For many commuter students, finding community can be one of the biggest challenges when entering a college that’s more residence-heavy, since you aren’t able to bond with others in the same way as on-campus residents. It’s easy to feel disconnected and isolated and the journey to finding your group and feeling comfortable can take longer. For Aylin Cortes, FCRH ’27, this challenge was the turning point in becoming who she is today.
Cortes, now a student leader and active member of the Fordham community, recalls her first-year self as almost the opposite of who she is now. “I was really shy, not as outgoing as I am now,” Cortes said. “I was afraid of being myself but I also was just finding out who I am … I tried talking to people, but I couldn’t connect to them that much because I was a commuter and all of the people in my orientation group were residents.” Instead, she got the chance to hang out with the two students she had met during the annual Commuter BBQ — Nushana Alam, FCRH ’27, and Joanne Pan, GSB ’27, who would become part of her journey.
Like many first-years, Cortes’ first day of classes involved going to the Club Fair. “I was walking around seeing what clubs Fordham had to offer when I was stopped by three upperclassmen,” she recalled. Those three upperclassmen were former Executive Board members of the Commuting Students Association (CSA): Kellen Zeng, GSB ’25, Crystal Wu, GSB ’25 and Oscar Zeng, GSB ’25. When expressing that Cortes should consider running for a position on the first-year board, she initially hesitated because of the student government style of the club, as one of the main objectives of CSA is to work toward creating policies to improve the commuter student experience on campus.
Encouraged by her new friends, who were also running for CSA positions, Cortes applied for the position of first year vice president. Taking that step is what changed everything. I met her while on the first year board, and noticed immediately the natural way she took charge. Cortes became the first year board president, where she flourished and was able to grow her skills even further.
“As I grew into my role, I started taking my leadership more seriously and it made me think ahead … I learned that it was okay to ask for help. I wasn’t expected to know everything,” she said.
In a club that demanded constant communication and dedication, Cortes effortlessly acted as a leader, facilitating deeper connections and understanding. She gained skills through leadership, not only learning how to take charge in changing environments and circumstances, but also to maintain empathetic personal relationships. We learned to work well under pressure and stay organized because of her. She would set deadlines earlier than ones set by the executive board for each of us, allowing us to remain flexible and maneuver through last minute changes with ease. “I think it really reinforced our friendship because we were able to stay close and work together on events and policies that were important to people,” she explained.
Cortes has remained a vital part of CSA since then, serving as sophomore and junior board presidents. For her final year in CSA, Cortes is running for executive programming coordinator, a role she’s sure to thrive in. “Now that I’m hopefully joining e-board, I hope to help everyone in CSA a lot more and keep working on things that make a change,” she said.
As her confidence grew within CSA, it began to show in other areas of her college experience as well. Recently, she branched out and challenged herself by joining Candela Latina, a Latin dancing group on campus. “I never really thought about Latin dancing as something I would want to do at Fordham, but this year has inspired me to try new things,” she said. “I’ve been wanting to join but I’ve been very hesitant because I was just coming out of my shell and I was intimidated because I’m not a professional or anything … Now I just wish I joined sooner.” Cortes performed for the first time during Candela’s appearance at the Fordham Men’s Basketball halftime show on Feb. 18.
“Although I’m tired everyday, I feel so happy to be able to represent my own and other Latin cultures with other people at school,” she said. “I’ve also found myself to be more confident in myself and just feeling free to express myself through dancing.” She recalled the intimidation she initially felt when thinking about performing and even being part of a dance group, but she explained how the people she met made it easier, namely President of Candela Victoria Pérez-Huerta, FCRH ’26. “Being surrounded by people who feel like family makes me feel comfortable and confident enough to dance in front of people, no matter if I look funny or am dancing the wrong way. I’m just being me,” she said.
Regarding what inspires her, Cortes spoke of her parents. “They’ve sacrificed so much for me and my siblings. As the oldest child, it’s tough because everything is so new and you’re supposed to create the path for your siblings, but my parents have been very supportive in my journey and I’m very thankful for that,” she said. “My parents aren’t from here, but they’ve made the most out of every resource they had to give me and my siblings a good life. So I try not to make anything stop me from accomplishing my dreams.”
Cortes’ passion shows up in everything she does, especially in her plans for the future. As a psychology major with a minor in marketing, she envisions herself becoming a forensic psychologist and/or a therapist helping teenagers and kids. “I feel like my purpose in life is to help others be happy and I follow that to inspire everything I do in my day to day life,” she said.
For Cortes, college has been about picking up new pieces of herself throughout the years, each adding a new dimension to the individual she is becoming; not to change, but to reveal her true self. The once-shy first-year commuter who faced struggles with connecting is now a prominent student leader on campus, striving to be an example for incoming first-years facing the same challenges. The student who hesitated to put herself out there now performs on a dance team, representing Latin culture in front of a crowd. Through the CSA, Cortes learned that leadership doesn’t mean having all the answers, it means being willing to ask for help while growing alongside board members. And through Candela, she learns that confidence is never about perfection, but about showing up consistently, as herself.
