#CYPresidential

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 school. It took initiative to come back to school after leaving, and it was that same determination that kept her going through her classes at […]

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 she worked hard to make that dream a reality. That included joining the military, which she says “sharpened” her, and applying to four-year colleges. She […]

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 his drive to help others. But his motivation to support people found other outlets along the way. He also helped fellow students through leadership roles […]

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 run lines with fellow theater students through Zoom glitches during lockdown, Preston has used acting techniques that call for quick thinking and inventiveness. As a […]

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 good high school and achieving high grades, but found that way of life stifling and at odds with the way he really wanted to live: […]

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 wasn’t more to life. She says after six years she decided to stop work completely and turn her attention to school. That’s when she enrolled […]

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 build himself back up and reenter college with a new determination. Now, Justin has branched out beyond his classes. He is helping other students through […]

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 near Cypress. She started her own family when she got married and began raising children, five in total. Looking after a family of seven, in […]

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 sustenance and wanted to share this message. He sought education in this arena, to better inform himself and others, and began to research programs in […]

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 her engaged at the school was the Legacy Program. Through it, Ayah spoke at events, helped represent the club at Kindercaminata, and aided in planning […]

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 give up – even when times were tough. That includes a difficult final year in which he lost his father to COVID-19 and contracted the […]

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. Her mother recovered but after a month and a half Abigail’s grandmother passed away. Although it was a difficult final year, Abigail is graduating in […]

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 State Fullerton but left after his mother passed away. He began studying at Cypress College after a hiatus and began working toward a Film, TV, […]

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 had to support herself at a young age, and thinking about her future had to wait. She began working in Downtown Disney at Haagen Dazs […]

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 was cut short in high school when he dropped out to help his aunt and uncle at the flooring store they owned. His aunt had […]

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 caregiver. At a young age, she cared for her ailing father, who passed away when she was only 12 years old, and she ended up […]

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 interests and passions: to be an animator; to be like his MRI technician dad; and to turn his politics and government interest into becoming a […]

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 to attend Cypress College because it “seemed to be the best fit for me as I transitioned into higher education.” In his first semester, he […]

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 involved in a number of extra-curricular activities, including the Muslim Student Association and Business Club. She found her niche in accounting after participating in Accounting […]

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 third time, she found herself registering for college classes at Cypress College. Jessica is graduating with her associate of science degree for transfer in […]

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 since day one. She is a proud member of EOPS, a program she learned of by happenstance. “I recall accidentally walking into some random office […]

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 communication studies. She hopes to transfer to Cal State Long Beach in fall 2020, and until then, will continue working in the college’s International Students […]

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 and found herself in an “extremely negative environment.” Pulling from her own experiences, Sandra said she is most passionate about helping others overcome obstacles, especially […]