The WEST STUDENT Project
The West Student story archive preserves, recognizes, and honors the diversity of the West student experience. The project provides the opportunity for West students to record and share their stories. At the same time, it creates an archive for future generations.
JAYRO, Biological Sciences
"Wanting to be a physician came from my father having a cardiac arrest...I'm a member of the PUENTE program...I've found that program has really helped me mature as a student. It's helped me excell...When I came here, I had very poor writing skills, just very poor academic skills and they really showed me a better way...finishing high school with a 2.6 GPA. I now have a 4.0...I was accepted into UCLA for the summer (pre-med program)"
CHRISTIAN, Math Major & Tutor
"My biggest challenge was fighting my outside life apart from school - learning how to leave my problems outside of the classroom...I was actually sleeping in the back seat of my car [Spring 2013]…after the end of that semester, not only did I finish with a 3.3 GPA, I was accepted to the Honors Program"
SEBASTIAN, ASO President & JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) Intern
“I was raised by my grandma and she really taught me the value of education…. She was very smart and was able to do great things with very little education. So she always told me that if she was able to do this with an 8th grade education, imagine what you can do with a masters degree or a PhD. So I’ve always thought education is one of the most important things and it’s what’s going to get you to succeed in life."
DORIAN, Disabled Students Program Services Senator & Aspiring Psychologist
“Just because a person has a disability doesn't mean that they can't be something in society. I'm definitely the type of person who has broken down a lot of barriers, broken stereotypes here at this campus for certain things. Being part of ASO and being the DSPS Senator I feel like I can show a person or show the student council that just because a person has a disability doesn't mean that they can't be something in society."
PAUL, Computer Science Club President & Hack-a-thon Champion
"I chose computer science because computers influence the brains that run our world today."
HARPREET, ASO Vice President
“I want to encourage other people to utilize their voice and be heard. Protesting, organizing and being politically active is really empowering. So that’s one of my passions that evolved from my activities in organizing, political protest and rallies…. I want to encourage other people to utilize their voice and be heard to get their problems addressed rather than living with them and accepting them as a norm."
ANNE, Project LEARN Student
"If I didn’t let cancer beat me...
Believe in yourself; you can do anything you put your mind to. I just don’t accept no; I don’t like people to say you can’t do something. How do you know I can’t until I try…. Believe in yourself; you can do anything you put your mind to."
TATIANA, Women's Basketball Center
"My goals for the next 5 years are to achieve a degree in college and go on and play basketball and eventually, hopefully play overseas."
SAL, Bio-Chem Major & Cal Tech Intern
"Straight of high school I applied to a couple of universities and I had a solid GPA but at the time when I was applying, unfortunately you know, the recession was in the midst and it hit my family kind of hard so a lot of support I was going to get from my family sort of dried out so then In coming to that …I decided I would be better prepared if I came to a community college"
RONISHA, Communications
"I got an opportunity to work for Westweek [online newletter] …I’m like ‘know what?’This is me and I’m good at it.’ So, why not do something that I’m naturally good at and perfect it as a skill? I’m even building a portfolio because of West…I kind of started my life completely over going from making $25 an hour and I’m poppin', to God completely taken everything from me ...I going to let it drive me to be a better human being."
RYAN, Business Administration - Logistics & Supply Chain Management
“I didn’t take high school seriously, but you get serious and now it’s time to actually crunch down and dig deep.”
I didn’t take high school seriously, but you get serious and now it’s time to actually crunch down and dig deep…. Don’t waste your time. Do it now. Get it over with.