We may remember them as the freshmen and transfers who came to CAL armed with nothing but dreams and heart. We see them today as successful adults who’ve matured with grace and with wisdom. TAAP watched these individuals grow and today, is more than proud to say, Congratulations, Class of 2007!

“As the first in my immediate family to attend college, I will graduate in May 2007 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Education after having completed my degree in three years. Upon graduation this summer, I will be getting married on June 30, 2007 to Cal Alum Wale Forrester. I will begin graduate school in the Psychology PhD program at Cal next Fall. I ultimately aspire to work as a school psychologist in the Bay Area. During my time at Cal I have participated in organizations such as the National Council of Negro Women, and served as a tutor and mentor for programs such as IAM and Upward Bound. My passion is working with youth and I am sure that my commitment to volunteering and working for organizations geared toward youth empowerment will only increase in the future.”

“I am a 4th year, Public Health major with an emphasis in Community Health and Management. In addition to my challenging course load, I have demonstrated leadership and initiative in my extracurricular activities. My experience with counseling and health education is apparent through my work with the University Health Services Tang Center where I am trained as a health educator and health worker. I am also a writing for the Public Health Advocate magazine, and a member of the Cal Undergraduate Public Health Coalition and the Biology Scholars Program. I am currently conducting a participatory research with Vietnamese workers in nail salons on the occupational health hazards, which has been linked to cancer. In addition, I serve as the co-founder of the student group, Empowering Communities: Asthma Awareness, with the mission to educate Oakland’s residents with tools to prevent and manage Asthma.

My interest in Public Health has motivated me to pursue my future career goal as a Nurse Practitioner, and ultimately as an administrator managing my own community-based clinic serving patients who have traditionally faced barriers to quality healthcare.

I plan to attend a Masters Entry Program in Nursing, and practice as a nurse practitioner to gain clinical experience. I also intend to obtain a Master Degree in Business Administration to further develop my knowledge in health management, in order to initiate and administer managed healthcare clinics in the Bay Area and Vietnam.”

“As an undergraduate I have been actively involved with the Native American community. Within a couple of weeks of transferring from community college to UC Berkeley, I began working with the Native American Recruitment and Retention Center (NARRC). The center specialized in recruiting Native American students from across the United States. Thus far, I have participated in several recruitment trips to powwows, community colleges and Indian high schools. During the Fall 2005 semester, as the interim Transfer Coordinator, I helped plan trips to Arizona and New Mexico to recruit Native students from several reservations. I also participated in creating workshops for new underrepresented students through the UC Berkeley BRIDGES outreach program. This year, I will continue my work as a NARRC Transfer Student Coordinator. My vision is to continue to serve tribal communities.

During my junior year at UC Berkeley, I had the opportunity to conduct research on tribal governments through the McNair Scholars Program. Over the course of a year, I designed an original project that focused on the practice of sovereignty among small California tribal communities. Currently, I am drafting my finding for publication in the UC Berkeley McNair Journal.”

“The first few weeks at Cal, I was ecstatic to finally be at a location where I could stretch my boundaries and finally come of age. The first time I stepped into the Alumni House for my very first TAAP Fall Feast, I fest especially grateful to be part of a special organization that recognized my talents and fortitude at overcoming hardship. I know that this place was my home and would continue to be for my four years at Cal.

Throughout my time here, I have been very involved in bringing social justice to campus and surrounding low-income, underrepresented Bay Area communities. As a Financial Aid Assistant for Destination: College / Edfund Partnership, Academic Mentor at Berkeley High School’s RISE program, and tutor and teaching assistant for BUILD / Cal Corps Public Service Center, my efforts have resulted in heightened college culture and increased literacy for hundreds of Bay Area youth. My volunteer services at Centro Legal in Oakland, East Bay Sanctuary for Central American Refugees, an ACCESS as the Superior Court in San Francisco have helped me to ensure that even low income citizens achieve access to the American justice system. Lastly, my internships with Gender Equity Resource Center and BRIDGES allowed me to connect with other amazing, like-minded individuals who inspire me and challenge me to break down the barriers of injustice. Next year, I will enlist as a Teach for America Corps member and I will become an elementary school teacher in Lost Angeles in order to continue to break down the educational gap in California.

I was also the proud editor-in-chief of TAAP in Motion for two years. I volunteered for ICC, IAM, and was part of AC Leadership. I did these things because I believed in the ideals of TAAP and wanted to devote my time to all the opportunities it had to offer. I was committed to TAAP and will continue this commitment throughout my life. I am a proud Golden Bear, and an even prouder alum of the Achievement Award Program.”

“Four years ago, I could never have imagined graduating from the most prestigious public university in the world! Looking back on my accomplishments, I can honestly say that each and every one has been instrumental in creating the individual I am today. Tutoring at Rosa Parks Elementary School for three years, becoming a member of the Latino Pre-Law Society, and more recently, acting as Editor in Chief of the TAAP in Motion magazine have given me the opportunity to develop as a leader. Perhaps my greatest accomplishment was completing a forty page History 101 Thesis! As for my immediate plans, I definitely need a vacation. I plan on studying for the LSAT while working for a law firm in Los Angeles.”

“These two years that I have spent at UC Berkeley were rewarding and adventurous. Everything seemed to have rushed by so fast that I don’t feel like it’s been two years already. During my time here, I was involved with Cal Ski and Snowboarding Club and Wrestling Club at Berkeley. I was also fortunate to do research at UC Riverside one summer. After getting my B.S. degree in EECS, I plan to continue with graduate school in Electrical Engineering.”

“When I think of TAAP, my heart feels warm and happy. TAAP supported and helped me through my challenging college life by offering many resourceful information sessions and activities. In this program, I’m able to meet a lot of Cal alumni from various events and expand my Cal network. To show my gratitude, I wanted to give back to the TAAP family by becoming an active officer of TAAP Leadership Council. I attend most of the TAAP Leadership Council meetings. I am able to contribute my ideas and help to plan and organize TAAP monthly meetings and other activities. We planned and organized the Halloween party, Thanksgiving Dinner, Cal Alumni Panel and May Graduation Dinner. Many TAAP scholars enjoyed and benefited from these activities. I enjoyed planning and organizing these activities because these processes allowed me to get to know the TAAP scholars better and polish my leadership, communication, and organization skills.

As a senior, I am going to be a Cal alumna soon as still want to be involved with TAAP. I plan on starting TAAP Alumni Club with former TAAP Alumni to give our TAAP scholars more support. Another post graduation plan is to start working with KPMG LLP which is one of the largest four accounting firms in the nation and I look forward to implementing my classroom knowledge into real world examples. Lastly, I plan to get my CPA and MBA in the near future.”