“When I was in high school, I really didn’t think I would go to college,” says Timothy Henriquez. “I was very socially awkward throughout school, so that impacted me wanting to continue schooling after graduation.”
The youngest of four children, Timothy felt disconnected from his siblings. He recalls that the major age gap between him and his siblings left him feeling like an only child at times.
“My mother always worked night shifts, so she would return from work tired and ready to go to sleep,” Timothy says. And though he longed to bond with his mother since he couldn’t with his siblings, he would ultimately let her catch up on rest after work. This led to Timothy feeling like he lacked guidance growing up.
“I was very reserved and kept to myself, which left me feeling very alone,” he says.
Lacking that sense of connection at home, Timothy would try to connect with his classmates at school, sharing the things that he loved. But he found himself getting teased for his interests.
“I’ve always loved pop music. And when I would tell people that pop was my favorite genre, I got made fun of.”
This sense of isolation negatively impacted Timothy’s grades in middle school. But when the time came to move on to high school, he was determined to persevere through his challenges and get his grades up.
And he did, significantly boosting his GPA during his freshman year at James Monroe High School in Fredericksburg and even starting to form new friendships outside of school. But midway through the year, COVID hit, and Timothy and his family moved to Spotsylvania County.
“This was an incredibly difficult transition for me because not only was I in a brand-new school, but I also had to make the transition to learning online. And with virtual learning, I found it hard to focus on my work.”
The pandemic only made Timothy’s social anxiety worsen, stripping him of all opportunities to interact with anyone outside of his immediate family.
“And though my home life was good,” he says, “my father was sick for most of my life. And seeing him struggle really impacted me.”
Throughout Timothy’s childhood, his father battled diabetes, needing dialysis treatments every two days. And though Timothy put on a brave face, the constant hospital visits really took a toll on him.
His only outlet was music.
As he got better with his craft, Timothy’s confidence slowly began to grow. He graduated from Spotsylvania High School in 2023, and when his eldest sister recommended applying to Germanna to pursue a general studies degree, Timothy decided to give it a shot.
“I wasn’t sure of which path I wanted to take or what I wanted to pursue in the future, so I came to Germanna to figure it out,” Timothy says.
And that’s just what he did. In his first year at Germanna, Timothy found that he took an interest in psychology. He decided to specialize in that subject area and pursue a paraprofessional counseling certificate.
“Coming to Germanna helped me figure out what I wanted to do in my career and gave me the confidence to pursue my goals.”
Timothy also thanks Germanna for empowering him to come out of his shell and meet new people—something he struggled to do all of his life. Attending Germanna was like a breath of fresh air for Timothy. He was suddenly surrounded by encouraging and supportive faculty, staff, and classmates, and he was finally able to connect with his peers on the one thing he loved the most—music.
Timothy decided to start Germanna’s first music club, the Grizzly Groove, with a few of his friends. The club aims to build a network of musicians and music lovers at the College, providing a safe space for them to practice and perform together. Today, Timothy is the president of the club. And with his leadership role and the support of his club mates, he has never felt more self-assured.
“Being the president of the Music Club has given me more confidence and helped me come out of my shell. I’ve also had the opportunity to gain valuable leadership skills. I truly feel like I have found myself at Germanna.”
Because of his deep love for music, Timothy has begun exploring a future career in music therapy, where he can help others with music just as he feels music has helped him. He is currently employed part-time at a local Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Clinic, working hands-on with children who have autism. And he loves it.
As Timothy heads into his last year at Germanna, he’s excited for what the future holds after graduation. And for him, this graduation means the world.
“During my senior year of high school, my dad was in a very dire state. His health was deteriorating quickly, so he wasn’t able to attend my high school graduation. But since then, he has gotten a kidney transplant, and he is doing much better now. I’m excited that he will get to see me graduate from Germanna in the spring.”