Major: Pure Math 

Class standing: Sophomore

Leadership Roles: Scholar, Peer Mentor, Student Office Assistant, TTSM Officer

How SMI has made me feel like a part of the community on campus: Everyone at SMI is very kind and welcoming. Since my  first day with them, I've known that they're in my corner rooting for me.

My favorite activities: In my free time, I really like to crochet, play solitaire, or watch DnD actual plays on YouTube (most likely, while doing one of the other two things).

My proudest achievements: My proudest accomplishment is volunteering at my mom's work to build a playground for  a pediatric cancer patient.

Major: Biology

Class standing: Senior

SMI Leadership Roles: Scholar, Peer Mentor

How SMI has made me feel like a part of a community on campus: SMI has put me in contact with other like-minded  individuals with similar life goals. It has also fostered a community feeling as I've had the opportunity to connect with people that could advise me on the best steps for working towards a career in education.

My favorite activities:  I love to do anything physical and outdoors. I'm a big fan of going on long distance runs and going on hikes, especially in hilly areas with large inclines.

A song that sums up my personality: A song that's resonated with me personally has been "No Time to Explain" by Good Kid. It goes over a lot of insecurities and issues going through adulthood, but also
maintains a great deal of optimism and hope for the future.

Major: Mathematics for Teachers of Secondary Schools

Class standing: Sophomore

SMI Leadership Roles: Scholar, Peer Mentor

How SMI has made me feel like a part of a community on campus: SMI has really made me feel a part of the community because I found people who are like-minded with my career and major. I do not know most people outside of SMI who are also majoring in Mathematics for Teachers of Secondary School or are going into teaching without being in SMI and I'm very happy to have found my place at UCR.

My favorite activities: I enjoy playing Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering, playing board games, and photography.

My proudest achievement: My proudest achievement is having been out of the country 4 times in the past 5 years. I've been to Japan, Guatemala twice, and Thailand, and they’ve been amazing experiences.

Major: Neuroscience

Class standing: Junior

SMI Leadership Roles: Scholar, Peer Mentor, TTSM Officer

How has SMI made me feel like part of a community on campus: Whether I'm looking to have my questions answered or seeking further advice on the teaching career pathway, or just hanging out and studying with my peers, SMI provides many quick communication methods (email, 1:1 meetings, Discord, Slack, etc...).

My favorite activities: In my free time, I enjoy reading, making crafts, trying new foods, walking while listening to music, and hanging out with my friends.

My favorite childhood memory: My favorite childhood memory is frequently visiting Souplantation with my family. Sometimes, we would also visit Barnes & Noble afterwards, and I enjoy browsing the selection of books they offer.

Major: General Applied Math

Class standing: Junior

SMI Leadership Roles: Scholar, Peer Mentor, Office Assistant, TTSM Officer

How SMI has made me feel like a part of a community on campus: SMI has become a safe place for me as I have a nice and quiet space to study and relax. Also, SMI has helped me meet new friends who want to be in the same career and passion for teaching as me. I feel comfortable to be myself and be able to ask for help.

My favorite activities: Some activities I enjoy doing are dancing and creating art, especially charcoal and watercolor. I love expressing myself creatively and it also helps with stress management.

My favorite childhood memory: One of my favorite childhood memories was going on walks with my family. We would walk to the nearby mall or parks. My mother would give us mini lessons to do while we talked, which were fun.

Major: Mathematics for Teachers of Secondary Schools

Class standing: Senior

SMI Leadership Roles: Scholar, Peer Mentor, Office Assistant, TTSM Officer

Valuable skills I gained through SMI: The most valuable skill SMI has helped me gain would be public speaking. I was very shy my first year, but luckily this program has helped me develop my voice through fieldwork and leadership opportunities.

My favorite activities: I like to play tennis and video games. I also like to bake and cook new recipes that I find on YouTube.

My favorite childhood memory: My favorite childhood memory would be getting awards from school and then being taken to
McDonalds to celebrate. I would always get a Happy Meal with a cheeseburger.

Major: Mathematics for Teachers of Secondary Schools

Class standing: Senior

SMI Leadership Roles: Scholar, Peer Mentor, Office Assistant, TTSM Officer

How SMI has made me feel like a part of a community on campus: SMI has helped me strengthen my public speaking and leadership skills! Through the various roles I hold in SMI and the fieldwork opportunities SMI has offered, I have become more confident in front of the classroom! 

What I would do on my free day: In my free time I enjoy trying new food spots and thrifting with my friends. I find myself cafe-hopping a lot as well. I also love playing with my cat Alice! 

My favorite childhood memory: Since I'm from San Jose, my favorite childhood memory is going on roadtrips to SoCal! I especially loved going to Disneyland with my family.

Major: Physics

Class standing: Senior

SMI Leadership Roles: Scholar, Peer Mentor

How SMI has made me feel like a part of a community on campus: Director Bushong has been there to help me on the path
to becoming a science teacher. She encouraged me to take Educ 3, which helped me understand what teaching is like and be more confident in pursuing teaching.

My favorite activities: I enjoy watching psychology YouTube videos (ex. cinema therapy). I like to learn how to become a kinder person, communicate better, and gain a deeper understanding of what others people feel and think.

My proudest achievement: I felt proud when the students I coached for science Olympiad at Riverside STEM Academy
laughed and made jokes during the lessons. It feels wonderful when your students enjoy learning.

Major: Mathematics for Teachers of Secondary Schools

Class standing: Senior

SMI Leadership Roles: Scholar, Peer Mentor

How SMI has made me feel like a part of a community on campus: I've joined many clubs on campus and none of them were able to draw me back after every meeting as much as SMI. The SMI organization lets me learn about the many pathways I have to reach my career objectives. Being in SMI has allowed me to meet many of my classmates who are as passionate as I am about becoming a math teacher.

My favorite activities: I really got into cooking over the last year and I am always finding new ways to make a simple dish. I also really love music, I am always listening to it.

My favorite childhood memory: One of my most favorite memories was when I completed a huge Lego fire station when I was really young. I felt so proud of myself for finishing such a large Lego set.