As graduation approaches at San Diego City College, one student's story stands out for its profound message of self-discovery and determination. Adriana Perez, a graduating Latina student, is ready to take her next big leap to UCLA, a university renowned for its rigorous academic environment, where she will pursue a bachelor’s degree in design media art studies.

This spring 2024, Perez will graduate with an associate degree in liberal arts & sciences with an emphasis in social and behavioral sciences

"With graduation just weeks away, I feel very proud of myself. I've been at San Diego City College for three years and throughout those three years, I really got to discover who I am as a person and what I want to study,"

Perez’s worldview was impacted by her mother’s friend who is a City College alumna and past member of the Puente Project, an academic preparation initiative focused on increasing the participation of educationally disadvantaged students who wish to explore the Latinx/Chicanx experience and pursue transfer to a four-year college or university.

Perez joined Puente and discovered her Chicanx community, which was absent during her years of high school. She and became involved in initiatives and programs that helped her develop her talents. As Perez reflects on her transformative college experience, she has emerged from the uncertainty about her path. The pandemic years were a time of significant introspection.

"The pandemic happened, and it made me unsure. Like, should I do art? Is this really going to help me out in the future?” Perez said. “During the pandemic, my anxiety went up. I was more worried about what I wanted to study and if I was making the people around me proud.”

In her last semester, she collaborated on the redesign of the Dreamer Resource Center and Puente logos. As a proud Puentista, she has left a lasting visual legacy at City College. As a student intern for the Communications Office, she had an epiphany: "I can conquer the graphic design and media world with a leading program at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)!"

Perez expresses both excitement and apprehension about her transition to UCLA. "I'm excited about UCLA; it has been my dream school since I learned about college," she said. "There's a lot of negative feelings, but there are also positive feelings where I'm like, no, I worked hard for three years to go to this school. They picked me. So, if they see the potential, then I do belong there."

For current and future students, Adriana offers a piece of essential advice about the importance of community and collaboration: "Work with each other. I think especially coming out of high school, maybe I'm wrong, but especially coming out of high school from my own experience, we are taught to just fend for ourselves. It's me against the world, and this is just a game between you and I, and that's not true.” Adriana discovered her leadership style and influence through her role as president of City’s Puente Club. She noticed teamwork and collaboration are key to a student's growth and success.

“If we come together as a community of Chicanx – we can increase the current literature’s statistics by collaborating in unity – as a community.” Perez's journey from San Diego City College to UCLA is a powerful testament to the transformative impact of community college education, the importance of following one's passion, and the value of perseverance. As she looks forward to her future at UCLA, the City College community celebrates her accomplishments and wishes her success in all her future endeavors.