Also read: immigration, Aetna, mentoring, education, Latino, career advice

Raymond Arroyo is the chief diversity officer at Aetna, No. 48 on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® list.

When I was in high school, I didn't have an adult who mentored me other than my oldest sister, Carmin, who is 10 years older than I am. She was the first in our family to earn a college degree, and I admired her and her achievement because none of my other siblings had graduated from college.

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I was, however, inspired by my high-school classmates, who cared deeply about their future. They all had goals and a clear vision for what they wanted to achieve academically. They were talented, had the will to succeed and never doubted that they were going to pursue their goals at full speed. They also had mentors--and failure wasn't an option.

I remember Mickey Vazquez, the first-rate, high-achieving student who was kind, soft-spoken and disciplined. He was smarter than most of us, achieving 100 percent on virtually every test and project. He was also humble and always made time to welcome someone into his life and into his home. I remember the countless times that we played Ping-Pong at his parents' home in Cayey, Puerto Rico.

Exactly as Mickey and his mentors planned, he completed his bachelor's degree, continued with his studies, and then earned a medical degree. Today, Mickey is a respected--and respectful--U.S. physician specializing in nephrology (the diagnosis and management of kidney disease).

As a youngster, Mickey was humble and kind. And there were others in my high-school class who were like him, too--students who dreamed of, and prepared for, becoming dentists, lawyers, professors, architects and engineers. They all made it. They all had someone helping them along the way.

My Journey

I learned that in order to succeed, I must have clear goals. Mentors are also helpful. Although this may seem like a simple observation, the importance of having mentors rings as true today as it did in the 1980s and before then. It's also particularly true for students of color, who often don't have as many visible role models available.

So it's important to set a clear goal for yourself. Develop a plan and monitor it. Long-term goals are achieved in small increments, and goals without a plan are nothing but a wish. Also, identify role models who can guide you along the way. While it will never be easy to accomplish any important goal, it will be worth the effort.

You will not regret it. My high-school friends did not.