Meet Kimberly

When her mother passed away from cancer, Kimberly became a ward of the state until her

older sister could take her in. Now Kimberly wants to become an oncology physician’s

assistant so she can help other families facing cancer and give back to her sister.

“My sister was working, going to school and taking care of me and my brother at the same

time,” Kimberly said. “She always put herself last and put us before anyone else.”

When Kimberly began looking at colleges, she knew she wanted to work in the medical

field and promised herself she would go to UC Davis if she was accepted, due to its

prestigious medical school.

She entered UC Davis in fall 2023 as a freshman biological sciences major and joined the UC

Davis Guardian Scholars Program. Her main challenge was that she had housing, but no

funds to furnish it. That’s when she was connected to Make It Happen for Yolo County.

“My sister and I were stressing about buying furniture and other items so I could live on my

own,” Kimberly said. “Make It Happen pretty much gave me everything. It was all free, and I

feel like we saved hundreds of dollars. They even brought the furniture to me, which

helped a lot because we don’t have a truck. They thought of everything, just like a mom

would.”

She is grateful to now have kitchenware to cook with, and she laughed as she said, “I feel

like I’m always at the desk Make It Happen gave me.”

Kimberly’s desk is where she spends most of her time studying so she can graduate in 2027

and continue working toward becoming a physician’s assistant.

“As a physician’s assistant, you can take time to sit with the patient and the family and talk

to them more,” Kimberly said. “When my mom got sick, we spent a lot of time taking her to

chemo, and we all went through it with her. I want to be able to help and reassure other

families going through the same thing.”

Kimberly said living on her own has made her even more responsible and independent

than she already was.

“It’s harder to live on your own because you don’t have someone there to watch over you,”

she said. “Even if you have roommates like I do, it’s different than living with family. I have

to cook for myself and get myself to school on time.”

She encourages other students in the UC Davis Guardian Scholars Program to connect with

Make It Happen for Yolo County, reminding them that it can take a lot of stress off their

shoulders as they adjust to leaving home.

“It may seem like there’s a catch or you don’t want to take a hand-out, but it’s genuinely

really helpful,” Kimberly said. “It’s just an extra system of support, and they do it because

they truly want to make a difference.”