WRITTEN BY EDGAR GONZALEZ OLEA (PEACE TUTOR AND ADVISOR)

My experience at Cal although challenging was fun and full of learning. I didn’t think I would have much trouble transitioning because I attended community college for three years, where I was able to learn good studying habits. However, the sad reality- that the high school education I received did not prepare me for the future- did not become apparent to me until I started college. It was evident that my peers in college were much better equipped to pursue a higher education, and that despite my efforts, my preparation was limited by a lack of mentoring programs and leadership opportunities in Bakersfield, California. However, even in the face of these circumstances, I was able to transfer to Berkeley and get two associate degrees in Liberal Studies and Spanish.

I got admitted to Berkeley as a Junior Transfer in Fall 2014. During my second semester at UC Berkeley, I took a Molecular and Cell Biology class called “Brain Mind and Behavior,” which opened my eyes to the wonders of biology and medicine. This class combined history and science in a very interesting way and discussed famous critical figures in these fields, whom I connected with. . It was in this course, where I first encountered the pre-med students.

Since I came from an interdisciplinary background, I became interested in how the pre-meds needed to take classes from many different subjects. In Fall 2015, I too decided to start on the pre-med track.After talking to my counselor, we made a student plan. I knew that I had to take all the premed requirements at Berkeley, so I decided to take the challenge. I knew how to navigate and ask for help; I enrolled in SLC (student Learning Center) classes or additional Physics Decals. I would also attend the GSIs’ (Graduate Student Instructors) or professors’ exam reviews.

The course I enjoyed the most during my time at Berkeley was Organic Chemistry, which later on I became a lab assistant for through the Teacher Scholar Program. Organic Chemistry is a difficult class and a requirement for many science majors. I wanted to make this process more engaging and exciting. After being accepted to the Teacher Scholar Program, I facilitated group discussions and answered questions for 30 undergraduate students throughout the lab period. I provided lecture demonstrations and participated in weekly meetings in small groups with other lab assistants to discuss the upcoming week’s experiments, discussion topics, and practice worksheets
. As lab assistants we also role-played to practice teaching and participated in large group discussion on assigned pedagogy readings. I enjoyed learning and teaching other students about chemistry so much that I got involved with the PEACE Program, where there was a chance to tutor for 3A/3AL and 3B/3BL
.

I first joined PEACE in Fall 2017 and continued as a tutor during Spring 2018 after graduation. I know how stressful and difficult Berkeley can be, so I ensured my students/mentees had low levels of stress and good mental health during exam seasons by providing academic and emotional support. I got to connect with some of my students/mentees; we would exchange experiences, music taste, food, and friendships. I hope PEACE continues to increase educational accessibility and allow students to teach and learn from one another’s experiences.

Currently, I am applying to medical school and doing an EMT program in Alameda County. There is a feeling of excitement for this next chapter in my academic journey- medical school.