![]() ![]() Plus, Professor Collihan made it fun, which always makes learning and engaging easier (I'll never forget the classes I took with her as well)! Similarly, it was through the creative-writing festival hosted at ARC, SummerWords, that I learned how much I loved writing. While my other responsibilities ultimately prevented me from being able to go to the MUN conference, the experience of getting to work with others in an extracurricular academic context pushed me to continue doing so at UC Davis. Even though I was working in AmeriCorps as a VISTA and still at-risk as far as housing, I decided to join MUN – which is run by Professor Collihan – during my last semester at ARC. Likewise, growing up, the opportunities for academic clubs like Model United Nations (MUN) were pretty limited or inaccessible for me – but it was at ARC that I came to see their value. It was through these reaffirming experiences with the amazing professors at ARC that I, as someone who hated school growing up (I had something like 120 absences throughout high school), ultimately became the student and person I am today. Professors like Frank Araujo, Kathleen Collihan, and Betty Chan all advised and mentored me at the most difficult and isolating times in my life, and I can never thank them enough for that. These difficulties ultimately left me homeless/at-risk for a large portion of the time that I was attending ARC, but both during this period and during the period which led up to it, I met some of the most amazing and inspiring professors who were always willing to stay after class to chat with me. Moving here alone brought with it some great struggles that I couldn't have foreseen at that age, but which had a profound impact on me personally. I started at American River College in January of 2016, when I was 18, after moving to Sacramento from Williamsburg, VA on my own. Jasanté Howard Alum / 2018 / Political Science / American River College "ARC gave me the toolkit and self-confidence to handle the academic rigor at places like UC Davis and Princeton." It really builds you up and sets you up for a UC experience." The people you're able to meet, all the classes you're able to take. ![]() "But I would do it over again the same way every single time because it's so worth it. I'm living with my parents still," Ahmad said. "I would see all my friends – they went straight to 4-year universities. ![]() Although it wasn't easy at first to see beyond the stigma of attending a community college, it is a decision he wouldn't change for anything. "What helped me get elected was the experience I had at ARC."Īs Ahmad works with his staff on things such as meetings, planning and different projects on the Cal campus, he has found that his experience at ARC was not only rewarding but prepared him to successfully transfer and engage in his new campus community. "What I kept hearing was, 'Oh, well, you're a transfer student – transfers don't win,'" Ahmad said. One of the projects that he focused on was placing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) campus-wide and working with EMTs to host basic life support training for staff.Īhmad then transferred to UC Berkeley and once there, he was elected to a seat on the Cal student senate, which as a transfer student was very uncommon. "Some of my best friends I met at ARC."Īhmad found that serving 30,000 students while on the Student Senate was an incredibly rewarding experience, and it put his pre-med knowledge to work. "In every aspect, I had such a great time," Ahmad said. He also found a home in the ARC Student Senate where he put his mind to making a difference. In addition to wonderful professors, Ahmad found a community at ARC, building friendships with fellow students following the same pre-med track that he was pursuing. "I thought I got a really good education and had some of the best professors at ARC." "I took almost all my science courses at ARC and I really enjoyed them," Ahmad said. Wanting to pursue a pre-med education, Ahmad applied to ARC after hearing the science education at the college was unparalleled. Muzamil Ahmad Alum / Pre-Med / American River Collegeįor Muzamil Ahmad, going to American River College meant following in his family's footsteps. "The people you're able to meet, the classes you're able to take – it really sets you up for a UC experience." ![]()
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