Bay Area student shares her ‘nontraditional’ journey to beat the odds

Summary

• A Bay Area woman shares her journey from community college to Stanford University.

• He studied at Las Positas College in Livermore for two years.

• His “unique perspective” is recognized and celebrated by the Stanford Alumni Association.

LIVERMORE, California. – A Bay Area student details her unlikely story as a first-generation college student who transferred from a community college and settled here. at Stanford While the university addresses the “stigmas” often associated with secondary school.

Leah Balakrishnan graduated from and attended Castro Valley High School. Las Positas College at Livermore for two years.

‘Unconventional’ journey

She arrived at Stanford this fall as part of a highly selective group of transfer students accepted to the world-renowned, prestigious university.

His journey to “The Farm” attracted a lot of attention and was a journey he described as “unconventional.”

Stanford Alumni Association last week shared his storyBalakrishnan first posted it on LinkedIn, saying the student’s “unique perspective” caught his attention and reached out to his community “before he even stepped foot on campus.”

In this post, Balakrishnan shared his experience at Las Positas and acknowledged the challenges he faced getting into Stanford from the community college.

“I am part of the 1.58% of transfer applicants, only 64 students worldwide were accepted to Stanford University this year,” the computer science major said, noting her presence in a male-dominated field. he wrote.

He looked back to where he started on this path and talked about the opportunities presented to him to shape his own future.

“Two years ago I took my freshman year of math at Las Positas College,” he reflected.

Secondary school ‘stigma’

He went on to describe the stereotypes often associated with students choosing the university route.

“There’s a stigma against college students that we’re not ambitious enough, we settle, and we don’t have what it takes to grow,” Balakrishnan explained.

The student then set out to debunk these notions, putting together a compelling account of his experience through the extraordinary people he met.

“…war veterans exploring old interests, mothers of three balancing textbooks with bedtime stories, and most memorably, a woman in her seventies who regained her dream of becoming a nurse after being denied a college education at a time when women were prohibited from going to college,” Balakrishnan shared.

And he talked about how he was inspired by people who pushed themselves, pursuing something that went far beyond the “race” to get into a good school.

“Their determination reminded me that success is not defined by how quickly you start, but by how relentlessly you keep going,” Balakrishnan shared. “In these classrooms, surrounded by people who were rewriting their own stories, I began to rewrite my own stories. I learned to speak up, to ask for help, not to doubt myself, and to see education not as a race but as a lifelong pursuit.”

Expressing his gratitude

He also praised the faculty at Las Positas and thanked professors who helped him embrace the powerful impact the public university can have.

“They challenged me to aim higher, think deeper, and reclaim the narrative that community college is for the determined, not for students who are ‘left behind,’” Balakrishnan wrote.

what do they say

Las Positas College celebrated its former student’s determination to work hard and take advantage of the opportunities provided to its diverse student body.

Las Positas College says, “Leah Balakrishnan’s success shows what happens when determination meets opportunity. At Las Positas College, students from all walks of life—parents, former students, returning students, and recent graduates—encounter excellent education, high expectations, and a community that believes in their potential.” President Dyrell Foster he said in a statement to KTVU.

Foster also criticized the concept of community college as a fallback option.

“Community College is not a second choice, but a strong first step,” said the school’s president, adding these words of encouragement: “To any student wondering if you’ve got what it takes: You do.”

Ranked at the top

Go deeper

Las Positas College It was recently ranked the second-best public university in California by the neighborhood and school rankings website Niche, and the school also “America’s Best Community Colleges“

The Bay Area was well represented in Niche’s rankings. Foothill College Los Altos Hills is not only the best in California, but it tops the list among the best. best in the country.

Canadian College Redwood City ranked fifth-best in the state. College of San Mateo ranked sixth and Mission College Santa Clara ranked 10th in Niche’s rankings “2026 California’s Best Community Colleges“list.

Other Stanford transfers

Balakrishnan was one of three transfer students from Las Positas College who graduated last spring and were accepted to Stanford.

Las Positas officials said new Stanford transfer student Raza Ali also took an “unconventional path to opportunity.”

SEE ALSO: Recent Stanford graduate Ahmed Muhammad remains committed to the Oakland community

Ali, who attended California High School in San Ramon, dropped out of high school early in his junior year to become a caregiver for his grandmother, who was diagnosed with dementia.

He took the California High School Proficiency Exam and enrolled in Las Positas College.

In an article in the local newspaper “IndependentIn the article titled “Written by Las Positas Marketing and Communications Director Chip Woerner,” Raza was quoted as saying: “Potential is not about where you start. It’s about what you can be.”

The student credited the community college for providing an environment in which he could thrive. “LasPo gave me a place where I could contribute, push the boundaries, and realize what I was capable of,” Raza shared.

Katon Lau, who was enrolled in Middle College, the school’s high school-to-university transition program, also participated in this program. at StanfordIt was recently ranked as the fourth best in the country by . US News and World Report.

According to Woerner, Las Positas’ 2025 graduating class yielded students accepted to other top universities, including Yale, Columbia, University of California, Berkeley and UCLA.

‘The odds don’t have to be in your favor’

As he looks to the next chapter of his academic story, Balakrishnan said he won’t forget the path that brought him here.

“I carry the voice of every professor who encouraged me, every peer who stayed up late with me in the lab, and every community college student who wondered if they had what it took to succeed,” the new Stanford student wrote, adding emphatically: “You do. And when you do that, as I did, you will prove that the odds don’t have to be in your favor.”