ALUMNI NEWS 2012

Stephanie Yee

Bio 100A - Fall 2010

My name is . I was born and raised in San Francisco, and graduated from Lowell High School in 2009. I am currently in my last year at UCLA, studying Molecular Cell Developmental Biology, and minoring in Society and Genetics. I'm considered a pretty average student on campus - the same age as most graduating seniors, just another kid at a public university. However, for a while, I was a member of what colleges like to call "non-traditional students".

In late March of 2009, I finally received news of my enrollment status from the 10 colleges I had applied to. I was ecstatic because I had been accepted to my first choice school out of state. I began to dream about going to college, of starting afresh in another place, of a new adventure. However, I was brought back to reality by early April, when my older sister was accepted as transfer student to a four-year university. My sister and I both wanted to escape from the drama and waves of oscillating emotions that were born in conjunction with my mother's cancer diagnosis in late November, however, one of us needed to stay behind to take up family responsibilities. So instead of leaving San Francisco, I enrolled at City College of San Francisco, found a variety of odd jobs for 30-40 hours a week (weekends and between classes), took care of my baby brother, and tried to be optimistic. Definitely not how I imagined life after high school.

As I reflect on the recent years in my life, I realize how much studying at CCSF changed me.

After high school, I had all intentions to attend a private, out-of-state university, and thus I did not apply to many colleges that were closer to home. I quickly learned that many people tend to doubt my academic integrity and credibility when told that I go to school at a community college. A lot of it was pride. I graduated from a magnet "the smart kid" high school, and I ended up at a community college, where I'd thought all the people who didn't get into colleges go. I avoided classmates from high school, fearful that they would say something like: "Stephanie! I thought you put down that you were going to Chicago in the yearbook! Was that a lie?" I felt a lot of resentment because my dreams of going to medical school had been shattered - (there was no way I getting into med school now. My GPA sucked, and only high school extracurricular volunteering at UCSF showed my 'passion" for medicine). I was taking all the classes I needed to fulfill IGETC for a transfer university, but to me, it was just a frivolous plan to get back 'on track", just in case things turned out better than I expected.

I enrolled in Crima's BIO100A class in the Fall semester of 2010. I have no hesitation in saying that this class helped me gain my confidence back. (Wow, that sounds like a sappy commercial. It's true though!) All it really took was a caring teacher to stand on my side - from enrolling in the class to begin with, to encourage me, to help find my love for biology again, to help me explore research, to offer me a tutoring job, and of course, to teach me.

While at CCSF, three things really pushed me to work towards my goal. One of these was my BIO100A class and honors component which helped me find my passion in hematology research, the STEM program, which exposed me to and encouraged me to apply for the Stanford Summer Healthcare Opportunities Program (a different story, but is the second pivotal moment for me), and finally, learning about humility, which made me realize how lucky I am.

I am now in my second to last quarter at UCLA. I volunteer as an undergraduate clinical researcher in the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine Hematologic Malignancies Research Program, organize bone marrow drives, and participate in a campus ministry for Bread of Life Church where I am learning to reach out and embrace leadership roles. I'm preparing to apply for medical school in June of this year (2013), and I am so grateful for having the chance to get where I am now.

I like to think about my time at CCSF as a lesson that God designed for me. It was a lesson I really needed to learn. As a proud CCSF alumnus, and soon to be a UCLA one, I learned that, although the path to my career objectives may have changed, I have only taken a small detour - I am still committed to reaching my destination. I learned to cherish the lessons this particular path in my life has taught me.

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Last updated January 28, 2013 by Crima Pogge, all rights reserved.