On Tuesday, November 18, 2025, the Honors Club and the Honors Transfer Program (HTP) hosted its annual Transfer Alumni Panel, a hybrid event featuring seven recent Skyline College graduates who have since transferred to UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, UC Berkeley, and Stanford University. We were excited to welcome back Aye (Rue) Moe Chan, Brandon Khuu, Celina Buncayo, Gerson Sandoval, Laurence Garcia, Ken Reyes, Ryan Rossovich–all of whom were involved in the Honors Club as active members or former executive and junior officers. The purpose of the event is to highlight the importance of understanding the nuances of the transfer process, from one transfer student to another.
The event was facilitated by Honors Club Commissioner of Activities, Mariska Ramos, and it began with a welcome from Honors Club President, Brianna Khuu. The event was divided into five rounds of questions specific to certain panelists, covering choosing a college, reflecting on their time at Skyline College, processing their time at their transfer university, sharing words of wisdom, and opening up the floor to audience questions.
When asked about their majors, Gerson Sandoval shared that Cultural Anthropology chose them: “My major chose me…[your major] should allow you to bring your whole selves into the room.” Laurence Garcia, a Business Administration major at UC Irvine, emphasized networking and building a tight-knit community. He talked about how Business Administration helped him grow into his interests.
Alumni panelists offered advice on what helped them stand out as transfer applicants. Celina Buncayo, a Political Science major at UC Berkeley, credited much of her research experience to the Honors Transfer Program. She also discussed being involved in dance, student government, volunteering, and working a part-time job outside campus, and interning for AFT 1493, the faculty union at Skyline College. Ken Reyes, a Psychology major at UC Berkeley, encouraged current students to start their transfer and scholarship applications early, and to brainstorm ideas with mentors and friends–really bringing in a community focus to what can seem like a solo endeavor.
Rue Chan’s advice as a Cognitive Science major at UC Berkeley was to show and tell your story to as many people as possible, and to be persistent about advocating for yourself when applying for academic opportunities.
The alumni panel demonstrated the genuine ways that students connected to each other during their time at Skyline College. Brandon Khuu, a Business Economics major at UC Irvine, talked about how Celina had pushed him to go out of his comfort zone to become the former Honors Club President. Also a part of Phi Theta Kappa, Khuu realized that academics helped set a solid foundation for him as a community college, where there is often an unfair stigma against them. He credits some of his success to English Professor Dr. Michael Cross, Honors Coordinator Janice Sapigao, and Honors Counselor Joyce Lee for supporting him during his time at Skyline College. Laurence Garcia was appreciative of his time as a Student Ambassador for the Business, Education, and Professional Programs Division under Business Professor Soledad McCarthy–it was a singular experience that motivated him to connect and network at UC Irvine. He has “plans to make it big” in the business world.
Ryan Rossovich, a Chemical Engineering major at Stanford University, explained that transferring, for him, was its own process that felt like the equivalent of a five-unit class in itself, as he had to undergo a process of declaring his major, applying to be a part of student organizations, and ensuring that his classes would adequately transfer over, from a community college to a private university. His time at Skyline College helped him understand what to expect and how to navigate the transfer process. Rossovich encourages students to “do what makes you happy, and take care of yourself in the process–you know yourself best.”
Both Celina Buncayo and Rue Chan received the esteemed $55,000 Jack Kent Cooke transfer scholarship for community college students. They highly encourage current transfer applicants to apply for it, too, and to apply early.
This event was possible with the help and support of Andy Murillo, Lynette Caballero, Bianca Rowden-Quince, Joshua Porter, Joyce Lee, Annie Trinh, Bryant Evans, Jon McMahon, and the Honors Club and HTP students.
