Cohort 2024

As a young adult navigating out of the foster care system, the idea of earning a college degree felt like an unattainable dream. When I discovered less than 5% of former foster youth graduate with a 4-year degree, it only increased my worries. My path had some more obstacles along the way, I was a survivor of an extreme domestic violence situation that prevented me from pursuing my goals in higher education and at many points in time I felt hopeless. It took me many years to recover, find stability and rediscover my ambitions but I was absolutely determined to make a meaningful impact in my life which ultimately led me back into college. I decided I wanted my future to involve supporting students who, like me, experienced disadvantages in life. My ultimate goal is to gain two Master’s degrees, one in Anthropology and one in Educational Counseling. Studying Anthropology provides me with unique insights on learning about diverse cultures and various ethnic groups which coincides with my passion to be an ally to BIPOC and LGPTIA+ communities. A Master’s in Educational Counseling will hopefully open up career opportunities to become a community college counselor. Making a strong comeback, I’m now in the process of joining Phi Theta Kappa and recently started working for Southwestern College EOPS, a program which supports low-income and disadvantaged students. Ever since joining, NextGen has provided me with a support system leaving me feeling confident transferring to SDSU soon and excited for the unique learning opportunities that await. NextGen’s mission in advocating for marginalized groups, providing a network of mentors and fostering an environment of academic growth is exactly why I know this program will help me excel in my future endeavors. My hobbies include drawing, collecting old-school rock records and going to motorsport events.

During high school, I immersed myself in numerous enriching extracurricular activities. I served as both president and team captain of the robotics club, participated in a nationally recognized show choir group, and advocated for human rights as secretary of the Amnesty International Club. All the while, I remained dedicated to my academic pursuits as an International Baccalaureate graduate and recipient of the Seal of Biliteracy. I began my college experience at the UniversIty of Hawai’i while still under COVID protocols. I spent a year trying to navigate my new life as a college student in Hawai’i with all classes in a virtual setting as a mechanical engineering major participating in their American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) club as a member of the concrete canoe team. I realized that Hawai’i was not where I was meant to be and transferred back home to attend Southwestern College. There, I took the significant step of changing my major to psychology, driven by my innate desire to comprehend others. As a member of a marginalized group, identifying as queer and Latinx, I feel I can help support my community with this internship opportunity. Upon graduation from SDSU, I plan on pursuing both a masters and PhD in which I will apply the knowledge and experience acquired through this program to research youth substance abuse and its impact on cognitive abilities.

Hello, my name is Jorge Sebastian Mancilla, and I am excited to share a glimpse into my background and aspirations. I am majoring in Chemistry, as I developed an interest in it during my time at San Ysidro High School, but have always been obsessed with science in general since I was very young. I wanted to be a physicist when I grew up, but I’ve found chemistry more intriguing. I was particularly drawn to this program because I am very familiar with the consequences of tobacco, especially in the Hispanic community. The program's emphasis on research is what really excites me. I believe that NextGen will help me develop essential skills for my career as I definitely plan to do more research in the future. I hope to gain experience participating in a team environment and cooperating with others to solve problems. I also appreciate the program’s focus on the social disparity of tobacco, as I hope that eventually legislation could be passed to help protect underprivileged communities from tobacco marketing. I would be honored to contribute to any research that could potentially contribute to achieving that. Outside the academic realm, I enjoy listening to music, reading, and playing competitive games. I also love traveling and have traveled to many parts of Mexico. I hope in the future to travel internationally for research opportunities.

I am Daniel Miramontes, I am currently pursuing a degree in psychology as a transfer student from Southwestern community college. Although I have grown up in San Diego I've spent a great deal of my life in a marginalized area of Anaheim where smoking is prevalent. As a child growing up I witnessed neighbors and immediate family being subjected to the unethical marketing tactics of big tobacco companies. I am super excited to conduct research as a part of this program and hope to increase my psycho-analyzation skills to potentially assist individuals that are trying to quit smoking for good. While doing anything in my day to day life it's almost impossible for me not to listen to music. I enjoy rock, rap, hip hop, classical music, and especially piano when studying. Aside from school, I enjoy cooking, beekeeping, and overall obtaining new skills to always keep my mind and body busy.

My name is Lillian Salinas and I have always studied in Mexico, attending Colegio La Paz from elementary to high school. Here, I learned how to be a responsible and dedicated student. I also found the love for medicine and wanting to heal others while learning from passionate teachers that loved their work. I think this program sounds very interesting because tobacco is a product that deeply affects health around the world, and I am very interested in this because I wish to become a doctor one day and treat people away from sickness. My goal is to study biology so I can apply for medical school. After completing this, I aim to become a neurosurgeon. Although I know this is a long and complicated career, I am certain this is my dream and would endure anything to see it come true. This program will help me achieve a personal goal that is to investigate a concerning health issue and hopefully have a role in bettering people’s quality of life. As for my hobbies, I enjoy singing Mariachi which is a traditional music genre from Mexico. I think that in this type of music, a person's voice is completely harnessed and utilized. Other than this, I enjoy spending quality time with my family and loved ones.