Spotlight on our Students
SMC students are our pride. They are accomplished and motivated. Learn what makes them tick and get inspired.
Amber Mitchell
Transfer to Dominguez Hills | Film & Television Production
I was not ready or focused enough to attend college after high school—I’ve had plenty of life experience and success as an actress, and a massage therapist—but when I was ready to continue my education, SMC seemed like a nice environment for me to transition back into life as a student.
Arin Telimi
Transfer to UC Berkeley | Applied Mathematics
I started SMC after being disappointed with high school, where I wasn’t able to showcase the type of student I was capable of being. SMC gave me a fresh start and the ability to redefine who I was as a student. I was able to find a passion in math, and that motivated me to give my courses the attention I never did when I was in high school. This led me to get admitted into all 5 UCs I applied to: Berkeley, UCLA, UCSB, UCSD, and UCI.
Ji Yoon (Joseph) Lee
Transfer to UCLA | Linguistics and Psychology
In 2020, I started my journey at SMC and all I had in mind was one thing: transfer to UCLA.
It was not an easy journey. I was waitlisted and rejected for the 2022 and 2023 application cycle at UCLA. But I continued the fight, took all types of courses offered at SMC to further enhance my knowledge and GPA, and in the first quarter of 2024, I was finally accepted into UCLA.
Una Aleksic
Columbia University | Psychology
I moved to California in 2016 for studies at SMC and I stayed for two years until I moved back to Sweden in 2018 to gain some working experience. After five years in Sweden, I decided to quit my job and go back to SMC to finish my associate degree and prepare for a transfer. It was my chance to do what I actually wanted.
Emilio M. Bardales
Transfer to UC Berkeley in Mechanical Engineering
At SMC, I immersed myself in anything engineering-related and found a supportive community in the STEM, EOPS, and Adelante programs. Through the STEM program, I participated in two NASA competitions and unexpectedly became the team leader, despite having no prior leadership experience.
Estrella Isamit-Donoso
Transfer to UCLA in Philosophy
The path to SMC was not without its hurdles; initially labeled an international student, I could afford only a single class. Yet, through perseverance and tenacity, I transcended this barrier, ascending to full-time student status. As I prepare to graduate with honors, my sights set on UCLA, I reflect on the shared aspirations of my peers.
