Kim Perez

Environment

Future Plans

• Complete a bachelor’s degree in biology; pursue medical school.

Advice for Students

• Attend office hours, and get comfortable asking anyone questions — professors, the STEM counselor and other students.
• Apply for opportunities and go on trips to conferences.

Kimberly Perez attended College of San Mateo because of the financial help and other resources like tutoring. She adds that it’s a great campus with friendly people and professors, and her major in biology offers a variety of career paths, including medicine.

Perez is applying to transfer in fall 2024, aiming towards attending UC Davis. She wants to go to medical school and become a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, because she loves working with kids.

Perez was selected for a summer program at Stanford’s School of Medicine. She lived on campus, which was hard for her and her parents since she was away from home. The program taught her about preparing for and pursuing medical school. Students explored health equity issues, volunteered at hospitals and were mentored by medical students. Reflecting on the program, she says “You discover opportunities and resources, and they don't seem as daunting as they might have.”

Perez’s mother is from El Salvador and her father is from Guatemala. They immigrated as pre-teens and struggled to raise a family as young parents. Perez’s first language was Spanish, and because her parents worked long hours, she was often at a family friend’s house. Switching schools a lot, learning on her own was hard and she often felt alone. In high school, she joined Key Club and found that she loved volunteering, particularly working with kids.

During the pandemic, her first priority was taking care of her 4-year-old brother. “I put all my attention towards him instead of my classes.”

As a shy person, Perez struggled to ask for help in her first semester at CSM taking in-person classes.

Through the Stanford program, she learned more effective ways to approach her academics, as well as the benefits of studying at the MESA Center and meeting with professors.

This fall, she and other MESA students attended the SACNAS and UC Davis PreMed conferences where she met biology professionals, attended workshops and learned about pre-med and research programs.

Through the MESA partnership with the Stanford Science Small Groups program, she is currently working with her Stanford mentor, Pete Zushin, and several other community college students every Friday. He inspires the students to ask questions and prepare for research opportunities.

Perez makes use of the MESA Center’s study space, computers, tutors, and a place to heat up your food. “The people are what's most valuable to me. They don't judge. They make you feel comfortable.”