Kaley-Ann Lopez Vasquez graduated from Dos Pueblos High School in 2020. Like so many of her peers, Kaley-Ann’s original college plans changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of attending a school in the San Diego area, she decided to enroll at SBCC and take advantage of the SBCC Promise. As of fall 2022, she has completed two years at SBCC and hopes to transfer to UCSB as a philosophy major with a focus on ethics, public policy, and law, as well as a minor in Spanish and her real estate certificate.
Kaley-Ann says the best part of being an SBCC student is the freedom to explore one’s interests and discover one’s passion. She also says that her professors have been incredibly helpful and supportive, especially as she was adapting to remote learning.
She says, “The SBCC Promise has allowed me to find myself and has been incredibly helpful in my academic journey. By covering the costs of going to college for two years, I’ve been able to focus on my studies.” Kaley-Ann has become a huge proponent of community college, recognizing the critical skills students gain, including managing time and navigating the higher education system.
Kaley-Ann has been involved with a number of clubs and programs at SBCC—an impressive accomplishment considering from the outset she was enrolled in a solely virtual environment. While her first year at college wasn’t the experience she was expecting or hoping for, her participation in the SBCC Promise, TAP (Transfer Assistance Program), and the Ambassadors (a program designed to help international students feel more welcome and included at SBCC), have helped her establish beneficial relationships and make new friends. She is now working as an intern for the Ambassador Program and helps organize fun and inclusive events for International Students.
Kaley-Ann’s interest in real estate stems from her love of her hometown. She wants to help people find their dream home in Santa Barbara, especially Spanish speakers who may need bilingual assistance to navigate the home-buying process. Her goal is to take her real estate license exam upon graduating.
While real estate is her dream job, Kaley-Ann also dreams of helping students from historically marginalized communities develop better pathways to access highly competitive universities. She envisions a program that starts working with students at young ages to help them build the academic and social portfolios that will help open doors to top-tier educational opportunities.
