Fri Jan 24, 2025: Pathways to Excellence: Community College to Stanford – A Transfer Success Student Panel

My name is Sebastian Pintea and I’m a junior at Stanford University, studying Environmental Systems Engineering and minoring in Spanish on the premed track. I graduated from Santiago Canyon College with associate’s degree(s) in biology, chemistry, liberal arts: humanities, and liberal arts: math, and sciences. I grew up in Corona, California where I explored my intersectional interests in mental health, sustainability, and medicine. At my CC, I was involved in student government where I spearheaded numerous events related to sustainability and mental healthcare such as Earth Week. I started my school’s STEM club and was involved in PTK and the honors program where I presented research at 3 conferences at UCI and Stanford. My past summers included research at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, UPenn Perelman School of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine, and Harvard University, resulting in poster presentations and ongoing manuscripts. At Stanford, I’m the co-founder of project AWISH at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital which aims to reduce medical waste and promote sustainability in healthcare. I continue my environmental health activism with Students for a Sustainable Stanford, Stanford Climate and Health, and Cardinal Free Clinics alongside working as a clinical research assistant at the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine and a social behavioral science intern at the Office of Sustainability. In my free time, I enjoy engaging in hobbies related to water polo, cooking, and dancing on one of Stanford’s competition-based hip-hop teams. I look forward to speaking with you all about my transfer journey along with my CC peers at Stanford!

My name is Carla Galaise, and I’m a transfer student at Stanford and a single mother to a 10-year-old boy. Last May I graduated from Connecticut State Northwestern Community College with a degree in General Studies. I was active on my campus and in the community, serving as CSCU’s Student Regent representing 54,000 students on the Board of Regents, as well as Chair of the Student Advisory Committee. I’ve acted as an advocate for community college students at the state and national level, speaking with Connecticut state legislators and congressional delegates, as well as a Legislative Intern for the Connecticut General Assembly. I held a variety of roles directly on campus including VP of Fellowship for my Phi Theta Kappa chapter, VP of Student Senate, VP of the Poetry Club, and a mentor in the Peer2Peer Mentoring Program where I worked with 50 students over the course of the academic year. I’m a Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholar, as well as the 2023 Soroptimist Live Your Dream North Atlantic Region. Prior to my time at Northwestern, I lived in Burlington, Vermont where I held a variety of positions including Executive Assistant for a large non-profit and Lead Marketing Administrative Assistant for a bank. I’ve also held roles on the boards of the Epilepsy Foundation of Vermont and Ascension Childcare, and acted as a public speaker publicly advocating for issues on domestic violence awareness, child welfare, and early childhood education.c

My name is Linus Yeh and I am an incoming transfer student to Stanford. I was born and raised in SoCal and I am planning on double-majoring in Political Science and Psychology. I attended El Camino College where I earned an associate degree in political science. While I did speech and debate in both high school and community college, my time as a senator in El Camino’s Associated Students Organization (ASO) showed me that my true passion lay in helping others. As a result, I pivoted my focus from debate to student government. While there, I was a member of various committees and even chaired the Initiatives committee for a time. However, my favorite committees were always the ones where we would make the biggest impact. Those committees are where I enjoyed advocating for a variety of student groups, including students with dependents, disabled students, and unhoused students. While my CC was not under-resourced, I was blown away by the sheer amount of opportunities that Stanford provided. I am hoping to participate in research, Cardinal Quarter, and study abroad when I return from my gap year. I look forward to meeting you all and helping with your transfer journeys!

My name is Warda Ali, and I am a first-generation college student from Sacramento, CA. I attended American River College, where I earned three associate degrees in Psychology, Social Science, and General Science, while pursuing my passions outside the classroom. My main roles as a student leader and community organizer included serving as the Associated Student Senate President of my community college and Vice President of Phi Theta Kappa. I explored my passion for community education and outreach by volunteering with local mental health organizations focused on increasing accessibility to equitable and culturally sensitive mental health care. I additionally worked with the California Youth Empowerment Network, under Mental Health America California, as the Vice President of a mental health advocacy board. After years of extensive volunteering and completing a research fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, I became deeply interested in pursuing a potential career in research. At Stanford, I am an undergraduate research assistant for the Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Farzana Saleem-Adjah’s lab, and conducting independent research on psychopathology, cultural psychology, and the intersections between rhetoric, stigma, and instances of gun violence in the United States. I am a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship and a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Medical Humanities. Upon graduating, I plan to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. I am honored to work with prospective transfers and am extremely excited to meet you all!

My name is Ayan Dalmar and I am a Junior at Stanford University studying human biology. My specific concentration is the Neural and Psychological Basis of Disease. Like many of my peers in my major I am also on the premed track but am interested in pursuing a joint MD/PhD degree. I graduated from Evergreen Valley Community College in San Jose, CA with Four associates degrees (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Economics, and Business Administration) and one certificate in the Fundamentals of Chemistry. As you can tell by the wide range of academic interests I explored in cc, I started college without a clear vision of my future endeavors. It was through my experience in student government (as a special populations and programs senator and later as President) that I developed an interest in the mind-body connection. Community outreach fostered my ability to interact with both privileged and disadvantaged populations, which ignited my curiosity about the human behavior. This interest has since led me to my current role as a research assistant in the Language and Cognition Lab in the Department of Psychology here at Stanford, where I am working to understand how stressors like noise affect children’s metacognition. As I continue my studies at Stanford, I am eager to deepen my understanding of the complex interactions between mental processes and physical health. Ultimately, I aspire to contribute to the field of medicine through innovative research that addresses the psychological factors influencing health outcomes, enhancing both prevention and treatment strategies for various diseases. I am excited about the future and committed to making a meaningful impact in the lives of others!

My name is Jairo Reynoso and I’m a Hispanic, first-generation transfer student at Stanford University. I’m currently on the pre-med track but intend to major in mechanical engineering. I attended Victor Valley College (VVC) for three years and graduated with associate’s degrees Math and Science, Liberal Arts: Mathematics and Science Emphasis, and an associate’s degree for transfer in Mathematics. VVC allowed me to explore my interests in the intersection between engineering and medicine and while at Victor Valley, I was involved in leadership in my school’s student government and founded our first pre-health club since the start of the pandemic. Amongst some of my involvements, I had the pleasure of being a part of the 2022 UCLA SHPEP cohort which inspired me to help found the Healthy High Desert Initiative, a free clinic offering basic healthcare resources to the medically underserved individuals in the High Desert community. I’ve also had the opportunity to partake in research experiences with NASA, Caltech, and USC Viterbi which have further motivated me to pursue a career as a physician-scientist. Transferring to Stanford has presented me with a wealth of opportunities to achieve my dreams, not just academically, but personally as well. In my free time I love playing with my dogs, going on hikes and watching soccer. I’m excited to share my journey with fellow community college students and I can’t wait to meet you all!