On Monday, November 7, 2022, the Honors Club and the Honors Transfer Program hosted six Skyline College alumni shared their experiences doing research in a Hyflux program with former Honors student-researchers–Nikole Grinn (UCLA), Justin Tom (UCLA), Yelena Vayn (Santa Clara University), and Ibrahim Amas (USC) were available in person on campus–and recent alumni currently attending UCLA, Jessica Win and Ryan Woo, were available online through Zoom. The panel was moderated by Lawrencedel Legaspi, sponsored by ASSC, and took place at the Fireside Lounge.
Student-moderator Lawrencedel Legaspi asked the panelists many questions that pertained to transfer student life, career trajectories, current interests and reflections on how their work in the Honors Transfer Program and other clubs impacted them. The panelists were honest, generous, and informative about topics like finding transfer housing if the school did not already provide it, making friends, making and saving money, getting the right meal plan, and adjusting to living, traveling, or commuting alone for the first time. Panelist Ibrahim Amas shared how attending the University of Southern California meant he “had to adult real quick!” and find an off-campus apartment in a new city outside of the Bay Area. Yelena Vyan and Justin Tom agreed, stating that some housing opportunities might be tough, but there are a variety of housing options available.
When asked about transfer support at their transfer university, Nikole Grinn shared that UCLA was very supportive, and that it allowed her to focus on creating a strong, academic foundation while there. Ryan Woo stated that transitioning from Skyline College to a school like UCLA showed him some major differences between his coursework, but that the difficulties helped him adjust to new expectations. Jessica Win echoed some of those sentiments, as she told audience members about how she had a hard time transitioning to living alone, getting used to a quarter system from a semester system, and being in upper-division versus lower-division coursework. She shared that she was able to pass many of her classes at Skyline College because she had a lot of support and was involved in many clubs.
The Skyline College alumni on this Honors Club Alumni Panel have obtained jobs in academic labs, corporate consulting, biotechnology, marketing, and entertainment. Please reach out to the Honors Club if you’d like to contact the panelists.
Anyone who would like to be involved with the Honors Transfer Program can find more information on our website or you can follow the Honors Club on Instagram, @skylinehonorsclub.
Article by Janice Sapigao | Photos by Alysia Tanimua
