A Dream Alive
Aurelia Rhymer came to SMC dreaming of going to UCLA, but by her own admission, she had some growing up to do.
She joined SMC’s Black Collegians program—and matured into a leader—and when she “lost confidence” while taking science classes, she overcame her aversion to asking for help.
The counselors she reached out to encouraged her to join the STEM program, and Aurelia became unstoppable. She was named a President’s Ambassador, and selected by the SMC Foundation to serve as a Dale Ride Intern in the Washington, D.C., offices of Congresswoman Janice Hahn and the humanitarian agency CARE. “All these experiences made me who I am today,” says Aurelia.
Aurelia credits her beloved mother—as well as her faith in God—for keeping her motivated. She wants to change the landscape of public health, and practice medicine in her South Los Angeles community. She remembers how the kids in her neighborhood thought of USC—only a stone’s throw away—as a place “far up on the mountain.” Aurelia wants to show them that “just because you live in a low-income neighborhood, does not mean you can’t get an education and change your life.”
Aurelia Rhymer graduates with an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts – Social and Behavioral Science, as well as an Associate Degree in General Science.
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