ISABELLA DAVID
Isabella is studying at Las Positas College.
ISABELLA'S STORY
Dublin High School | Las Positas College
I started going to Las Positas College through the Middle College Program during my senior year of high school. It looked like an amazing opportunity to structure my education in a way that suited me best.
School always felt like a requirement that was thrust upon me, rather than an environment I chose to be in. The classes I took, the way my time was managed, and my work style were all things I had no control over. The way the average high school student was supposed to function was incompatible with my way of working.
Community college has helped me realize how capable I actually am. It allowed me an environment where I was truly treated as an equal by everyone else-- most importantly by my professors. Counselors in the office have helped me through countless bouts of insecurity about my academic process. Being a part of the theater department helped me build up my resume. It actually led me to the two amazing jobs I have right now: a Standardized Patient at Stanford, and a performer acting as Moana for children's birthday parties.
WHAT WAS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY YOU HAVE HAD?
My first semester at LPC, I took a martial arts class-- something I never would have expected myself to do. I was the smallest, the youngest, and often the only woman in my class. I learned not only the techniques and principles of several styles, but I also learned a lot about myself. I have been training in Jujutsu, Eskrima, and Lua under the same instructor for over two years now, and I plan on continuing for as long as I can.
WHY SHARE YOUR STORY?
Community college isn't just an option to take when we didn't get in anywhere else, when we can't afford anything else, or when we have no other options. We should not look at community college as something we are forced into. It is a choice to enroll, and it is an honorable one at that. I have met an abundance of talented, ambitious, and hardworking people through Las Positas. I can assure you, community college is not simply a place where the throwaways go.
