College grads from Making Waves Academy and Pittsburg High School reflect on the celebrations and challenges of their college careers this 2025 graduation season
When reflecting on all the hands-on learning experiences she went through in college, Chaylah Williams (she/her) shared: “I like being part of somebody’s experience, and to curate it as well.” Chaylah earned her BA in public relations and art history from Loyola Marymount University this spring.
“Now that I’ve graduated, I’ll be back in the fall to complete my master’s degree in entertainment leadership and management,” Chaylah said. “Then I’ll start law school for sports and entertainment law.”
For Naidelyn Aceves (she/her), attending UC Santa Cruz meant getting to pursue her future career in game design.
“My background was very limited in video games. When I played games with the neighborhood kids on their consoles, that’s where my interest for it grew because it looked like magic for me back then,” shared Naidelyn, who graduated this June. “Now I know how much production and coordination it takes to make a whole game.”
Anthony Jacobo Gonzalez (he/him), who earned his BS in global disease biology from UC Davis, said the COVID-19 pandemic was a defining moment in his college journey.
“Seeing how Dr. Anthony Fauci and vaccine developers were on the front lines trying to stop the spread of COVID-19 fueled me to learn more about the work of advancing treatment in regard to disease,” shared Anthony.
The journey to graduation
Given so many college students were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Making Waves provided some extra flexibility and support for the Class of 2025.
“We have a number of Making Waves Academy graduates that actually span three-year, four-year, five-year, six-year, even eight-year college graduates. This graduating class really does represent the breadth of student journeys we support,” shared Aiyana Mourtos (she/her), chief program officer at Making Waves Education Foundation.
“We offered additional flexibility for students with unique learning needs – specifically, an extension of their scholarship eligibility – because they couldn’t access remote learning during the pandemic. It’s incredibly rewarding to now see those students earning their college degrees,” she shared.
A first-generation college graduate and Making Waves Academy alum pursuing her dreams in public relations, Chaylah leaves some advice for students navigating struggles and successes in their college and career journeys:
“Know where you’re going, why you’re going, and know what you’re going to do when you get there.”
Meeting college students where they are
Making Waves Education Foundation has implemented critical strategies to help college students succeed including: 1-1 college, career, and financial coaching, emotional and academic support, flexibility in scholarship timelines, and systems to track credits towards reaching graduation.
“I want to thank my coach Ms. Ilene, who believed in me even when I doubted myself,” shared Anthony about his Making Waves coach Ilene Richards.
“Your guidance, encouragement, and unwavering support helped shape me into the person I am today. In all honesty, you inspired me to aim higher, think bigger and stay true to my core values,” Anthony added.
“Growing with Dr. Martinez from high school to being in my last year as a senior in college and to have him see how my dynamic and mindset has changed is incredible,” Chaylah shared about her Making Waves coach, Dr. Antonio Martinez.
“It’s a comfortable feeling, but it’s also very helpful because he knows what my goals are, what I’m passionate about, and he knows me as a person.”
“It’s not even community, they are family,” Chaylah shared reflecting on her support from Making Waves.
Planning for the future through internships
This year marked an exciting milestone. More students than ever entered senior year already having completed internships aligned with their career goals, a leading predictor for career success and economic mobility for students.
“This was our first year really honing in on internship attainment,” said Dr. Kristina Wright, former VP of student success, who recently transitioned to a new opportunity after more than 23 years at Making Waves.
“Our goal was to significantly increase internship participation, and we saw meaningful growth,” Dr. Wright shared.
At the start of the year, only 34% of Making Waves’ second-year and beyond college students had secured internships – slightly below national trends for underrepresented college students.
“Recognizing how critical internships are to post-college success, we made intentional efforts to close this gap,” shared Mourtos. “By year’s end, internship attainment rose to 50% – surpassing national averages for even graduating seniors. This growth not only reflects students’ talent and perseverance but also the impact of targeted support and equitable opportunity.”
Internships do more than build resumes; they offer real-world experiences, build confidence or clarity on their next steps, and help make connections that help them in their future career.
This year, Making Waves launched the Wave-Maker Future-Ready Fund to offer financial support for internships in addition to career coaching and workshops that support students in finding, obtaining, and succeeding in internships.
Alejandro Martinez Santos (he/him) used his funding from Making Waves to cover costs for an unpaid internship this spring as an undergraduate researcher at the UC Irvine Wen School of Population and Public Health.
“Receiving internship funding through Making Waves greatly alleviates the burden of living expenses, allowing me to focus on my research and academic growth without the constant worry of financial instability,” shared Alejandro, who earned a spot on the campus’ Air Pollution Health Effects Lab.
“This work fuels my dedication as I strive to bridge the gap to higher education for students facing similar financial barriers in accessing research opportunities,” shared Alejandro, who is from Pittsburg, California and joined Making Waves’ program through a partnership with Pittsburg High School in Contra Costa County. Alejandro graduated this spring and started graduate school at UC Berkeley.
Making connections and giving back in college and beyond
For many, college was just as much about the people and community as it was about academics.
“Throughout my freshman year, I lived in the dorms and was a part of a floor that only housed first-generation students like myself. With this, I was able to connect with others who shared similar experiences as me which allowed me to see that I was not alone,” shared Anthony, who is also from Pittsburg.
“Being a part of a system that was never built with the intention to serve people like me, often left me with severe imposter syndrome. However, through the community I found at UC Davis, I was able to create mutual aid groups with my friends and persevere past these feelings,” Anthony shared.
During his sophomore year in college, Anthony said he began to do more community service, joining programs such as the Sacramento Valley College Corps through the California Office of the Governor and working under the Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center at UC Davis.
“At Aggie Compass, I was able to expand my network and serve the UC Davis community by providing basic need essentials. A highlight from this experience was being able to work on a ‘pay what you can’ food truck, which is now known as Aggie Eats, with the aim of tackling food insecurity amongst students,” shared Anthony.
Support systems that keep growing
Making Waves programs and support start before college students even step foot on campus and continue beyond college graduation.
“Our work at Making Waves does not stop once they graduate. It’s just a matter of how we can support and continue to be partners,” remarks Dr. Wright.
“Making Waves helped me a lot with understanding how financial aid works because I never had to deal with that before, including how much money was coming from financial aid and how much I was going to have to pay,” shared Naidelyn, another one of the students from the Pittsburg cohorts.
“With my Making Waves coach, it’s been helpful to talk about life in general because it can be stressful and scary. Being able to talk to someone who is more experienced or has some type of wisdom to share is so helpful,” she said.
“To me, the Making Waves Education Foundation college and career success program represents opportunity and empowerment,” said Anthony.
“This program gives me the empowerment to aim higher, knowing I have access to tools like one-on-one coaching, financial literacy support, and career readiness training. It’s a reminder to me that I am not alone in this journey,” Anthony shared.
