My name is Brianna Sobrero, I am Washoe and Kānaka Maoli. I am a second year transfer student from the Bay Area double majoring in Anthropology and History graduating this Spring.   

As a non-traditional transfer student, I am able to express how attending community college has given me a new perspective on educational journeys. When I graduated high school in 2016, I was still undecided on what I wanted my future to look like. I felt my grades could improve, so I decided community college would be a way for me to experiment with different subjects, find my passion, and get into the college I could picture myself at. This provided me with a number of opportunities that would better prepare me for my future at UCLA. I was able to work longer hours while I was at community college, gaining more experience. Additionally, smaller classes allowed me to build closer connections with instructors which ultimately made me more comfortable speaking to professors at a large university.  

Being from a family with Native traditions, there is an unspoken expectation that family is everything and we have to support each other when necessary. During my time at community college my grandfather fell ill. As the eldest grandchild, I felt the need to support his battle. I would take him to doctor’s appointments, chemo, and run errands for him when necessary. Community college gave me the extra time to stay home and be with my family, supporting them where needed. I am so grateful for this, as my grandpa passed week one during my first quarter at UCLA. By staying home I was able to spend more time with family, bonding with my grandparents and watching my brothers grow. There are multiple benefits to community college and this route to college, and this was one of the most important to me.  

Growing up in the Bay I was separated from my Indigenous cultures, but it was something I always strived to reconnect with as a form of healing for my family. I was closer to my Hawaiian heritage, but this connection was still not as strong as I had hoped. When looking at schools, I knew I wanted to attend one with both Native and Pacific Islander communities. I had only planned to become involved to reconnect with my traditions, but life had a different plan from me. I realized how important it was to be a Native in higher education and how I can use my own experiences to give back to my community, showing them the representation they need to see more Natives at a university. 

I quickly became involved with the American Indian Student Association (AISA) and the Pacific Islands’ Student Association (PISA), attending and volunteering at all their events, eventually joining the executive board of both groups. I also work for American Indian Recruitment (AIR), AISA’s outreach project which aims to support Natives on their journey to higher education, as the Community College Coordinator. In this position, I am able to show how not everyone has the same path to college. It is important for students to make this path their own, cater it to their own needs, and their own traditions. I needed someone to be this representation for me, when I spent nights doubting if this was the path I was meant to take as I watched all my peers graduating before me, as I found my friends finding their life passions before me, as I never met another Native student before my time here at UCLA.