American Dream Stories

I move a lot. Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico, San Francisco…lots of bouncing around. Eventually, I moved to Redding and decided to attend Shasta College. I was living on my own, facing housing insecurity, and it was really difficult. My GPA dropped below a 2.0, and I was like, “I can either drop out, or I can give it my all and see what happens.”

I started small. I started going to the gym, quit my bad habits, and quit my job. It was a really rough semester, but I made it through. After that, I was like, “Okay, I can do it. I can take on more.” Now I’m taking 15 credits, interning, and hanging out with friends who are motivated and dedicated to school!

When I was moving from state to state, the sky was the only thing that was consistent. I always found myself looking at the stars. So, when it came time to pick a major, I just kept going back to astronomy.

I’ve had some great math professors at Shasta College, like Jennifer McCandless and Cathy Anderson. Cathy helped me see math as beautiful. The MESA program, specifically Jessie Knight, has been a huge beacon of support in my life. Jessie told me I could do it when I didn’t think I could.

I had just gotten my GPA up and staged this comeback when I decided to apply for the highly competitive astrophysics internship with the LAMAT institute at UC Santa Cruz, never expecting to hear anything back. They had already filled the three spots left, and there were at least 150 applicants by the time they got to me. They reached out to Jessie, started talking about funding, and were able to open another spot just for me. This summer fellowship is launching me right into the field I want to be in, doing research with universities in astrophysics. I would love to work at NASA or JPL. I have friends that are aerospace engineers, so I would love to be able to work with them and combine my astronomy and physics education.

My advice would be to take it slowly and go one step at a time. Set your goals high, and then it’s okay if you miss them because you’re already working towards something bigger. Shoot for the moon, and if you miss, you’ll end up in the stars!

Andrea Sawaya came to the U.S. from Lebanon at age 18 and began his higher education journey at Cuyamaca and Grossmont Community Colleges, where he spent three years, before transferring to the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego).

After earning his degree in Psychology at UC San Diego, Andrea matriculated into the School of Medicine, where he is part of the Health Equity (PRIME-HEq) Medical Education program. All milestones achieved by the age 23! 

One of the proudest moments in his journey came while attending Cuyamaca and Grossmont, when he got accepted into UC San Diego, a critical milestone toward reaching his goals. 

He credits the California Medicine Scholars Program (CMSP) at UC San Diego for helping him successfully matriculate into his dream medical school. Available exclusively to former community college students, CMSP provides pre-med students with resources, mentorship, and exposure to careers in medicine.

Andrea is the first CMSP scholar to matriculate into medical school and was recently featured in an article published by the California Medicine Scholars Program. Andrea now serves as an Ambassador for CMSP and is pursuing an MD/MBA degree. His goal is to become a trauma surgeon and work with immigrant communities. 

In his free time, Andrea plays piano, and enjoys spending time outdoors rock climbing, hiking, and playing tennis. 

Andrea recently returned to Cuyamaca College to participate in a distinguished panel of alumni during Spring Convocation. He emphasized the importance of community college, the unique support it provides, and the life-changing difference it can make in students' lives, including his own, noting:

“Now is your time to explore! There are plenty of opportunities out there. Community college is a great time to connect with professors, explore new fields, and learn through making mistakes. Seek out mentorship and never be afraid to ask for help.”  

I didn’t get into the four-year computer science programs I applied to out of high school. That was tough—but coming to Shasta College turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made.

I found my community through the MESA program. A friend recommended I join, and ever since, I’ve had access to support, opportunity, and people who believed in me.

One of the biggest highlights of my time at Shasta College has been participating in the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars program. It’s a competitive national program. I made it to Mission Two (of three), serving as project manager for a simulated moon mission with teammates across the country. Now, I’m headed to Mission Three at NASA’s Ames Research Center!

I’ve always loved math—I’ve taken almost every math class Shasta offers. My instructor, Jennifer McCandless, made each class a great experience. I also found joy in teaching—tutoring classmates and helping others understand challenging concepts. I’m transferring to San Jose State, and I hope to find a community like MESA—something collaborative and supportive.

My advice? Be willing to ask for help, even if you think you don’t need it. Also, take chances. I never thought I’d be working with NASA (honestly, even my parents were surprised when I told them I was going to NASA.), but here I am. You never know what you’re capable of until you try.