Ohemaa is a student at Diablo Valley College, who will be attending the University of California, Berkeley or the University of California, Los Angeles this fall. She will major in English and continue to do so until reaching her ultimate goal of obtaining a Ph.D. in English. Ohemaa’s eventual goal is to become a literature professor at the school of her choosing, with hopes of also owning an editing business one day.
As a first-generation college student from Tanzania, Anni Bamwenda is dedicated to pursue careers in data science and actuarial science. Growing up in a patrilineal community, Anni developed her own voice and gained confidence to stand up for herself. These environmental experiences have taught her to approach every challenge not as insurmountable, but as an opportunity for growth. She aims to be an advocate for women in black communities all over the world.
Eleazar is a first-generation student who will be transferring to either UCLA or UC Davis to major in human biology or nutritional science. An early memory of a bilingual pediatrician has inspired Eleazar to become a bilingual doctor people can confide in and trust. Driven by his passion for health and the desire to help marginalized communities not only at home but abroad, he hopes to obtain his MD to become an orthopedic surgeon. His goal is to have the skills and ability to lend a helping hand to those whose lives may be falling apart.
Maria is a first-generation college student, at Diablo Valley College, who plans on transferring to the University of California, Los Angeles in the fall. Her goal is to obtain a Bachelor Degree in Sociology to ultimately study immigration law. She wants to become an immigration attorney and believes that being bilingual will better assist her in communicating, connecting, and serving the community.
Sabrina attends Diablo Valley College and is a first-generation college student. She is majoring in psychology and will transfer with an Associate Degree in Psychology. Sabrina is excited to attend either UC Berkeley or UC Davis in the Fall of 2020. Despite financial barriers, she is determined to succeed and has done so by utilizing programs such as the Extended Opportunity Program Services to continue her education. She is exploring careers in the medical field, such as nursing, gerontology, and physician assistant.
Ming is a first-generation college student who attends Diablo Valley College and has been accepted to attend UC Berkeley this fall to pursue his degree in electrical engineering and computer science. He is not only a passionate, active, and hardworking student, his special experiences about mental issues also make him care about cultural difference and minorities, which brings diversity to our community. Ming hopes to join a leading lab or research team to study AI with the ultimate goal of enabling a brighter future for all people.
Samuel intends to get a bachelor’s in electrical engineering at UC Davis, San Jose State, or CSU Cal Poly and then continue his studies with a masters in energy efficiency. He hopes to join a company that develops new technologies and participate in research opportunities. Ultimately, Samuel hopes to develop technologies, like affordable wheelchairs, for the disabled in Ethiopia and South Africa and improve programs and services available to them.
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Kaitlin Dey is a mixed, queer, person of color who is the first person in her family to go to college. She will be attending UC Berkeley as a transfer student studying ethnic studies and pre-law. Having experienced the isolation and lack of resources that come with being a marginalized person and student, she developed a passion for uplifting people. While attending Diablo Valley college, Kaitlin founded the Women of Color Association and Students of Color United. After graduating, Kaitlin hopes to practice civil law and open her own practice to be an accessible resource for the community.
Joakin attends Contra Costa College and will be transferring to University of California, Davis, Irvine or Berkeley to pursue biomedical engineering as an undergraduate and eventually pursue a career as an engineer. While at CCC, he has contributed to his community actively through tutoring science and mathematics subjects. Joakin plans to apply his knowledge in developing countries so that all people including the poor, have access to technological health devices.
Uchenna attends Diablo Valley College and will be transferring to Sacramento State University in the fall where she intends to major in journalism. Uchenna is currently a managing editor of her college’ s publication: The Inquirer. She also serves as the executive council officer of the Women of Color Association in her college. Her goal is to become a professional journalist and published author. Additionally, she hopes to advance Women’s rights in Nigeria.
Gilary is a first-generation Los Medanos college student and will be graduating with an AA in Sociology this fall. She plans to transfer to the University of California, Santa Cruz or the University of California Davis to obtain her BA in Sociology. She has been the Student Vice President of the Latina Leadership Network of California Community Colleges. She wants to pursue a master degree in education counseling and become a community college counselor.
