My journey to higher education was filled with turns I never anticipated. My journey began at the University of Rhode Island in their International Engineering Program (IEP), but due to health challenges, I made the difficult decision to leave and return home to California. During this time, my father also passed away from cancer, and for a while, continuing my education no longer felt like a priority. It was my mother who encouraged me to enroll at Santa Monica College, and for that I will always be grateful. Community college became a transformative experience that gave me the space to explore my interests, rediscover my confidence, and figure out the path I wanted to pursue. It also gave me the courage to continue pursuing higher education while navigating my own personal challenges. My time at community college was an invaluable part of my story. It shaped who I became as a student, prepared me for UCLA, and taught me the importance of resilience, perseverance, and having a strong support system. I went from a place where I once considered leaving higher education entirely to graduating from UCLA with triple honors and now preparing to begin my Master’s program this fall. Looking back, I see my journey as a reminder that there is no single path to success, and that with the right support and determination, unexpected challenges can become opportunities for growth.
Although I wasn’t a participant in the program while I was attending community college, I truly wish I had known about it. Looking back, I can see how valuable the mentorship, guidance, and sense of community would have been during my transfer journey. Especially, in helping me become familiar with the resources, opportunities, and organizations available at the UC before transferring. Today, having the opportunity to work with CCCP has allowed me to witness firsthand the impact it has on students. Seeing students gain confidence, navigate the transfer process, and realize their potential reinforces how important programs like CCCP are in creating a transfer receptive culture. It has also motivated me to help ensure that current students have the support and resources that I didn’t know were available when I was in community college.
One of the most memorable experiences I had at UCLA was participating in undergraduate research through the Lemelson Honors Program in the Department of Anthropology. In the program I designed and conducted my own original research which led me to travel aboard to Shanghai, China to conduct fieldwork.
Graduating from UCLA felt like winning a race I once believed was impossible to finish. Just a few years earlier, I had considered giving up on higher education as I navigated the grief of losing my father while facing my own health challenges. There were moments when the finish line felt impossibly far away, but I kept moving forward because of the unwavering support of my family. Earning my UCLA degree reminded me that even after life’s greatest setbacks, it is possible to persevere and accomplish goals that once seemed out of reach.
Currently, I have the privilege of working at the UCLA Center for Community College Partnerships, where I help support and mentor community college students as they navigate their own transfer journeys. I am also pursuing a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning at UCLA, where I hope to combine my interests in equity, community development, and data-informed planning to create more inclusive and accessible communities. Through both my professional and academic work, I hope to continue advocating for communities, using research and planning to better understand inequities, and contributing to solutions that expand opportunities for others.
Everyone should know that CCCP has been breaking barriers and advocating for transfer-centered change at UCLA, across the University of California system, and nationally. Rooted in critical race theory in education, CCCP centers the voices and experiences of transfer students while challenging institutions to rethink how they support community college pathways. This work is important because transfer journeys are rarely linear. Community college students navigate diverse experiences, responsibilities, and challenges while pursuing their educational goals, and CCCP ensures these journeys are recognized as strengths. I am proud to work for an organization that not only uplifts communities and stories that have historically been overlooked but also gives me the opportunity to advocate for resources and support in areas where I personally experienced gaps. Being able to help create the sense of belonging and opportunities I once needed is a wonderful experience.
“You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once, but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.” – Michelle Obama
