Janelle Harvey- English, AAT
Community college has been a transformative experience for me, shaping me into a better student and a more well-rounded individual. The challenges I faced here, both academic and personal, pushed me to develop resilience, adaptability, and a stronger work ethic. Through interactions with diverse peers and faculty, I gained a broader perspective on life and learned the value of empathy and collaboration. The experiences and trials at community college have not only enhanced my academic skills but also fostered personal growth, making me more confident and prepared for future endeavors.
One of the most notable programs I connected with on campus was UMOJA. This learning community made me feel seen and welcomed, something I hadn’t experienced when I first arrived. The continuous encouragement and support from the faculty and staff helped me discover the ‘why’ in my academic journey. Additionally, the tutoring services in the library were invaluable for improving my writing skills, as peer-to-peer assistance provided the best kind of advice. Connecting with financial aid was also incredibly beneficial, helping me navigate the financial aspects of my education.
After community college, I plan to transfer to the University of California, Santa Cruz, to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Literature. I aim to continue in higher education and potentially conduct research on racial battles and strengths in academia. Thanks to my persistence and faith, I was able to completely turn my academic journey around. I’ll have a longer summer than usual since classes don’t start until late September. I don’t mind this, as it gives me more time to enjoy myself and catch up on personal reading that I missed during the semester. Additionally, I have the perk of moving in a week or two earlier than other students because of the Black Academy program they offer.
I would tell my younger self: everything will work out in your favor if you stay true to yourself and remain strong in your faith. Don’t worry about the little hiccups along the way or the people who don’t particularly like you. While people can be mean and life can get hard, just keep moving forward and act with love. People aren’t worth losing your peace and kindness over; they don’t determine your worth or abilities—they are not you. Stay happy and focused, keep your eye on the prize (those degrees), and everything else will fall into place when the time is right. There are plenty of boys to go around, so try not to get too hung up on just one—they’re not worth the stress.
Lee Checa-Valdez, Psychology – AAT
My time here at Palomar College has been a great learning experience in more ways than one. Outside of the classroom and being a student, working as a Peer Mentor in the Office for Student Success also helped me gain helpful experiences. From these moments, I was able to attain the tools and knowledge to help me in a lot of different situations, both negative and positive. I am truly grateful for that because I love to learn, and I am always happy to be more knowledgeable about whatever may come. I am excited to take what I have learned here, both in and out of the classroom, and apply it into my next step at University!
The programs on campus I got involved with were the UMOJA program/club, Psi-Beta and the Palomar Psychology Club. The UMOJA program especially helped me with my time here at Palomar. My time in the UMOJA program not only made me feel seen and supported, but I also was able to experience great things academically. The symposiums and University trips that we went on helped expand my mind to so many possibilities for my time as a student. The people in UMOJA, whether it was other students or the supervisors, truly helped me learn my potential as a student and overall as a person. My time in Psi-Beta and with the Palomar Psych-Club was a time I enjoyed and loved a lot as well. Psychology is my biggest passion and being in a space surrounded by people who love the same thing as you was very special.
After Community College, I will be transferring to Cal-Poly Humboldt in the fall of 2024. Up there I will be studying to get my bachelor’s degree in psychology. I love all areas and aspects of Psychology; however, I want to focus on clinical and developmental. Even further, I hope to help more with youth who have underserved mental health needs. Youth in marginalized communities, often based on race, sexuality, gender, or economic status, are very underserved when it comes to their mental health needs. My passion for this stems from my own experience with receiving mental health help that was not the best. Besides that, I just see a lot of children and teens struggling and I would like to be a source of help for them. Me achieving this career goal would mean I get to combine my passion of psychology with my passion for wanting to help others. I am very excited for my next academic steps!
The advice I would give to students would be to find your community on campus and find those with whom you can connect with. Connecting with people on campus over shared identity or shared experiences, even shared interests, is a great way to find and build community. Finding community with trusted professors or other faculty, classmates and fellow school club/program members is important. I know I personally have been helped a lot throughout my time here at Palomar because of the communities on campus I found a place in. From these communities I felt loved, uplifted and supported through a lot of hard times. The care and support I received truly helped me thrive as a student. If you find yourself connecting with professors or other students, really try to make that connection grow because often times what comes from it is something so amazing and helpful!