Angelo, College Track Alum, Turns Passion into Purpose

LOS ANGELES, CA (November 20, 2025) At the age of 12, Angelo, a proud Chicano and South Central Los Angeles native, co-founded a nonprofit organization, The Watts Project, with his mother and brother. The organization hosts food pantries, toy drives, and a network of resources, serving people from South Los Angeles to Skid Row. Today, the nonprofit continues to impact lives. This November, the organization will host an annual Thanksgiving event for the community, providing meals and hygiene kits to people in need.

Now, a student at Santa Clara University (SCU), Angelo is at a “turning point between who I was” and “everything that made me who I want to be in life,” emphasizing joy in this season of his life. He’s interwoven his passions for community and his business-oriented mindset, established before college, into earning a BA in Business Management, Entrepreneurship, and History at Santa Clara University, a College Track partner institution. 

One of his turning point achievements is his clothing brand. At a young age, Angelo discovered a knack for customizing hoodies with his own custom logos and selling his own merch. What started as a passion project expanded into a business venture, and today, he is the owner of NVS Los Angeles, a clothing brand that pays homage to his home, South Central. 

Angelo credits College Track support as he’s pursued this entrepreneurial venture, noting, “It got to a point where my teachers were wearing clothing that I designed. I had a couple College Track Crenshaw site staff members support my brand, and I just thought it was cool because I would go and work on my college applications, and I see people wearing a hoodie that I made. The support kept me going!” 

At SCU, he’s learning to scale his business, leveraging his community network and content creation skills he developed at Boyle Heights Beat, his FirstGen Internship program in collaboration with Emerson Collective, to reach a broader audience. 

As a multimedia intern, Angelo gained experience in website development, news reporting, storytelling, and conducting interviews. Through his own words, he’s become a ‘student of the game,’ someone committed to continuously learning and growing both on his own and through perspectives from his fellow NextGen interns, colleagues, and the broader community. 

Boyle Heights, where Angelo spent part of his childhood, became home once again for the summer. Thanks to a housing stipend provided, Angelo signed his first lease and lived independently, gaining not only professional experience but also insight into adulthood. 

Reflecting on the summer, he said, “NextGen internship gave me a really great opportunity. It was the best summer of my life. I got to get my first lease, find independence, and pursue my goals in a space that I got to curate. I also got a great glimpse into adulthood while still feeling supported and secure. I’m extremely grateful for it all.” 

At SCU, Angelo is a mentor in the LEAD Scholars Program, a program designed to support first-generation students as they transition to and through the collegiate experience. During his first year of college, the program offered Angelo’s cohort an opportunity to move to campus a week early, an experience that helped him “get a head start and good feel for the university,” as well as interactive community engagement opportunities. Now, as a mentor, he regularly meets with several mentees while sharing the wisdom he’s gained from his experience as a student, intern, business owner, community leader, and advocate. 

Angelo’s journey is a culmination of determination, innovation, and dedication to discovering his turning point. At College Track, we celebrate our scholars as they continue to evolve, reflecting on who they were and discovering who they’re called to be. 

“I’m finding joy and being able to be a better version of myself every day, learning more and getting to make new connections.” 

Angelo looks forward to scaling his business, incorporating his multimedia knowledge, and leveraging community connections, while deepening his studies at SCU and pursuing future LEAD Scholars opportunities.