#CYPresidential

Moving to California at age 17 from Vietnam, Bryan encountered language barriers and cultural differences. He was glad to reunite with his mother, who had come to the United States […]

Esmeralda discovered her love of automotive technology simply from being with her brother while he was working on cars. It began as a way to spend time together but soon […]

Benjamin started at Cypress College because his sister wanted to attend at the same time as he did. Once he applied, registered, and began classes, however, his sister told him […]

Chase enjoys being deep in thought, perfect for a Philosophy major. He moved often as he was growing up and came to Cypress at a slightly later age than the […]

Coming to Cypress marked a life-changing moment for Candyce. She had become sober six months earlier, and was ready to rebuild herself after several years of hardship. With shaky self-esteem, […]

Lucky for us, Fullerton College’s Puente Program was almost full when Samantha Ramos applied. Samantha knew she wanted to be part of the affinity group, so she turned instead to […]

Jesus has a thirst for knowledge – which he once considered a blessing and a curse. While it fueled a curiosity that drew him to many interests – sports, gaming, […]

Jamie’s love of writing wasn’t the motivating factor in where she went to college. Cypress simply happened to be close to her home. Here, however, she had a realization that […]

There is so much that Eric went through to get to where he is today. A re-entry student, he came to Cypress College after a 32-year break from higher education, […]

Azusena always wanted to come to Cypress College. She enrolled here after earning her high school diploma at NOCE, where she finished the work she had left incomplete in high […]

Mia came to the United States from Vietnam when she was 15 years old, ready for a challenge. It was her dream to go to college in the U.S., and […]

Anthony Delgado’s mission is to help people. He entered the Kinesiology program at Cypress College with the goal of working in sports medicine, which combines his love of sports with […]

Improvisation skills have helped Preston Harris from a young age. Starting with role-playing games as a kid, to leading acting and writing workshops in high school to learning how to […]

Jesse Chang said he started attending Cypress College with a mission to improve himself. He grew up trying to follow a set checklist of life requirements, such as attending a […]

Pauline Lim found herself on an endless treadmill of working for a paycheck and not a passion. At one point she had to step off and ask herself if there […]

Justin Urquilla’s curiosity has fueled his route to higher education. Although his motivation was hampered by insecurities in coming to terms with his queer identity, he took some time to […]

Rasha Jasim took a long road to Cypress College. Originally from Baghdad, she moved with her parents and sister to the United States as a young adult and eventually settled […]

Dan Kim entered the hospitality field at an inhospitable time – during the COVID19 lockdown. He was eager to work in culinary arts. He saw food as more than simply […]

Ayah took classes at Cypress College because of the Charger/Pledge program’s free tuition for students who graduate from any high school in the Anaheim Union High School District. What kept […]

Wilfredo grew up between southern California and El Salvador, and began studying at Cypress College in 2018. He is glad he stuck to his studies in Human Services and didn’t […]

Abigail is studying and working in health care – and has been affected by health care concerns as well. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her grandmother and mother were both hospitalized. […]

Paul has a passion for filmmaking and its transformative effects. He went through sort of a transformation himself after diverging from his first college path; he had enrolled at Cal […]

Jacklyn grew up living in motels with her family in Orange County. When Jacklyn was 16, her mother passed away; when Jacklyn turned 21, she lost her father, too. Jacklyn […]

John is an air conditioning and refrigeration major and was selected as the Presidential Scholar of Distinction for the Career Technical Education Division at Cypress College. His initial educational journey […]

Christina is a psychiatric technology major and was selected as the Presidential Scholar of Distinction for the Health Science Division at Cypress College. Throughout her life, she has been a […]

Nate is a communication studies major and was selected as the Presidential Scholar of Distinction for the Language Arts Division at Cypress College. Growing up, he had a number of […]

Connor is a pre-engineering major and was selected as the Presidential Scholar of Distinction for the Science, Engineering, Mathematics Division at Cypress College. After graduating from high school, he chose […]

Cypress College’s appreciation and value for diversity, along with her older sister’s academic success at the college, motivated Sagidah Karakra to pursue higher education at Cypress College. Sagidah has been […]

Jessica Button has said she’s come further than she ever thought realistic. A fun-loving girl with endless creativity, she chased many different opportunities that deferred her degree completion, but for […]

A first-generation college student and single parent when she first started on her educational journey at Cypress College, Evelyn Hernandez said the college has been her home away from home […]

Born in the Philippines and raised in the United Arab Emirates, Jene Viray is an international student at Cypress College who is graduating with her associate of arts degree in […]

Sandra Enriquez was still in high school when she had her first child. As a young mother who, admittedly, did not understand the reality of being a mother, she rebelled […]