Stefany grew up in Sacramento, California where she is the oldest of three and the daughter of Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants. Stefany decided she wanted to pursue a career in the medical field when her brother was diagnosed with Leukemia shortly after she started community college. When she found out about the affiliation UC Davis has with the hospital and the student-run clinics, she realized she couldn’t wait to be an Aggie!

Family can be an important part of a students journey through higher education, and for Sandra Vivian-Calderon, her family is the reason she sees graduating as a symbol of strength, and that her parents’ sacrifices, as well as her own, are worth it.

Jenny Hoang  Psychology '21

My ancestors originated from China, but during the Japanese invasion, my family moved to Vietnam hoping to live a better life. To avoid the Vietnam war, they sought refuge in Hong Kong before finally taking a boat to San Francisco, where my family settled. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, my family split. Half of them stayed in SF, and others migrated to Oakland, where I grew up.

Diana is a first-year transfer, first generation student studying Communication at UC Davis. She is the first in her family to attend a four-year university. She wants to make her family proud and is grateful to her parents for all of their sacrifices. She celebrates her education as not just hers but rather the efforts made by her parents, and she dedicates her hard work to them.

In search of a better life in the United States, Joyce and her family immigrated from Mexico when she was almost two years old. Her background has helped her stay motivated and achieve many accomplishments in college. After she graduates, she hope to inspire many and provide other first-generation students support.

Divine Otico '19 Cognitive Science

I was born in the Philippines and migrated to the U.S. when I was 11 years old to meet my parents for the first time. At 16 years old, my parents divorced. After the divorce, my dad lost his job and we lost our home too. By 18 I was homeless, so my best friend’s family took me in. I lived with friends or other relatives until my dad got back on his feet again.

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As a first-generation college student and American, Niloufar was ready to face the obstacles ahead of her. Transferring into UC Davis was a challenge, but she felt welcomed and was able to get the support she needed to succeed.

Coming from a hard-working and strong-willed family, Alexandria was motivated to do her best and reach a four-year university. Now, in her last year, she has enjoyed being able to have a chance at work in research and pave the way for others like her.

If you feel like maybe you don't belong at UC Davis, or it seems like everyone around you knows something you don't, you may be suffering from imposter syndrome. Vice Provost & Dean for Undergraduate Education Carolyn Thomas describes her own experience.

Lucero Morales '20 Biotechnology

From a young age, Lucero Morales’ parents instilled in her the importance of a higher education. Seeing the spark for knowledge they’d set in her had caught fire, they fanned the flames and offered to support her financially while she went to college. Her high school was considered “low performing” and many of her friends were the first in their family to go to high school. Of her graduating class, she was one of five students to get into a UC and one of only two to get into UC Davis.

Eduardo Silva, Associate Professor at UC Davis, shares his stories on first-generation college grads. He talks about the importance of mentors in high school and graduate school.

Connie Champagne, PhD is the Educational Enrichment and Outreach Programs Director, housing the Biology Undergraduate Scholars Program (BUSP) and Advancing Diversity in Aging Research (ADAR) among other undergraduate research programs. She coaches underrepresented minorities, disadvantaged, and disabled students, supporting them on their journey to succeed with life sciences degrees.

Shiang-Wan Chin '17 Managerial Economics & Communication

My parents immigrated to the United States from Taiwan, and they did it without speaking English. My siblings and I grew up in San Francisco. When applying for college, I knew I had to stay close to home so I could visit my family easily, so I applied only to UC Berkeley and UC Davis.

UC Davis was always my top school. I first became interested because of its world-renowned agriculture economics program.

Jennifer La '19 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Tell us about your first generation background. Where did you grow up and what is your family history? What is unique about your story? 

My family is part of an ethnic minority group from Vietnam known as the Hoa people, ethnically Chinese people who fled to Vietnam to escape economic hardship and violence during the founding of the Republic of China.