Of all the buildings he passed on trips as a child from his hometown of Canton, Georgia, to Atlanta, Andrew Solano frequently found himself drawn toward Georgia Tech’s iconic North Avenue Apartments. Gazing at the buildings looming over the Downtown Connector and bearing Tech’s name, Solano often thought about what he could achieve on Tech’s campus.
“I remember telling myself that if I could make it here, despite everything life had thrown at me, I could prove that people like me could excel,” said Solano, now a second-year international affairs student at Tech. “I knew that the people who had gone here have been successful, and I wanted that for myself.”
Seeking Success
Raised in a single-parent household, with his mother working hard to make ends meet and finances often a source of stress, Solano described his deep-seated determination to find success. Despite challenges in primary school and being told by adults that he would not succeed, Solano pushed himself to keep up with his classmates.
“I knew what I wanted for myself. I wanted to take rigorous classes and challenge myself,” said Solano. “So, I made sure I was doing my best to keep up with them. It wasn’t always easy, but I knew what my end goal was: I wanted to prove to myself that I could surpass expectations.”
By the time he graduated high school, Solano thrived academically and participated in Air Force JROTC, cross country, track and field, swim, and speech and debate.
Solano applied to the Air Force JROTC Flight Academy, to which he was accepted and began his training just two days after his high school graduation. During this time, he also enrolled at both the University of North Georgia (UNG) and Indiana University (IU), where his mother had gone to college.
After graduating from flight school, Solano traveled to the IU’s Bloomington campus, taking classes in person, and continued classes online through UNG. Enrolling in both colleges came out of a desire to both maximize the number of courses he could take at once – decreasing overall costs – while allowing him to explore his interests and experience two unique approaches to a college education.
During his year attending IU, Solano honed his interests in policy and education. He found opportunities for mentorship and committed to the study of how policy influences society. An Indigenous man and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, it was also during this time that Solano discovered a passion for using policy to improve conditions for Indigenous groups.
Transition to Tech
Though he enjoyed his time at IU, Solano approached the end of his first year yearning for additional growth opportunities. He found himself remembering his childhood dreams of Tech and his aspirations to connect with a student body steeped in innovation. On a visit to Tech’s campus, Solano knew Tech would be the right place to foster his ambitions.
“As soon as I stepped on campus, I knew this was where I was going to go,” said Solano. “Sometimes you have to take the ladder that’s given to you, and Tech was my ladder.”
Applying via the Talent Initiative Pathway Program that had been extended to him when he was a high school senior, Solano joined Tech’s campus in Fall 2024. During this transitional period, Solano also undertook the Potawatomi Leadership Program in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
At the end of his time there, Solano partook in the traditional Potawatomi naming ceremony, where he was named “Psakwne,” meaning “spark.” Solano said this served as a harbinger of future progress at Tech.
“It felt like I was supposed to spark a change, and change can be rough because growth is painful,” said Solano. “But I took the challenge, and I came to Tech and have tried to make as much change as I can on campus.”
Since joining Tech, Solano has thrown himself into building campus resources. He’s a chairman of Seven Generations, a student organization for Indigenous students, and he revived the Transfer Student Association, of which he is president.
He was also elected to the Student Government Association (SGA), where he worked on building resources for students and advocated for land acknowledgements in official SGA processes. Most recently, Solano represented Georgia Tech at the Atlantic Coast Conference Leadership Symposium, where he spoke about achieving positive community change.
Tips for Transfers
With many time commitments, including two degree programs he’s enrolled in between Georgia Tech and UNG, Solano has developed strategies to budget his time. During flight school, he learned several organizational methods, like maintaining thorough calendars and accounting for deadlines in advance. Outside of the classroom, he has worked to balance his course load with social and pre-professional life.
“The most important thing a transfer student can do is get involved,” he said. “One connection can lead to many new beginnings.”
Though Solano’s life has been marked by periods of hardship, he continues making progress by steadfastly believing that anything is possible. He has resolved to seek out opportunities for growth and success, as he keeps working toward his goal of building nationwide resources for Indigenous groups.
“I’ve only got one life – why wouldn’t I make the most of it?” asked Solano.
To learn more about transfer pathways, visit the transfer page on the Office of Undergraduate Admission website.