Elba is a first-generation college student at Diablo Valley College where she will be graduating with AA degrees in Sociology and Social Justice, and will be transferring to UCLA in the fall as a sociology major. She is a member of EOPS, is an active member in her church, and a member of DVC’s National Speech and Debate Team. She eventually wants to earn her PhD and become a professor in sociology. She wants students to know their voice is important and they are worthy.
Sasha attended Contra Costa College. After being awarded the Kennedy-King Scholarship in 2017 she attended U.C. Berkeley where she became a Regents’ Scholar. She will earn her B.A. in Ethnic Studies this spring, and has been accepted to the Boalt Hall School of Law at Cal. She hopes to earn a judicial clerkship, possibly work as a prosecutor and eventually become a judge.
Kayla currently attends Diablo Valley College and is ready to transfer to a four-year university with a major in political science by the end of spring. Being a first-generation student, she overcame new challenges throughout DVC, especially with the help of the Student Ambassador program. After multiple internships, she plans to work within local government to represent her community and provide support for minorities. One day, she would like to work at a city hall as a supervisor or legislative aid.
Cynthia is an honors student at Los Medanos College. She is majoring in graphic communications and business and will be graduating with four degrees from LMC. She is a student worker in the marketing department at LMC. As a first-generation college student, she hopes to set an example for her younger siblings. She hopes to attend UCLA or ArtCenter. Eventually, she would love to become a graphic communications professor to guide and inspire students interested in using their passion as the driving force of their careers.
Octavio attends Diablo Valley College where he will be getting his AA in Economics and will also minor in business administration when he transfers a UC, Saint Mary’s College, or San Jose State. He has volunteered with several non-profits including The City Eats, Concord Library Homework Club, Queen of All Saints in Concord, and Habitat for Humanity. A budding photographer, Octavio would like to work as a financial analyst at a tech company while also giving back to his community by being a mentor for young students.
Mariely attends Diablo Valley College and will be transferring to a California State University to pursue a Bachelor in Science or nursing degree. A first-generation college student, she has maintained high academic performance while working full time and being a parent. She advocates for the common good of people and hopes to contribute to the current need of bi-lingual healthcare providers in California. Eventually, she would like to become a Nurse Practitioner.
Shreejal is pursuing an Associate in Liberal Arts. Shreejal co-founded and co-led a community organization, richmondcodes, which provides underserved schools with resources in Computer Science. He also served as the College District Student Trustee and Captain of the Contra Costa College Speech and Debate Team. He will be attending UC Berkeley to pursue a degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. Eventually, he would like to start his own company that helps support low-income communities of color.
Tiffany Lynch graduated from Los Medanos College Spring 2020. She will transfer to Sacramento State in fall 2020 to pursue a Bachelor Degree in Fashion Merchandising and Management. Using her skills, she will pursue a career in the buying and selling of apparel as a fashion merchandiser. While working, Tiffany will continue to pursue her education by enrolling into graduate school to pursue her masters. She hopes to use her education and work skill to one day open her own boutique. She dreams of having her own global brand someday.
Walter attended Contra Costa College where he was awarded the Kennedy-King Scholarship in 2011. He attended U.C. Davis and earned a B.S. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. He is currently finishing a Master’s program in Cellular Biology at San Francisco State and will start a Ph.D. program at the University of Utah in Molecular Biology. He wants to focus on cancer biology research as a career.
Brenda is a first-generation college student at Diablo Valley College and plans to attend Saint Mary’s college of California this fall to pursue her degree in communication studies. She plans to become a manager in media production in the cosmetic industry. With her communication skills she plans to promote her own skin care line that empowers both men and women to feel confident in their natural skin.
Karin discovered her passion for medicine while volunteering at a free medical clinic. She was introduced to individuals with health issues that worsened from lack of health education and accessibility to affordable health-care. At Diablo Valley College, Karin is founder of the Health Ad-Hoc Committee, which aims to establish free health services on-campus for students. Karin plans to earn a Bachelor Degree in Microbial Biology and has been accepted to UC Berkeley. She then plans to attend medical school.
