Student Experience at College of San Mateo
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Student Experience


Mariela Buchin
Mariela Buchin Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mariela Buchin has completed more than 25 courses at College of San Mateo. She is a tutor in the College’s Math Lab. She was just accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). And, in June, the 17-year-old will graduate from high school. That’s right. Buchin is a high school student who is attending CSM and West Bay Christian Academy in Redwood City at the same time. She is among 350 other students participating this year in CSM’s Concurrent Enrollment (CE) Program. Buchin has received credit for community college courses in physics, chemistry, engineering, computer science, math, English and biology. (The Program’s students may also apply these credits toward high school graduation.) She is a 4.0 student in high school, and carries a 3.41 at CSM. “I like the different cultures at CSM and there are a lot of great teachers,” Buchin said about her college experience.
Boryana and Stoyan Dineva
Boryana and Stoyan Dineva UC Berkeley, Economics Boryana Dineva, 25, graduated from CSM last spring with a 4.0 grade point average and was one of the top honor awardees. Stoyan Dinev, 21, graduated with high honors from CSM with a 3.9 GPA. Boryana and Stoyan are sister and brother, scholarly, community service-minded and hard-working students who are now attending UC Berkeley, studying economics.
Mei Zhou
Mei Zhou San Francisco State University "CSM provided tons of opportunities as well as advice to guide me in achieving my goal," says Mei Zhou, a successful transfer student. Recently, Mei learned that her four years of hard work at CSM paid off as she was among the 80 accepted to start San Francisco State University's nursing program this fall; some 800 applied."Getting into a nursing program has always been my dream," she adds.
Aashish Jha
Aashish Jha College of San Mateo, Molecular Biology & Law Aashish Jha, District student trustee: Jha is a second-year student at the College, having immigrated to the United States two years ago from Nepal. He calls CSM "the beautiful 'Harvard on the Hill.'" A molecular biology and law major, Jha hopes to someday attend Harvard or Yale University.
Sandra Rivera
Sandra Rivera College of San Mateo, Human Services Single mother Sandra Rivera is a stand-out student at College of San Mateo, carrying a 3.7 grade point average, working part-time on campus and actively participating in student activities. In 2001, she returned to school to gain the skills necessary for a new career after 22 years in hospital administration. Rivera was also looking for a community college with an assistive technology program for disabled students because injuries prevented her from using her hands to type. She found that and much more at CSM.
Vanessa Castro
Vanessa Castro U.C. Berkeley, B. A., English As a first-time freshman at CSM, Vanessa Castro knew hardly anyone on campus which could have been a tough transition for most people, but not Vanessa. She quickly realized that she needed to reach out and meet new people. As a disabled student, that task was not simple. Vanessa has navigated through daily life with the assistance of a power wheelchair and a communication device to type out what she wants to say. “I would ask random people on campus for help in getting items out of my backpack, and speaking through my communications device, you can imagine that I got many strange looks.” However, she was always able to find someone willing to help–and that’s how she began to meet new people and make new friends at CSM.
Mercedes Teuntor
Mercedes Teuntor College of San Mateo, Dental Assisting Mercedes Teuntor, a 21-year-old dental assisting student, was just looking for a job when she talked with CSM's Student Employment Office last year. But what she found in her position as a student ambassador turned out to be considerably more--for her and CSM.
Darnell Ford
Darnell Ford College of San Mateo With that smile—and it is a winning smile—College of San Mateo student Darnell Ford is going places. One of those places may be the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a four-year college to which Ford hopes to transfer when he completes his studies at CSM. And he is optimistic because he believes good things are going to happen. “My life thus far is nothing short of a miracle,” says the 25-year-old student from Gary, Indiana. “I’ve overcome a lot of adversity and I still face some today. But I manage to stay focused and aligned in my new path of life.”
Colin Jackson
Colin Jackson College of San Mateo CSM student Colin Jackson didn't follow the traditional path to college. He was home schooled by his parents, who would provide materials to their son and let him do his thing.
Patrick Burns
Patrick Burns UC Berkeley, Latin American Studies Patrick Burns is attending UC Berkeley as a Latin American Studies major, having transferred from College of San Mateo at the end of the Spring 2008 semester. "I struggled in high school, and I knew that if I worked hard at CSM, I would have a second chance to apply to UC Berkeley," he said. "Little did I know that I was about to embark on a journey that would change my life."
Emanuela Quaglia
Emanuela Quaglia College of San Mateo, Broadcasting and Electronic Media Emanuela, 36, is an "A" student studying broadcasting and electronic media as an international student. She's also president of the student club Mediate-started this year at for all media technology students-and an officer in the honor society Phi Theta Kappa.
Candice Alfaro
Candice Alfaro College of San Mateo, A.A., Political Science
UC Berkeley, Political Science
As a first generation college student, Candice Alfaro grew up in a family that valued education and expected her to earn a college degree. While she was academically prepared to go from high school to a university as a freshman, like many students, she was undecided about what major to study and thought CSM would be a good place to start college. At CSM, Candice was able to explore various subjects, experience student life and discover what path she wanted to pursue.
Alex Guiriba
Alex Guiriba UC Berkeley, Sociology On the advice of his high school counselor, Alex Guiriba scrapped the idea of going to a local state university and enrolled at CSM. According to Alex, that was some of the best advice he ever received.
Richard Tyler
Richard Tyler College of San Mateo, Electronics Technology "When I was five years old, I took my aunt's television remote control apart," said College of San Mateo alumnus Richard Tyler, recalling when he first became interested in electronics.
Frank Simpson
Frank Simpson College of San Mateo, A.S., Electronics Through CSM’s electronics program, Frank learned the theories and applications widely used in the industry. “The hands-on instruction I received at CSM was so valuable because I could apply what I had learned as soon as I was hired as an engineering technician,” says Frank.
Allan Young
Allan Young Brigham Young University, Political Science and Philosophy College wasn’t in Allan Young’s game plan when he graduated from high school, but following service in the Marine Corp, he thought he would give higher education a try. Although he hadn’t defined his academic goal, CSM provided Allan with an affordable way to explore many different subjects and find his strengths.
Giovanni Wong
Giovanni Wong Canada I was very impressed with the resources that CSM provided me to fully achieve my goals and dreams. Not only does CSM provide great academic support, but also gives students the opportunity to develop leadership skills to become the future leaders of tomorrow.
Gino De Grandis
Gino De Grandis College of San Mateo, Photography A native of Venice, Italy, Gino De Grandis was a well-established chef and owner of a successful restaurant. While satisfied with his career, his passion had long been photography. Self-taught in the fundamentals, Gino knew that if he was to become a serious photographer he would need more formal education. Gino recalls, “One day, CSM’s Schedule of Classes arrived in my mail and it changed everything.“ While flipping through the pages of the schedule, he found that CSM offered a photography program. Upon enrolling in his first classes he was immediately impressed by his professors who were also outstanding professional photographers.
Michelle Okabe
Michelle Okabe San Jose State University, M.S., Accounting With the goal of changing careers, Michelle began taking accounting classes at CSM to see if she liked the coursework. Her experience at CSM turned out to be so positive that she ended up taking all of the accounting courses in addition to many computer courses.
Victor Fong
Victor Fong California Poly San Luis Obispo, B.S. According to Victor Fong, attending College of San Mateo was one of the easiest choices he made after getting discharged from the United States Marine Corps. The transition from a Marine to student was not an easy one but Victor kept an open mind and stayed motivated which helped him meet the challenges he faced.

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