Perseverance pays off for Weber State accounting student
OGDEN, Utah — It took some time for Neftali Castaneda to get into Weber State University, but once he did, he hasn’t slowed down.
In 2019, Castaneda made one of the biggest changes of his life: moving to Utah from his hometown of Colima, Mexico, to pursue his dream of a college education. He chose to settle in Ogden, where his aunt lives, because he knew there was a nearby college.
“I came to the U.S. with the mentality that I was going to come to Ogden and go to that university — and it was Weber State,” he said.
As the first in his family to go college, Castaneda knew little about the documents he would need to apply, or what services he could utilize as a U.S. citizen who attended high school in Mexico. He also spoke minimal English upon his arrival to the U.S. and the language barrier, plus confusion over his educational documents, initially prevented him from being accepted to Weber State. 
He moved to North Carolina to try again at a different college but met with the same results. “It felt like a fight, like I was trying to push in instead of being told, ‘Here, you can do this,’” he said.
Castaneda returned to Ogden in 2021 and met his boyfriend, a WSU alumni who would change everything.
“He had a lot of international friends, students who had changed their status, and he helped me understand how I could go to college,” Castaneda said. “He helped me get the information I needed, and how to ask the right questions.”
In the years in-between, he was tutored in English and spent a year studying to take reading comprehension and math tests. Along with his boyfriend, Castaneda credits retired WSU financial aid advisor Holly Hastings for helping him finally get enrolled.
“I will never forget her name. She was my angel,” he said. “Any issues I had, I would go to Holly. She made it look so easy.”
Castaneda is now a senior majoring in accounting and has become a familiar face on campus. He enjoys being involved and creating a sense of belonging for others, and does so through his work as vice president for Diversity & Unity in the Weber State University Student Association. He also serves as a Presidential Leadership Fellow and a tutor for student athletes.
“I am here. I am getting my education and I am able to help other students,” Castaneda said. “I am very passionate about making a change.”
After graduation, he hopes to qualify for a work-while-you-study program through PWC while he gets a master’s degree in accounting. After working in the U.S., he would eventually like to open a restaurant for his mother.
For other students in his position, Castaneda has two pieces of advice: always fight and always come back with more questions.
“Even though people tell you that you can’t do something, maybe it's also a matter of time,” he said. “If you really want something, you can find ways to do it.”
Jessica Kokesh, Marketing & Communications
801-626-7316, jessicakokesh@weber.edu- Contact:
Bryan Magaña, public relations director
801-626-7948, bryanmagana@weber.edu