Campus Involvement Student Success Stories
College became larger than coursework for the students and alumni featured here. Through clubs, student government, athletics, performing arts, campus jobs, support programs, research and service, they found belonging, explored new interests and learned to lead. Those experiences strengthened academic goals, shaped career directions and created lasting contributions to the Citrus College community.
GHADAH "GIGI" ALOBAIDI
Architecture Club involvement helped Ghadah "Gigi" Alobaidi discover where she belonged. Projects, site visits and leadership opportunities deepened her design skills, strengthened campus connections and inspired a future centered on responsible architecture.
CELINE AMA
At Citrus College, Celine Ama found support both inside and beyond the classroom. Mentors helped her navigate a new academic system, while the Showers of Grace team gave her a weekly space to collaborate, build practical skills and create community impact.
NAYIRI BAGHDASSARIAN
Campus interaction transformed Nayiri Baghdassarian's Citrus College experience from a checklist into a community. Through office hours, clubs and ASCC, she built confidence, supported classmates and prepared for public-policy work in the San Gabriel Valley.
YESENIA BUGARIN
Promise, EOPS and one trusted counselor helped Yesenia Bugarin transform opportunity into achievement. After co-founding the First Generation Club and graduating in two years, she is taking her ambition for international business to Cal Poly Pomona.
JOR'DENAY COLLIER-BROWN
Five associate degrees marked Jor'Denay Collier-Brown's academic success, but campus service defined her wider impact. As the first Black Scholars Student Ambassador, she mentored peers, organized events and advocated for what students needed most on campus.
DENICIA CRUTCHER-LYONS
From dance company rehearsals to home football games, Denicia Crutcher-Lyons made campus life part of her family's college journey. EOPS support and student employment created stability while involvement helped her imagine a future as a researcher and author.
LORENZO DESIDERIO-GIAMPICCOLO
A search for an on-campus job led Lorenzo Desiderio-Giampiccolo to become one of Citrus College's official hosts. Between tours and presentations, he continued studying theater and film and planning his transfer into the entertainment industry.
HAMZA EL LAHIB
From dual enrollment to the Associated Students senate, Hamza El Lahib made campus life central to his growth. Honors research helped him elevate underground music as a political subject and gave him a public stage for ideas often left outside academia.
JULIANNA GASCA
Soccer brought Julianna Gasca to Citrus College, but campus involvement expanded her future. Through the Clarion, athletics employment and a Women in Sports panel, she discovered interests in communication and a career path beyond athletic competition.
MIA GODOY
For Mia Godoy, softball was more than an extracurricular activity. It became a visible example for her son as she balanced college, motherhood and athletic competition while moving toward a classroom career built around encouragement and possibility.
RICCARDO KESSESSHAK
Riccardo Kessesshak combined honors study, biology coursework and campus leadership to build a standout transfer record. After founding a STEM club and earning multiple scholarships, he began studying human biology at USC with plans to become a doctor.
XINYUE "MARGARET" LIANG
Every conversation mattered in Xinyue "Margaret" Liang's Citrus College journey. Faculty mentors, student organizations, campus jobs and the STEM Center helped her turn uncertainty into resilience, clarify her interests and prepare for Columbia University.
DOMINICK MASON
Four weeks in Osaka changed how Dominick Mason understood learning. Beyond coursework, he gained confidence speaking Japanese, adapted to unfamiliar routines and discovered how tradition and innovation could inform his future work in computer engineering.
OMAR MASRI
Three campus programs changed the scale of Omar Masri's education. Honors, TRIO STEM and Pathways to STEM gave him guidance, research experience and one-on-one support, helping transform classroom chemistry into a future centered on science and justice.
JAVIER MORELOS
After four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Javier Morelos found a familiar sense of brotherhood at Citrus College's Veterans Success Center. STEM support and campus involvement are now helping him prepare for transfer and a career in aerospace engineering.
SERINA MUMMERT
Community college became far more than an affordable first step for Serina Mummert. At Citrus College, she discovered physics, found her voice through leadership and performance and transformed perseverance into a confident transfer path to UC Berkeley.
NATHAN PALMER
Music and science developed side by side for Nathan Palmer at Citrus College. As a Blue Note saxophonist and Pathways to STEM researcher, he found mentors, laboratory experience and the confidence to pursue biochemistry and biomedical research at UCLA.
PAULINA PIMENTEL-MORA
By saying yes to honors, student leadership, Phi Theta Kappa and campus employment, Paulina Pimentel-Mora made the most of her Citrus College years. That full experience, strengthened by faculty support, helped prepare her for Yale, Oxford and Cambridge.
KENN SALAZAR
Through Black Scholars and A2MEND, Kenn Salazar found a campus experience shaped by community, empowerment and belonging. Those connections supported their sociology studies and helped prepare them to continue in gender, ethnic and multicultural studies.
JESSIE SAN
Jessie San's Citrus College journey began at 13 and quickly moved beyond the classroom. Through student government, Phi Theta Kappa and the support of a trusted mentor, she found both her voice and a mission in mental health advocacy.
SABRINA SORIANO
From student trustee at Citrus College to head transfer counselor at Yale, Sabrina Soriano has kept service at the center. Chapel leadership, hospital ministry and curatorial work expanded her campus life and sharpened her path toward teaching art history.
JOY THURMAN
Motherhood brought Joy Thurman back to college, while campus involvement helped her stay and grow. As Rising Stars president, a basic needs ambassador and a NextUp speaker, she turned hardship into leadership and encouragement for other student-parents.
BRIAN TONG
Brian Tong turned campus participation into leadership and belonging. As ASCC president, he created events, improved student communication and built community while using Citrus College support to prepare for transfer to UC Berkeley in chemical engineering.
YUXIANG "CHARLES" ZHU
Yuxiang "Charles" Zhu expanded beyond the classroom at Citrus College, launching an engineering club, serving in student government and excelling in STEM. At UCLA, he plans to develop robotics that support disaster response, food security and urban farming.