On May 4, 2015, I received an email invitation from Travis Brown. It was an invitation to apply to the STEM cohorts at Pomona College as an attempt to increase diversity in these fields. Out of the three cohorts available, there was one that particularly caught my interest – the High Achievement Program. The program consisted of coming to Pomona for four weeks during the summer, taking preparatory English and mathematics courses, and taking part in STEM research. I consulted my high school physics teacher about how to go about the application because this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. After time and thought, I filled out and submitted my application. Two weeks later, I received an email. It was my acceptance to HAP!

June came around and it was finally time for me to fly out to California. I was scared yet excited about starting this new chapter in my life. I was the first to arrive on campus and I waited in my room eagerly to meet my fellow classmates. I have to admit; the first day was very awkward. None of us knew each other, I felt out of place, and I began to doubt whether this program would actually be worth my time. But at the start of the second day, as we began carrying out our daily duties, I felt as if I had known these other nine people for years.

We began our classes and going to our respective labs. I worked in a computational chemistry laboratory and absolutely loved it. My research professor became my advisor and then a friend, something I would have never imagined. We would go to every meal together and play games together. We shared the common struggle of ridiculous amounts of reading, writing numerous essays and math concepts we couldn’t understand. Despite these struggles, we somehow finished and survived these four weeks. I continued to bond with my fellow HAP friends as we took introductory chemistry and biology, sharing those struggles, along with the general struggles that college brings.

It has been a year since I participated in the program, and the new generation of HAP members is now on campus. I have been privileged enough to be one of their mentors in this upcoming school year. I have watched them go through some of the same stages and struggles that my year of HAP went through. They are each so unique and bring their own share to the table. They are smart, funny and I enjoy their presence. Even a year later, HAP is still impacting my life because now I get to experience the other end and offer advice to this new generation of HAP students as one of their mentors. I haven’t mentored them for even a month, but I am already having a blast. Although they may not know it, they are having just as much, if not more, of an impact on my life. I cannot wait for the academic school year to start.

My college experience was forever changed with that email that I received over a year ago. Participating in the program was an experience I will never forget and the memories are still something I reminisce. Watching this new generation of HAP brings me joy every day. I am blessed and beyond excited to mentor them and watch them grow as individuals and scholars.