Brenda Bermudez

I graduated from Saddleback High School and the AISS.
Class of 2015. I graduated from UCI in, spring of 2018. I majored in Psychology
and Social Behavior and received my Masters in Teaching from USC. I hope to be in a High School Mathematics class in 2020 in a low-income, minority community like Santa Ana.
As a low-income, first generation Latina from Santa Ana, I understand the support this community needs. Many students often find themselves trapped by the lack of support, tools, and oftentimes, lack of knowledge from being first generation that they are intimidated by and are scared away from pursuing their dreams of higher education. Programs like AISS help students like me find the help and support they need to succeed in college and beyond and find their voice and place in the community. AISS helped me explore possibilities and gave me a safe space to dream
big, break out of my shell, step out of my comfort zone, and fulfill my dreams of becoming the first of my family to graduate.