Day of Science 2025: From Community College to a Career in Science
- ccopstanford
- Apr 7
- 5 min read
On a rainy February morning, over 200 students and faculty gathered together at the College of San Mateo (CSM) for the 3rd Annual Day of Science, hosted by the Stanford Community College Outreach Program (CCOP) and the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program from CSM. The event gave community college students a chance to learn more about research, connect with mentors, and hear from people who’ve had similar beginnings.
Opening Remarks
CSM President Dr. Manuel Alejandro Pérez and Director of the Stanford Community College Outreach Program Andrea Navarrete Vargas introduced the event with uplifting speeches that set an energizing tone for the rest of the day.
Andrea opened with a reflection of her own beginnings in science, remembering how out of place she felt at her first big science event, a feeling that many students in the audience could relate to. But her message was powerful and encouraging:
"Nobody magically ‘belongs’ in science. You become part of this world by showing up, by staying curious, by believing (even just a little bit) that you have something to offer. And I promise you, you do”.
Dr. Perez started his talk with a breathing exercise with the students, which immediately put everyone at ease. He spoke eloquently about what it means to be a scholar and how Community Colleges like CSM work towards helping students establish careers in STEM.
Stanford Trainee Talks: Morgan Reyes and Dr. Anna Jussila
The talks began with Morgan Reyes, a Stanford undergraduate in Human Biology who transferred from community college. She shared how her experiences with chronic illness motivated her to research autonomic disorders and aspire to become a pediatric neurologist to improve care for children with neurological conditions.
Following Morgan, Dr. Anna Jussila, postdoctoral researcher in the Oro Lab at Stanford University, discussed her work on skin cancer, focusing on how tumor cells interact with healthy cells to survive and grow. She also talked about her journey as a researcher and how she found her way into postdoctoral work.
Alumni Talks: How CCOP Shaped Our Paths
Next, we heard from three former CCOP interns and what they have been up to after their internships:
Jerry Hnin recently graduated from Skyline College and transferred to UC Berkeley. His path in upper education began in his home country, Myanmar, but he decided to leave and continue in the United States. As a CCOP intern, he worked with Dr. Megan Agajanian in the Nusse Lab at Stanford, focusing on the role of Tbx3 in the postnatal development of the mammary gland. Inspired by his experiences, he continued his path in research at the Lin He Lab at UC Berkeley.
After her CCOP internship, Emilie Manning found her passion for biology and engineering and continued at Stanford in the Winetraub Lab where she now works full-time as a researcher leading projects combining spatial biology and 3D noninvasive imaging. Emilie’s talk explored her and her lab’s innovative technologies and their potential for impacting medical diagnosis.
Erin Takeshima is a bioengineering student at Foothill College. During her time as a CCOP intern, she worked with the Kinnebrew Lab, studying cholesterol homeostasis in human haploid cells to find new targets for metabolic diseases. In Erin’s talk, she gave advice on how to succeed and find opportunities as a community college student. After CCOP, she received an internship from the nano@Stanford program.
“The Circles of Life: Discovering my path… and a new type of RNA too!” by Elysse Grossi-Soyster
Keynote speaker Elysse Grossi-Soyster shared their inspiring journey from high school dropout to PhD candidate at Stanford University. After attending community college at Cañada College, they earned bachelor's and master's degrees. Elysse highlighted their uncertainty in choosing a path, contemplating art school or medicine, before finding their calling in science through involvement in Bay Area punk and activism during the HIV/AIDS crisis. Their career includes research at NASA, teaching science at community colleges, leading research at Stanford, and founding the STEM Outreach Collective, a non-profit improving STEM education nationwide. Currently, Elysse is a PhD candidate in Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford, studying viral emergence, zoonotic spillover, and the role of virus-derived circular RNA in disease. Their talk underscored how passions can shape one's scientific journey and commitment to expanding STEM education.
Discussions Over Sandwiches
During lunch, students split into breakout groups based on their educational interests, giving students a chance to ask questions and hear from graduate students and professionals across fields.
The MD track discussion was led by Stanford Medical Students Teni Anbarchian and Teja Peddada.
The biosciences PhD track was led by Stanford PhD students Olga Merino-Chavez, Camryn Zurita, and Azalia Martinez Jaimes.
The engineering PhD track featured Stanford Engineering students Paul Calvo, Jane Lee, and Chris Copans.
The industry track was led by Evan Deocariza, Monsse Moya, Jonathan Gong, Christian Oliva Aviles, and Yenny Webb Vargas.
Career Panel: Exploring Future Careers Across Fields
In the afternoon, students attended a career panel featuring professionals who have built successful careers across academia, biotech and research. The panel offered students the chance to ask questions, learn about different career paths, and get practical advice on finding opportunities in STEM.
The panelists included:
Jamie Calma, MS: Clinical Research Coordinator in Cardiovascular Medicine at Stanford University
Dr. Lauren Goins: Assistant Professor of Developmental Biology at Stanford University
Dr. Laleh Coté: STEM Education Program Manager, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Dr. Lisa Bernstein: Biotech Consultant, Educator, and Senior Principal Statistical Scientist
Dr. Nathan Churches: Cofounder of Holdfast Aquaculture and lecturer faculty at the College of San Mateo
Dr. Alessandro Bailetti Saez: Professor of Biology at the Evergreen Valley College
Student Workshop
Next, a goal-setting and opportunity workshop was led by Jessica Basurto, the CCOP lead for Day of Science, to help students plan steps to achieve their academic and career goals.
Meet the CCOP Team and Closing remarks
Day of Science ended with closing remarks from Olivia Viveros, CSM’s MESA Director, and CSM President Dr. Pérez. Afterwards, students got a chance to learn more about research opportunities directly from the CCOP team.
As the sun set, CSM, CCOP and MESA concluded the Day of Science 2025 event. Students left the event excited and with a small bundle of flyers about internship opportunities in STEM. Overall, Day of Science 2025 seemed like a huge success!
A huge thank you to the hard work and dedication of the event organizers and volunteers who made Day of Science possible. We would also like to express our gratitude to our funding sources and partners who believe in the power of access and opportunity in STEM, specifically the Office of Community Engagement at Stanford and the Department of Developmental Biology. Special thanks to the College of San Mateo for kindly hosting the event, and to Olivia Viveros and her MESA team for their collaboration and support. Their contributions help make events like this possible and continue to build pathways for community college students pursuing STEM careers.
- Emilie
