Jasmine Smith

Hi everyone! My name is Jasmine Smith, and I have just received my associates degree in
Biology to Transfer at Ventura College. I will now be transferring to UCLA as a Microbiology,
Immunology, and Molecular Genetics major in the fall of 2024. When I was a senior in high
school, I was lost, overwhelmed, and had no clue what I wanted to do next. Before covid, I was
a straight A student, and after covid… well, let's just say I wasn’t unbelievably blown away by
my transcript. However, little did I know, attending Ventura college was the best decision I could
have made for both my academic career and my family’s financial situation.

As a child, I wasn’t too aware of the hardships my family faced. My mother's warmth, cheer, and
constant focus on transforming our small apartment into a home kept us safe. Overall, being in
a low income family was manageable, considering my sister and I were well taken care of.
However, this was only the first of multiple hardships to come. When my parents divorced at age
nine, I witnessed and heard things that robbed me of my innocence. I recognized that maturing
at such a young age would be the most difficult challenge to come. To relieve my family of both
financial stress and mental stress, I got a job at a young age in order to pay for my car, school
supplies, and groceries when necessary. Being that I am the first one in my family to pursue this
career path, getting to where I am was not the easiest task, especially with the high amount of
pressures and responsibilities on my shoulders. However, through hard work and dedication,
plus with the help from the C6-LSAMP organization, many significant doors opened for me at
Ventura College that put the sparkle back into the science-loving little girl deep within me.

One of the most enlightening experiences so far was getting accepted into the UC Santa
Barbara Smithsonian Scholars Program with the assistance of our beloved MESA program
coordinators. This program exposed me to hands-on biological field work. Setting up camera
traps and audio recorders of real-life species and analyzing the data through R-Coding made
me realize that a biology major is the right path for me. The program also enabled me to gain
valuable and applicable professional development skills. I learned tips on how to write a solid
resume, personal statement, and proposals to future Principal Investigators. Not only were my
personal goals reached, but the research skills I acquired as a result of participating in the
program were noted by my professors, which earned my research project a place at the 2023
Summer Undergraduate Research Programs (SURP+) Symposium at California Polytechnic
State University, San Luis Obispo. Overall, in the short time I’ve attended
community college, I have pushed myself to my greatest potential. Besides completing
extensive coursework like organic chemistry, physics, and biology, while also participating in
extracurricular activities such as starting a Biology Club and being a part of MESA, I worked two
jobs: I was a chemistry tutor and a STEM Navigator on campus.

Not only did I accomplish my goals of being academically focused and reaching a position of
leadership on campus, despite the circumstances, but my progression has only made me more
hungry to succeed and strive in my future career. Thanks to MESA, the C6-LSAMP alliance, and
many wonderful mentors, I have gained experience that will allow me to reach tremendous
heights within my upper division education.