wound up flunking out the first semester, which was devastating. I then worked for two years to save enough money to attend any school in the country." 

So, how did a kid from the mean streets of the South Bronx wind up at Rio Grande College?

"I read about an organization called Dollars for Scholars," he said. "It was like a clearinghouse for scholarships, and one of the recruiters suggested applying for a grant from a very fine school in the southern part of Ohio. So, I wrote them a letter, and they called and accepted me over the phone." 

Angel flew to Ohio for a tour of Rio Grande College in 1965. His student tour guide, Phillip Bush, made such a positive impression that the two became roommates in Haning Hall that fall. 

"There aren't many nice people in the Bronx," he said. "I come to Ohio, and everyone is so nice in these wide-open spaces. It was farm country, and I loved it."

As a student, Angel became a yearbook photographer and helped form a pep band to support the basketball team. He also majored and thrived in his one true passion: math. 

After graduation, Angel moved to Chicago to live with his brother and find work. With the Vietnam War still raging, landing his first job was challenging. 

"The first question they ask you in an interview is your draft status," he said. "I was 1-A, which meant I could be available for active military status at any time. No one would hire me and waste money on training because they thought I'd get drafted."

Because of Angel's experiences at Rio, he also knew he didn't want to live in New York again.

"I could not see myself living in apartment buildings for the rest of my life," he said. "Not after living in Rio Grande and seeing the countryside and houses where you'd have to walk several minutes just to see your neighbor. It changed my life."

Angel eventually landed sales jobs in southern California with Belden Wire & Cable and later at for AMP, Inc. during the microelectronics boom. After a recession, he took a job with the government of Puerto Rico, which he hated. 

"It was a typical government job, and it was terrible," he said. "While I was there, I started looking for another more permanent career. Some of the guys in the office were talking about how their stocks were up and down, so I asked how they invested money. That's how I found out about stockbrokers."

Angel began making calls and got hired immediately. He wondered why every brokerage firm he talked to practically wanted to hire him over the phone. 

"Little did I know that one of the things that stock brokerage companies look for in a candidate is the ability to pick up the phone and call a stranger to talk to them about investing," he said. "They wanted a person who was self-driven to make phone calls, make appointments and bring in clients. I didn't know that. I thought it was just a salary job. What did I know?"

Angel would spend the rest of his career on 100% commission, selling stocks and bonds for well-respected investment firms like Payne Weber Jackson, & Curtis and Smith Barney.

Angel retired in 2009 and now spends his golden years in sunny Laguna Niguel, California. He still loves the fact that a little college in Ohio prepared a New Yorker for a successful life in California. 

"The courses I took gave me a very well-rounded education," he said. "I think that it prepared me for the working world. That was a wonderful, wonderful part of my life. My wife recently had my diploma framed for me as a birthday gift; looking at it brings back a warm memory. That's the best way I can describe it. And it always puts a smile on my face."