Janae attends Diablo Valley College and plans to transfer to a California State University this spring. With over 10 years of experience working in healthcare, Janae has served her community, working with patients ranging from of a wide range of ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Continuing to maintain academic honors, Janae plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing, and ultimately aspires to work as a Clinical Nurse Leader after obtaining her MSN Degree.
Veronica is a Diablo Valley Student who has been accepted to UC Berkeley where she will complete her Bachelor Degree in Sociology. As a first-generation college student she has achieved academic honors at DVC. Veronica is passionate about community service. One of her many accomplishments were the construction of a middle school in Kenya. Veronica is a passionate learner and will be pursuing a Master’s degree in Law or Business to help achieve equity in the corporate world..
Arturo Ramirez is a Latino, queer, first-generation college student attending Contra Costa College. He plans to major in computer engineering at San Jose State University and aspires to become a software engineer. He enjoys helping his community by tutoring students of under-represented backgrounds through the METAS program. He is the Co-President of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. He wants to program video games that make people happy and can help them make friends.
Edwin is a social justice/pre-law major at Contra Costa College planning to attend UC Berkeley or UC Irvine. Having suffered xenophobic attacks, Edwin realized injustices would not change without getting involved with the college community. He serves as a student for the CCC Associated Student Union, volunteers as an interpreter, and advocated for a prayer room for the Muslim community. His dream is to graduate from law school and someday become the first queer immigrant Justice on the Supreme Court.
Kimberly attends Contra Costa College as a first-generation college student, and plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Being a full-time student, Kimberly still manages to give back to the community as an information and referral ambassador at the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, where she eventually would like to practice nursing. Kimberly sees herself as a BSN and working as a Registered Nurse in addition to achieving home ownership which has been a lifelong goal of hers.
Sandra attended Contra Costa College. She attended U.C. Davis where she earned a B.A. in Psychology. Since graduation she has been working at a non-profit agency as a mental health case manager. She is currently enrolled at San Jose State in a Master program in Social Work. She hopes to become a licensed clinical social worker specializing in adult mental health.
Arturo is a first-generation college student planning to major in business administration. He is waiting to hear from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, California State University East Bay, San Francisco State University, and San Jose State University. He is an active volunteer with the cities of Richmond and San Pablo and at other organizations. His goal is to publish a book about his experiences, operate his own business, and open a community center where young children and families can find a variety of services.
Dante attended Contra Costa College where he was awarded the Kennedy-King Scholarship in 2016. He attended San Jose State and earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He is now enrolled at Cal State East Bay in a Master program in Construction Management. He has done an extensive internship in risk management and hopes to enter a Ph.D. program in the future.
Mberry majors in Business at Diablo Valley College and plans to transfer to Cal State East Bay. She had planned on becoming a teacher, but was offered an AA role at an NGO dedicated to women and girl’s empowerment. She was then promoted to a finance assistant, which introduced her to the business world. Following graduation from Cal State East Bay, she plans on obtaining her CPA, work for a prestigious accounting firm, and eventually own her own practice where she plans to hire women and provide low or no cost financial statements for female owned non-profits and organizations.
Aziz is a first-generation DVC student, majoring in political science and hopes to attend UC Berkeley, UCLA, or UC Santa Barbara. Working 30-35 hours per week has not prevented him from doing well in college and volunteer work, which has included: Model United Nations Club treasurer, Veterans Alliance Club VP, Student Veterans Group, and cohort lead at the 5th Annual Afghan-American Conference (AAC) in Irvine. Eventually, Aziz would like to complete a law degree and explore careers in international law and diplomacy. .
Darling attended Contra Costa College where she was awarded the Kennedy-King Scholarship in 2015. She attended U.C. Berkeley where she earned a B.A. in Sociology. She is currently enrolled at Saint Mary’s College in a Master program in Counseling. She plans to become a marriage and family therapist and as a clinical counselor serving the Richmond community.