“I wish that the Hispanic community would do a better job of not siloing themselves off. There’s so much potential if we stop looking at each other from a deficit lens and stop gatekeeping. There’s so much opportunity to collaborate and make real progress.”
Dr. Christian Barrientos believes in the transformative power of higher education, a love instilled in him by his Colombian parents and early exposure to college readiness programs like the Rhode Island Children’s Crusade. “Since the age of 3rd grade, I’ve been stepping foot on college campuses in one way or another,” he laughs.
In 2006, Christian and his family moved from Rhode Island to South Carolina. A few years later, he began high school and was nominated to participate in Furman’s college readiness program, Bridges to a Brighter Future. He describes joining this program as a “pivotal moment” that led him to see college as a possible option for his life. In 2015, he became a first-generation college graduate of Furman University. His love of education later led him to Clemson University, where he earned a Master’s degree in Student Affairs in 2019 and a PhD in Education Leadership in 2024.
Christian works at Clemson University as the Director of Tiger Alliance and Associate Director of College Preparation and Outreach. In these roles, he empowers college students to find their own path to a full life. “College is a gateway to networks, to opportunities, to build your toolkit,” Christian remarks. “College gives you different things that you already had; they just enhance it.”
Despite his belief in the importance of higher education, Christian clarifies that “I’m not going to be the person who tells you that you have to go to school…There’s no one way to do something…Everyone’s reality isn’t that they’re going to a four-year school right away.” However, he emphasizes the importance of providing everyone with access to the same knowledge and resources necessary to pursue their own goals. “We don’t want to take autonomy from people, right?…We’re not going to take their ownership of their own experiences.”
Mentorship: Transformative for Both Parties
Mentorship, Christian believes, provides crucial support for individual and community flourishing, something he learned through personal experience as a mentor. Over the past seven years, Christian has regularly served as a mentor through the Hispanic Alliance, Legacy Early College, and Clemson’s Masters of Student Affairs program.
Despite juggling full-time work, earning multiple degrees, business ownership, marriage, and the birth of his daughter, he insists that “You make time for what you want” and encourages others to not let busy schedules prevent them from considering mentorship. He argues that mentoring with a constricted schedule “just means that your mentorship style is going to look different…maybe it’s not conducive for mentoring a high school student, but maybe it is for a college student who’s a little more hands-off.” Christian believes that students benefit from exposure to adults with different types of education and career paths, but calls mentorship “transformative” for both parties.
The Power of Strategic Partnership
His belief in the power of tapping into human potential through intentional relationships does not stop at the individual level. For everyone to thrive, Christian emphasizes the necessity of partnership across organizations and communities. He comments, “I wish that the Hispanic community would do a better job of not siloing themselves off…There’s so much potential if we stop looking at each other from a deficit lens and stop gatekeeping. There’s so much opportunity to collaborate. There’s so much opportunity to come together and make real progress.”
In the face of increasing national division, Christian recognizes the urgency of this need for connection across communities. He notes that intentional partnership enables each organization to resist the temptation to try to meet every need. Instead, organizations and businesses can share resources and knowledge through strategic partnerships that strengthen the entire community. With the need Christian saw in his community and the nation, he founded Dr. CB Consulting, a bilingual consulting and coaching firm that supports individuals and organizations with empowerment coaching, college and graduate school preparation, and leadership development.
Ultimately, Christian believes in the interconnectedness between the individual and the broader community. Whether serving as a mentor or developing organizational partnerships, “We don’t have to be the answer for everyone,” he says. Through strategic partnerships between individuals, organizations, and communities, we can remove barriers to human flourishing and create a more just world.
