Carlos Arencibia has spent much of his life moving toward the next challenge.

From serving in the Army and deploying overseas to earning a business degree and moving across the country to attend Cal Poly Maritime Academy, each experience reinforced his belief that growth requires stepping outside his comfort zone.

“To me, it's always been about wanting more out of myself,” Arencibia said. “I have an expectation of wanting to become the best version of me.”

Today, Arencibia, a Marine Transportation student, brings that philosophy to one of the most prominent student leadership positions on the Solano Campus as ASI Maritime Academy Council chair.

His path to Cal Poly Maritime Academy began in an unlikely place: aboard a cruise ship.

Finding Maritime

A Miami native, Arencibia joined the Army after graduating from high school in 2018. While serving, he earned a degree in business administration but was still searching for the career he wanted.

After becoming interested in the maritime industry, Arencibia met Capt. Kate McCue, whose career commanding cruise ships he had followed online.

“I told her, ‘I want to be you one day in the future,’” Arencibia recalled meeting McCue aboard Celebrity Edge during a family cruise.

Her response changed his trajectory.

“She told me, ‘It’s simple to be me. Just go to Cal Poly Maritime Academy and do it.’”

Arencibia began researching the academy and preparing to pursue another degree. But shortly after discovering his new career path, he deployed overseas.

He spent 14 months serving as an infantryman in Syria, Jordan and Iraq before returning home and eventually making the move from Florida to California.

The decision was difficult. His family was experiencing health challenges, and leaving home meant putting some distance between himself and the people he felt responsible for helping.

His mother encouraged him to go.

“She told me, ‘You can't spend your whole life waiting on me ... for you to create your future,’” Arencibia said.

That advice helped bring him to Cal Poly Maritime Academy.

Learning to Lead

Once on campus, Arencibia immersed himself in the academy.

He embraced the Corps of Cadets and pursued a series of leadership opportunities, including serving in Corps leadership and student government before becoming ASI Maritime Academy Council chair.

His military experience provided a foundation for adapting to the academy's structured environment.

“Veterans often adapt quickly to campus life because, while a maritime academy is not the military, some aspects are familiar, including uniforms, standards and a structured environment that helps students develop professionalism,” he said.

Arencibia sees his current position primarily as an opportunity to advocate for students and strengthen communication between students and university leadership.

“My biggest role is being an advocate for student voice,” he said.

That sometimes means looking at an issue from a student's perspective. At other times, his business background and leadership experience lead him to consider why the university is making a particular decision.

“I think a big part of my job is bridging that communication between students and administrators and getting to the point where we need to meet in the middle to reach our future potential.”

He also wants students to see ASI as a resource they can turn to with ideas, concerns and opportunities to improve campus life.

“The biggest thing is having resolutions for what students bring to us,” Arencibia said. “If we can't bring resolutions to students, then we're in these positions for no reason.”

Rear Adm. Eric C. Jones (Ret.), superintendent of Cal Poly Maritime Academy, has watched Arencibia take on an increasingly visible leadership role on the Solano Campus.

“With strong leadership skills and a sense of service underpinned by his time in the U.S. Army, Carlos is an exceptional role model to his fellow cadets and students, both at sea and ashore,” Jones said. “He demonstrates, on a daily basis, that bias for action we expect in our future mariners and maritime industry leaders: ‘When you see work that needs to be done, get to it!’”

Looking Ahead

Arencibia is now preparing for the maritime career that first brought him across the country.

He sees his Marine Transportation education at Cal Poly Maritime Academy as a path not only to professional opportunities, but also to achieving a deeply personal goal: providing greater financial security for his mother.

“Knowing my Cal Poly Maritime Academy degree will open the door to a career that will allow me to provide retirement to my mom ... gives me a little bit of peace of mind,” he said.

It is a goal that connects where Arencibia has been with where he is going.

Military service taught him to operate under pressure. His move to California required him to leave what was familiar. The Corps of Cadets and student government have challenged him to lead. His Marine Transportation education is preparing him for the career that first inspired him to come to Cal Poly Maritime Academy.

Now he hopes to use those experiences to help other students as the academy enters its own period of change.

“I think my job is about making sure students and faculty understand that we're all in this together at the end of the day,” Arencibia said.